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JUUL 


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in  2012  with  funding  from 

University  of  North  Carolina  at  Chapel  Hil 


http://archive.org/details/personalnarrativ01bart 


tilMfedtea 


PERSONAL  NARRATIVE 


EXPLORATIONS  AND  INCIDENTS 


TEXAS,  NEW  MEXICO,  CALIFORNIA,  SONORA, 
AND  CHIHUAHUA, 


CONNECTED    WITH 

THE  UNITED  STATES  AND  MEXICAN  BOUNDARY  COMMISSION 
DURING  THE  TEARS  1850,  '51,  '52,  AND  '53. 


BY 

JOHN  RUSSELL  BARTLETT, 

UNITED     STATES     COMMISSIONER     DURING     THAT     PERIOD. 

WITH  MAP  AND  ILLUSTRATIONS, 
TWO   VOLUMES    COMPLETE   IN   ONE. 


NEW  YORK  : 

D.  APPLETON  &  COMPANY,   346  &  348  BKOADWAY, 

AND  16  LITTLE  BRITAIN,  LONDON. 

M.DCCC.LVI. 

ry 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1854,  by 

D.    APPLETON    &   COMPANY, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for  the  Southern  "District  of 

New  York. 


«E5Si» 


PREFACE. 


In  submitting  to  the  public  an  account  of  my  explora- 
tions during  the  several  years  that  I  filled  the  place 
of  Commissioner  on  the  part  of  the  United  States,  for 
the  Survey  of  the  Boundary  between  the  United 
States  and  Mexico,  I  have  endeavored  as  far  as  pos- 
sible to  confine  myself  strictly  to  what  is  embraced  in 
the  title,  viz.,  a  Personal  Narrative  of  Explorations 
and  Incidents. 

Having  this  idea  constantly  before  me,  I  have 
admitted  only  such  digressions  as  seemed  absolutely 
necessary  for  a  full  understanding  of  the  subject. 
Short  descriptions  of  the  towns  visited  have  been 
given,  as  well  as  general  remarks  on  the  country  from 
time  to  time.  So  of  the  botany  and  zoology,  I  have 
endeavored  to  keep  before  the  reader  a  correct  idea 
of  the  character  of  the  country  throughout  which  he 


IV  PREFACE. 

was  to  follow  ine,  without  lists  and  descriptions,  scien- 
tific or  otherwise,  of  every  plant,  quadruped,  bird,  and 
reptile  that  came  in  my  way. 

As  an  itinerary  giving  an  accurate  description  of 
the  country  from  the  shores  of  the  Atlantic  to  the 
Pacific — of  every  day's  journey — of  every  stream,  lake, 
pond,  or  spring — of  all  the  mountain  chains  and  their 
defiles — of  every  plain  and  desert — of  the  towns,  vil- 
lages, houses,  ranchos,  and  farms  where  the  traveller 
may  obtain  supplies — of  spots  where  he  may  find  grass 
for  his  animals,  and  where  he  can  find  none — of  districts 
destitute  of  wood  and  water — I  have  endeavored  to 
make  it  particular  and  accurate,  in  order  that  my  book 
may  become  a  useful  guide  to  emigrants  and  other 
travellers.  A  vast  deal  of  suffering  may  be  saved  by 
placing  in  the  hands  of  emigrating  parties  a  guide 
across  the  country  to  the  golden  regions  of  California, 
whither  so  many  are  now  annually  wending.  The 
time  is  not  far  distant,  either,  when  crowds  as  large  as 
those  now  pressing  on  to  California  and  Australia  will 
be  "prospecting"  among  the  mountains  of  Texas, 
New  Mexico,  Chihuahua,  and  Sonora,  attracted  by 
similarly  rich  mineral  deposits,  and  probably  with  the 
like  splendid  success.  This  will  not  be  the  result  of 
an  accidental  discovery,  as  was  the  gold  in  the  mill- 
race  near  the  Sacramento ;  for  the  existence  of  such 
treasures  is  already  known,  as  well  as  the  localities 
where  they  are  to  be  found.     My  journeys  through 


PREFACE.  V 

Sonora,  Chihuahua,  aud  other  Mexican  States,  are  given 
with  much  detail  on  the  topics  mentioned ;  which  I  fear 
will  render  this  itinerary  dry  to  many,  although  to 
others  it  will  give  the  book  its  chief  value. 

I  have  divided  my  narrative  into  distinct  journeys, 
each  complete  in  itself.  The  first  is  from  Indianola, 
on  the  coast  of  Texas,  where  the  Commission  disem- 
barked, via  San  Antonio  and  the  northern  route  (not 
now  travelled),  to  El  Paso  del  Norte,  about  850  miles. 
A  second  to  the  Copper  Mines  of  New  Mexico,  in  the 
Rocky  Mountains  near  the  Rio  Gila,  with  a  residence 
there  of  several  months.  A  third  to  the  interior  of 
Sonora,  and  back.  A  fourth  from  the  Copper  Mines 
along  the  boundary  line  south  of  the  Gila  to  the  Rio 
San  Pedro,  and  thence  through  another  portion  of 
Sonora  to  Guaymas  on  the  Gulf  of  California.  Fifth, 
a  voyage  from  Guaymas  to  Mazatlan  and  Acapulco, 
and  thence  to  San  Diego,  and  San  Francisco.  Sixth, 
various  journeys  in  California.  Seventh,  a  journey 
from  San  Diego,  by  the  Colorado  and  Gila  rivers,  to 
El  Paso  del  Norte.  And  lastly,  a  journey  through  the 
States  of  Chihuahua,  Durango,  Zacatecas,  New  Leon, 
Tamaulipas,  and  the  south-western  corner  of  Texas,  to 
Corpus  Christi  on  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  These  several 
journeys  embrace  an  extent  of  nearly  5,000  miles  by 
land. 

With  reference  to  the  aboriginal  tribes,  I  have 
described  with  minuteness  only  those   with  which  I 


vi  PREFACE. 

remained  some  time,  and  whose  habits  I  had  a  good 
opportunity  to  study.  I  have  also  incidentally  spoken 
of  the  tribes  through  whose  countries  I  passed,  without 
entering  into  any  detail.  This  subject  is  so  extensive, 
and  requires  so  much  study,  that  it  can  be  done  justice 
to  only  by  being  treated  as  a  whole.  I  was  so  fortunate 
as  to  obtain  vocabularies  of  more  than  twenty  aborigi- 
nal languages,  many  of  which  had  never  been  taken 
down  before,  and  none  so  fully,  as  by  me.  These  valu- 
able testimonials  of  the  now  fast  disappearing  red  race 
who  preceded  us  in  the  possession  of  our  country,  I 
consider  among  the  most  important  of  my  collections, 
and  as  such,  I  believe  they  will  be  esteemed  by  the 
learned.  They  each  embrace  two  hundred  words,  and, 
with  but  two  or  three  exceptions,  were  all  taken  down 
by  myself,  with  great  care,  and  according  to  one  system. 
My  further  ethnological  collections  embrace,  por- 
traits of  many  of  these  tribes,  both  male  and  female, 
showing  the  characteristic  features  of  each.  Sketches 
were  also  taken  which  exhibit  their  manners  and  cus- 
toms, their  arts,  husbandry,  etc.  It  is  my  desire  to 
prepare  a  report  on  the  ethnology  of  the  Indian  tribes 
of  the  extensive  region  explored  by  the  Boundary 
Commission,  should  the  government  feel  sufficient 
interest  in  the  subject  to  authorize  it.  Without  the 
aid  of  government,  I  shall  be  compelled  to  limit  my- 
self to  a  brief  memoir,  embracing  merely  my  philologi- 
cal collections. 


PEEFACE.  Vll 

From  the  time  of  the  Commission's  landing  at 
Indianola,  during  the  whole  period  of  its  continuance, 
every  opportunity  that  offered,  without  interfering 
with  the  direct. object  had  in  charge,  was  improved 
for  the  purpose  of  making  explorations,  and  forming 
collections  in  various  departments  of  natural  science. 

In  the  department  of  Botany  four  gentlemen  were 
employed  in  making  collections.  Dr.  J.  M.  Bigelow, 
Surgeon  of  the  Commission,  and  Mr.  George  Thurber, 
who  was  most  of  the  time  connected  with  the  Quarter- 
master and  Commissary  Departments,  in  addition  to 
their  other  duties,  examined  the  botany  of  the  region 
respectively  passed  over  by  them,  and  made  very  large 
collections  of  plants — the  latter  over  a  country  extend- 
ing from  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  across  the  continent  to 
the  Pacific  Ocean.  Mr.  Thurber,  who  accompanied 
me  in  most  of  my  journeys,  was  indefatigable  in  his 
exertions  to  make  thorough  examinations  and  complete 
collections  of  every  thing  belonging  to  his  department, 
notwithstanding  the  numerous  obstacles  he  had  to 
encounter.  He,  in  addition,  formed  an  extensive 
herbarium,  embracing  plants,  etc.,  collected  in  the 
various  States  of  the  republic  of  Mexico  visited  by  us. 
Two  other  botanists,  Dr.  C.  C.  Parry  and  Mr.  Charles 
Wright,  have  also  made  large  collections.  The  former 
was  connected  with  the  surveying  parties  under  the 
immediate  direction  of  Major  Emory,  and  did  not 
accompany  me,  so  that  I  am  unable  to  speak  from  per- 


Vlll  PREFACE. 

sonal  knowledge  of  his  labors;  but  from  his  well 
known  reputation,  as  well  as  that  of  Mr.  Wright,  I 
doubt  not  they  have  accomplished  much.  It  is  to  be 
hoped  that  the  government  will  place  a  proper  estimate 
on  the  labors  of  these  several  gentlemen ;  and  I  feel 
confidence  in  saying  that  when  they  are  made  known, 
they  will  reflect  great  credit  upon  them,  and  furnish 
important  accessions  to  science. 

In  Zoology  our  collections  are  large,  and  embrace 
many  new  species.  The  collectors  in  this  department 
were  Mr.  J.  H.  Clark,  Mr.  Arthur  Schott,  and  Dr. 
Thomas  H.  Webb.  As  these  collections  are  unfortu- 
nately scattered,  one  portion  being  in  the  Smithsonian 
Institution  and  another  in  Boston,  I  am  unable  to  speak 
with  precision  of  their  extent.  Of  the  first  collection 
sent  home  by  Mr.  Clark  in  the  spring  of  1852,  the 
naturalists  connected  with  the  Smithsonian  Institution, 
Professors  Baird  and  Girard,  remark  that,  "  It  will  be 
perfectly  safe  to  say  that  one  hundred  undescribed 
species  of  North  American  vertebrate  animals  have 
been  added  to  our  fauna.  The  entire  annals  of 
zoological  history  scarcely  present  a  parallel  to  this 
case."  Since  that  time  other  collections  have  been 
received  by  the  same  institution.  It  is  to  be  hoped 
that  this  large  and  valuable  accession  to  the  zoology 
of  the  North  American  continent  may  be  properly 
appreciated  by  our  government,  and  that  the  distin- 
guished  naturalists   now  engaged  in   describing   the 


PREFACE.  IX 

specimens,  may  be  authorized  to  present  them  to  the 
scientific  world  in  such  a  stylp  and  form  as  their  value 
and  interest  merit. 

From  the  peculiar  geological  features  of  the  coun- 
try passed  over,  a  valuable  report  on  that  subject 
might  be  expected;  but  I  regret  that,  as  Congress 
denied  me  an  appropriation  for  the  purpose,  I  was 
unable  to  secure  the  services  of  any  geologist  compe- 
tent to  make  such  investigations  as  were  desirable. 
Several  gentlemen  who  filled  responsible  places,  par- 
ticularly Dr.  Webb,  Secretary  of  the  Joint  Commission, 
contributed  their  services  in  collecting  such  minera- 
logical  specimens  as  circumstances  would  allow.  It 
was  highly  desirable  to  institute  a  continuous  series 
of  geological  and  mineralogical  researches,  and  to  form 
a  cabinet  illustrative  of  the  structure  and  mineral 
resources  of  the  region  along  the  whole  course  of  the 
survey ;  but  both  the  scientific  corps,  and  the  number  of 
soldiers  at  my  disposal  for  the  purpose  of  escort,  were 
too  small  to  admit  of  this  being  done.  Notwithstand- 
ing, however,  every  drawback,  a  large  collection  of 
minerals  was  made  by  Dr.  Webb,  including  silver  ores 
from  New  Mexico  and  Chihuahua,  and  other  ores  from 
various  places  along  the  line,  which  have  reached  home 
in  safety.  Among  these  mineralogical  treasures  is  a 
fine  specimen  of  bituminous  coal.  In  connection  with 
this  subject  I  may  add,  that  we  visited  and  explored 
many  of  the  mines  in  New  Mexico,  Sonora,  Chihuahua, 


X  PREFACE. 

and  California,  of  gold,  silver,  copper,  and  quicksilver, 
and  obtained  specimens  of  the  ores ;  besides  which 
much  valuable  information  was  collected  in  reference 
to  the  extent,  value,  and  productions  of  these  mines. 

I  should  do  injustice  to  our  accomplished  artist  and 
draughtsman,  Mr.  Henry  C.  Pratt,  who  accompanied 
me  in  my  journeys  to  and  from  California,  did  I  not 
speak  of  his  valuable  services.  Besides  the  portraits 
of  the  Indian  tribes  and  illustrations  of  their  manners 
and  customs,  Mr.  Pratt  has  made  a  series  of  many 
hundred  sketches,  representing  the  peculiar  character 
of  the*  country  extending  from  ocean  to  ocean  along 
the  boundary  line,  and  in  the  States  contiguous. 
Many  of  these  sketches  are  panoramic  views  embracing 
wide  districts  of  country,  and  convey  to  the  mind  a 
better  idea  of  it  than  the  most  elaborate  description. 
I  have,  therefore,  very  reluctantly  been  compelled  to 
omit  the  most  important  of  them  from  the  present 
work,  as  it  would  detract  too  much  from  their  merits 
to  reduce  them  to  the  size  of  an  octavo  page. 

There  is  another  topic,  one  too,  which  possesses  a 
deeper  interest  for  the  American  people  and  the  whole 
civilized  world,  than  those  to  which  I  have  alluded. 
This  is  the  adaptation  of  the  country  explored  by  the 
Boundary  Commission  for  the  "purposes  of  a  railway. 
The  descriptions  of  the  country  given  in  our  daily 
marches  will  convey  some  idea  of  the  advantages  pre- 
sented ;  but   without   the  large  sketches  mentioned, 


PREFACE.  XI 

barometrical  profiles,  and  elaborate  maps,  I  could  not 
do  justice  to  the  subject.  In  the  extensive  journeys 
of  the  Commission  through  Texas  to  the  shores  of  the 
Pacific,  by  the  route  south  of  the  river  Gila,  I  was 
enabled,  with  the  assistance  of  the  engineers  intrusted 
with  the  survey  of  this  portion  of  the  line,  to  collect 
much  valuable  information  on  the  topography  of  the 
country,  for  the  purpose  of  enabling  the  public  to 
judge  whether  or  not  it  is  practicable  to  construct  a 
railway  there.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  Congress  will  see 
fit  to  lay  this  information,  obtained  with  so  much  toil 
and  expense,  in  a  suitable  manner  before  the  people. 

The  maps  of  the  survey,  as  well  as  the  astronomi- 
cal, magnetic,  and  meteorological  observations,  with 
all  that  strictly  appertains  to  the  running  and  mark- 
ing of  the  boundary  line,  were,  by  the  instructions  of 
the  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  placed  in  charge  of  the 
surveyor,  Brevet  Major  W.  H.  Emory,  who  alone  is 
held  responsible  for  the  faithful  performance  of  these 
duties.  From  the  high  character  of  that  officer  as  an 
engineer,  the  public  may  expect,  in  proper  season,  a 
satisfactory  account  of  his  labors  in  these  departments. 
Some  time  must  elapse  before  the  maps  to  illustrate  the 
whole  Boundary,  from  one  ocean  to  the  other,  can  be 
completed ;  I  have  therefore  been  compelled  to  con- 
struct meanwhile  the  map  prefixed  to  this  work  from 
my  own  itinerary  and  from  the  most  authentic  informa- 
tion that  could  be  obtained. 


Xll  PREFACE. 

The  question  has  been  repeatedly  asked,  and  may- 
be asked  again,  why  the  account  of  the  doings  of  the 
Commission  embraced  in  this  narrative  was  not  pub- 
lished by  the  government,  alike  with  other  reports  of 
explorations  made  by  its  officers.  In  reply  J  have  to 
state  that,  on  my  return  home,  after  being  superseded 
as  Commissioner,  I  was  desirous  to  submit  my  report 
to  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  for  publication  under 
his  direction.  To  effect  this  a  resolution  was  offered 
in  the  Senate  by  one  of  its  distinguished  members, 
General  Houston  of  Texas,  who  takes  a  lively  interest 
in  the  promotion  of  science,  and  particularly  in  the 
investigation  of  the  unexplored  regions  of  our  country, 
to  authorize  me  to  prepare  and  publish  a  full  Report 
of  the  labors  of  the  Commission  while  under  my  charge, 
including  the  Natural  History,  in  which  so  much  had 
been  accomplished.  The  efforts  of  the  learned  Senator 
however  were  unsuccessful,  and  the  resolution  was  laid 
on  the  table.  This  decision,  a  source  of  lively  regret 
to  me,  I  trust  is  not  to  be  regarded  as  final;  and  I 
cherish  the  hope  that  Congress  will  yet  decide  to  place 
the  whole  results  of  the  Commission  before  the  public 
in  a  suitable  manner. 


CONTENTS  OF  FIRST  VOLUME 


FIRST  DIVISION. 

NEW-YORK  TO  EL  PASO,  THROUGH  TEXAS. 
CHAPTER  I. 

NEW-YORK   TO   INDIANOLA. 

PAGE 

Treaty  of  Peace  between  the  United  States  and  Mexico — Hon.  J.  B,  Wel- 
ler  appointed  Commissioner  to  run  the  new  Boundary  Line  between 
the  two  Republics — Determines  the  initial  point  on  the  Pacific  and  the 
centre  of  the  mouth  of  the  Gila — Col.  J.  C.  Fremont's  Appointment  and 
Resignation — J.  R.  Bartlett  appointed  Commissioner — Fitting  out  and 
Organization  of  the  Expedition — Embarcation  of  main  body  of  Commis- 
sion from  New- York — Embarcation  of  Commissioner  and  others — 
Water-Spouts — Havana — New  Orleans — Arrival  at  Indianola.    ...       1 

CHAPTER  II. 

INDIANOLA   TO   SAN   ANTONIO. 

Preparations  for  the  Start — Breaking  mules — La  Salle  and  its  early  His- 
tory— Prosperity  of  Indianola — Commencement  of  Survey — Route  to 
Victoria — Shoeing  mules — Encampment  in  grove — Military  drilling — 
Flourishing  condition  of  Victoria — Primitive  legal  proceedings — Diffi- 
culties of  navigating  Espiritu  Santo  Bay — Description  of  surrounding 
country — Mexican  ranch o — Observance  of  the  Sabbath — Justice  dispen- 
sed in  the  matter  of  a  calf — Goliad,  its  early  history  and  ruins — Mas- 
sacre of  prisoners  after  the  battle  of  Perdida  Creek — Leave  Goliad — 
Murder  of  a  Mexican  by  a  teamster — Arrival  at  San  Antonio — Another 
murder — Preparations  for  crossing  the  Plains — Description  of  San  An- 
tonia — Alamo— Mission  Churches 10 


XIV  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  III. 

SAN    ANTONIO   TO   FREDERICKSBURG. 

PAGE 

Advanced  party  formed  for  the  journey  to  El  Paso — Arms  and  equipments 
— Mode  of  travel — General  order — Storm  on  the  Prairie — Guadalupe 
river — Refinement  among  the  German  settlers  on  its  banks — Terraced 
hills  of  Texas — Mormons  in  the  valley  of  the  Piedernales — Fredericks- 
burg  46 

CHAPTER  IV. 

FREDERICKSBURG   TO   HORSE-HEAD    CROSSING. 

Projected  route  through  the  -wilderness — Setting  out — Uninviting  appear- 
ance of  the  country — Precarious  condition  of  German  settlements  on 
the  Llano  River — Leave  the  Emigrants'  Road — Crossing  of  the  San 
Saba — Community  of  prairie  dogs — Kickapoo  Creek — Hints  to  future 
travellers — The  Mezquit — Visit  of  Lipan  Chiefs — Indian  dexterity  in 
mule  catching — Regain  the  Emigrant  Road  at  Concho  River — Horse 
wounded  by  a  rattlesnake — Character  of  country  and  vegetation — Mus- 
tang roads — Scarcity  of  water — Prairie  on  fire — Deceptive  maps — Cas- 
tle Mountains — Stray  cattle  captured — Pecos  River — Chapporal — "In- 
dian sign." 61 


CHAPTER  V. 

HORSE-HEAD    CROSSING   TO    DELAWARE   CREEK. 

Crossing  of  the  Pecos — Narrow  escape  from  a  cold  bath — Desolate  region 
— Prize  oxen — Stray  mule — Populous  biscuit — Toyah  Creek — Travel- 
lers' tokens — Rescue  of  lost  mule — Dreariness  and  monotony  of  the 
Pecos — A  horse's  somerset — Delaware  Creek — Snow-storm,  sport,  and 
Erman's  Siberia — Mr.  Thurber  and  others  dispatched  to  El  Paso — Let- 
ter to  Major  Van  Home 96 


CHAPTER  VI. 

DELAWARE   CREEK   TO    EL   PASO. 

Difficulty  of  proceeding — Set  out  with  a  small  party  in  advance — View 
of  Guadalupe  Mountain — Boiling  Spring — Deceptive  clearness  of  the 
atmosphere — Guadalupe  Pass — Descent  to  the  plain — Meet  Mr.  Coon's 
train — Hospitality — Mr.  Thurber's  note — Take  leave  of  the  train — 
Cornudos  del  Alamo — Thome's  Well — Ojos  del  Alamo^Waco  Moun- 
tain Pass — Waco  Tanks — Meet  Messrs.  Thurber  and  Weems  on  their 
return — Arrival  at  El  Paso — Itinerary  of  route — Remarks  on  the  coun- 
try traversed — IU  adaptability  to  a  public  road 115 


CONTENTS.  XV 


SECOND  DIVISION. 

EL  PASO  TO  THE  COPPER  MINES. 
CHAPTER  VIL 

EVENTS   AT   EL   PASO. 

PAGE 

Losses  of  Animals — High  price  of  provisions  at  El  Paso — Excursion  up  the 
river — Entertainment  given  to  the  officers  of  the  Commission  by  the 
civil  authorities — The  Bishop  of  Durango — Pueblo  Indians — Meeting 
with  General  Conde,  and  commencement  of  the  labors  of  the  Joint  Com- 
mission— Arrival  and  disposition  of  the  main  body  of  the  United  States 
Commission — Arrival  of  ox-train,  and  death  of  IT.  D.  Wakeman — De- 
parture of  military  escort  for  the  Copper  Mines — American  despera- 
does in  New  Mexico — Death  of  E.  C.  Clarke — Trial  and  execution  of 
Wade,  Craig,  and  Butler — Trial  and  execution  of  Young — Dinner  and 
ball  given  under  difficulties— Excursion  to  the  Sierra  Waco — Indian 
pictures  at  the  Waco  Tanks — Initial  Point  agreed  upon,  and  Survey  in 
its  vicinity  commenced — Depot  established  at  the  Copper  Mines — Dr. 
Webb's  report  on  the  same 143 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

EL   PASO   AND    VALLEY   OF  THE   RIO   GRANDE. 

Early  colonization  of  Mexico — Position  of  El  Paso — Mode  of  irrigation — 
Agricultural  productions — Vegetables — Fruits — Extensive  culture  of 
the  grape — Wine — Brandy — The  Rio  Grande — Deficiency  of  water — 
Uncertainty  of  crops — Houses — How  built — Oriental  style  preserved 
— Primitive  mode  of  life — Flour  mills — Degeneracy  of  people — Dress 
—Settlement  on  the  American  side — Coon's  Ranch — Magoffinsville — 
Socorro — San  Eleazario — Mountain  chains — Plants — Current  and  sinu- 
osity of  the  Rio  Grande 182 

CHAPTER  IX. 

EL  PASO  TO  THE  COPPER  MINES. 

Observations  on  the  Rio  Grande,  from  El  Paso  to  Dona  Ana — Establish- 
ment of  the  Initial  Point,  and  ceremonies  connected  therewith — Descrip- 
tion of  Dona  Ana — Mesilla — Route  to  Santa  Barbara — Visit  to  ruins — 


XVI  CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

Mirage — Route  to  the  River  Mimbres — Luxuriant  vegetation  on  its 
banks — "Giant  of  the  Mimbres" — Ojo  Caliente — A  broken  arm — Arri- 
val at  the  Copper  Mines — Description  and  history  of  the  Mines — Value 
of  the  timber  in  the  vicinity — Abundance  of  game — Scarcity  of  vegeta- 
bles— Visit  to  Sonora  projected 191 


THIRD  DIVISION. 

JOURNEYS  AND  INCIDENTS  IN  SONOEA. 
CHAPTER  X. 

THE   COPPER   MINES   TO    AGUA   PIUETA. 

spring  at  Pachetehu — Ojo  de  Vaca — Janos  road — Col.  Cooke's  road— - 
Scarcity  of  water — Dry  bed  of  a  lake — Mirage — Desert  region — Zoo- 
logy of  the  plains — Guadalupe  Pass — Difficulties — Bears — Discover  foot- 
prints of  deserters  from  Copper  Mines — Sycamore  trees — Canon — Lux- 
uriant vegetation — Descend  from  the  great  plateau — Change  of  climate 
— Ruined  hacienda  of  San  Bernardino — Wild  cattle — Black  "Water 
Creek — Teamster  attacked  by  a  bull — Grave  of  an  American  deserter.  241 

CHAPTER  XI. 

AGUA   PRIETA    TO    ARISPE. 

Leave  the  California  road — Agua  Prieta — Send  party  to  look  for  Fronte- 
ras — Mexican  soldiers  sent  to  guide  us  in — Journey  resumed — Strike 
a  rich  valley — Break  a  wagon — Reach  Fronteras — Description  of  the 
place — Abandoned  by  its  people  andrecolonized — General  Carrasco —  ■ 
Couriers  between  the  frontier  posts — Attack  by  General  Carrasco  on 
Apaches  at  Janos — Campaign  against  the  Apaches— General  Carrasco's 
opinion  of  American  officers — The  Doctor  beset  by  the  sick — Leave 
Fronteras — Coquiarachi — Valley  of  Barbari— Wild  turkeys — Mountain 
Pass — Gold  Mine — Bacuachi — Sonora  River — Magnificent  canon — Chi- 
napi — Curious  sandstone  formation — Arrival  at  Arispe 261 


CONTENTS.  XV11 

CHAPTER  XII. 

FROM   AEISPE    BACK   TO    THE   COPPER   MINES. 

PAGE 

Description  ef  Arispe — Primitive  church  service — Scarcity  of  grain  and 
fruit,  and  abundance  of  vegetables — Set  out  on  our  return — Broken 
down  wagon  abandoned — Reach  Fronteras — A  blacksmith's  indepen- 
dence— Celebration  of  a  Saint's  day — Manufacture  of  aguardiente — 
Various  uses  of  the  Maguay — Doctor's  fees — Broken  wagon  metamor- 
phosed into  a  cart — Sorry  plight  of  a  wild  bull— Strike  Cooke's  road — 
Traces  of  fire  in  the  Guadalupe  Pass — Mexican  encampment — Story  of 
Americans  attacked  by  Apaches — Reach  the  Copper  Mines — Colonel 
Graham  not  arrived — Visit  General  Conde's  camp,  and  consult  with 
Lieutenant  "Whipple — Return  to  the  Copper  Mines 282 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

INCIDENTS   AT   THE    COPPER   MINES. 

Visit  from  th^e  Apaches — Mangus  Colorado — Arrival  of  Mr.  Sanford — 11th 
Article  of  the  Treaty  relating  to  captives — Arrest  of  New  Mexican 
traders — Inez  Gonzales,  the  Mexican  captive — Examination  of  traders — 
Story  of  the  captive  girl — Pinalenos  Indians — General  Cond6  arrives — 
The  11th  Article  of  the  Treaty  enforced — Friendly  intercourse  with  the 
Indians — Two  Mexican  boys  taken  from  them — Excitement  in  conse- 
quence— Conference  and  dialogue  with  the  Apache  chiefs — Amicable 
settlement  of  difficulties 300 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

INCIDENTS   AT   THE   COPPER   MINES. 

Intercourse  with  the  Apaches — Mangus  Colorado  and  his  new  clothes — 
Proper  mode  of  treating  Indians — Treachery  and  massacre  of  Indians 
by  an  Englishman — Tribe  of  Copper  Mine  Apaches — Their  numbers — 
Extent  of  their  incursions — Ethnological  position — Inferiority  of  the 
tribe — Dress — Visit  from  the  Navajos — Their  fine  blankets — An  Apa- 
che shot  by  a  Mexican — Alarm — Arrest  and  examination  of  prisoner — 
Death  of  the  Indian — The  murderer  demanded  by  the  Apaches — Con- 
ference with  the  Chiefs,  and  their  talk — Restoration  of  friendship.    .     .319 


CHAPTER  XV. 

INCIDENTS   AT   THE   COPPER    MINES. 

Arrival  of  Mr.  A.  B.  Gray — Meeting  of  Joint  Commission — Objections  of 
Mr.  Gray  to  Initial  Point — Mules  missing — Arrival  of  Colonel  Graham 


XV111  CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

— Mules  stolen  from  Frontera — Descent  of  the  Apaches  on  the  mule 
herd — Organization  of  parties  for  the  Survey — Application  to  Colonel 
Sumner  for  more  troops — Hostile  attitude  of  the  Indians — Second  in- 
cursion of  the  Indians — Mules  taken — Colonel  Craig  goes  in  pursuit — 
Arrival  of  Captain  Buford  with  dragoons  to  our  aid — Indians  pursued 
by  Colonel  Craig  and  Captain  Buford — Third  incursion  of  the  Indians 
— Volunteer  party  go  in  pursuit — Indians  overtaken  and  cattle  recov- 
ered— Apache  chief  recognised  among  the  robbers — Determine  to  set 
out  for  the  Gila 340 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

THE  COPPER  MINES  TO  EIO  SAN  PEDRO. 

Organization  of  parties  for  the  survey  of  the  Gila — Leave  the  Copper 
Mines — Pack-mules — Mode  of  packing — Ojo  de  Vaca — Camp  in  the 
Burro  Mountains — Ojo  de  Inez — Grizzly  bear — Violent  rain — Heavy 
travelling — La  Piloncillo,  or  Sugar-loaf  Mountain — Broad  plain — Camp 
at  El  Sauce — Man  missing — Camp  in  the  Chiricahui  Mountains^-Boggy 
road — "Want  of  water — Dry  lake — Reach  the  Mexican  camp — Meeting 
of  the  Joint  Commission — Mr.  Gray's  objection  to  the  boundary — March 
resumed — Mules  abandoned — Reach  San  Pedro  River — Its  character.  355 


CHAPTER  XVIL 

RIO  SAN  PEDRO  TO  SANTA  CRUZ. 

The  valley  of  the  San  Pedro — Decide  on  going  to  Santa  Cruz  for  provisions 
and  mules — Departure  of  General  Conde — Leave  the  San  Pedro — Take 
the  trail  of  the  Mexicans — Deserted  Indian  village — Leave  the  trail — 
Wild  horses — Santa  Rita  Mountain — Beautiful  valley — Progress  arrest- 
ed—Critical situation — Mr.  Thurber  goes  in  search  of  Santa  Cruz- 
Arrival  of  Colonel  Graham — Ruined  hacienda  of  Calabasa — Wild 
scenery — On  short  allowance — Return  of  Mr.  Thurber — Retrace  our 
steps  towards  the  San  Pedro — Mustangs — Camp  on  the  Babocomori — 
Arrival  of  Mexican  soldiers — General  Conde  loses  his  way — Sufferings 
of  his  party — Mexicans  hunting  cattle  on  the  San  Pedro — The  father 
and  friends  of  Inez  Gonzales  arrive — Set  out  again  for  Santa  Cruz — 
Meeting  of  the  captive  girl  and  her  mother — Arrival  at  Santa  Cruz,     .  379 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

SANTA   CRUZ   TO   LA   MAGDALENA. 

Account  of  the  missing  parties — Description  of  Santa  Cruz,  and  its  popu- 
lation— Departure  of  Colonel  Graham — Set  out  for  La  Magdalena — In- 


CONTENTS.  XIX 


crease  of  party — San  Lazaro — Cocospera — Its  beautiful  valley — The 
canon  where  Inez  Gonzales  was  taken — First  sight  of  the  Cereus  Gigan- 
teus — Babasaqui — Wild  cattle — Imuris — Terrenati — San  Ignacio  and  its 
church — Abundance  of  pomegranates — Passports  demanded — Proceed 
to  Magdalena — Summoned  before  the  Alcalde — Legend  of  the  origin  of 
the  town — Festival  of  San  Francisco — Religious  devotees — OiFerings 
to  the  Saint — Consecration  of  ribbons — Booths — Gambling — Perpetual 
fandango — Vegetable  productions  near  the  town — Fine  scenery — Grand 
torchlight  procession — Close  of  the  festivities — Description  of  La  Magda- 
lena.     • 406 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

ILLNESS    AND    DETENTION   AT   URES. 

Leave  La  Magdalena — Taken  ill — Diary  breaks  off — Sufferings  on  the  road 
— Reach  Ures — Poor  quarters — Dr.  "Webb  and  rest  of  party  visit  Guay- 
mas — Kindness  of  Dr.  Campbell — Description  of  Ures,  the  capital  of 
Sonora — Theatricals — The  Yaqui  Indians — The  Opate  Indians — Visit 
from  Tanori,  an  Opate  chief — Other  Indian  tribes  of  Sonora — Exports 
— Narrative  of  an  expedition  against  the  Apaches — My  party  leave  me 
and  go  to  the  Gila — Taken  to  Dr.  Campbell's — Irruption  of  the  Apaches 
— Imbecility  of  the  Mexicans — Tanori  and  the  Opate  Indians  go  in  pur- 
suit— Visit  from  the  Coco-Maricopa  Indians  of  the  Gila — Good  news 
from  Tanori — He  defeats  the  Apaches  and  recovers  the  stock — En- 
trance of  the  victors  with  the  recovered  booty  into  Ures — Death  of 
General  Garcia  Conde — His  character — An  American  held  in  bondage 
— Arrival  of  General  Flores — Departure  for  the  coast.     ......  438 


CHAPTER  XX. 

URES   TO   GUAYMAS. 

Leave  Ures — Rich  valley — Tapahui — Don  Manuel  Gandera — His  large  es- 
tates— Successful  farming — Statistics  of  his  haciendas — Silver  mine — 
Reach  Hermosillo — Governor  Aguilar — The  Ceris  Indians — Obtain 
their  language — Account  of  the  tribe — Mode  of  poisoning  their  wea- 
pons— Description  of  Hermosillo — The  Sonora  River — Productions  of 
the  valley — Business  relations — Sketch  of  the  town — Departure — Meet 
French  emigrants — Description  of  the  country — Its  barrenness — Busi- 
ness-like mode  of  milking  cows — La  Cieneguita — Buena  Noche — Reach 
Guaymas — Mr.  Robinson,  the  U.  S.  Consul — Description  of  Guaymas 
and  its  Campo  Santo — Its  harbor — Commerce — Intense  heat — Depart- 
ure  458 


XX  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

GUAYMAS    TO    SAN    DIEGO,    CALIFORNIA. 

PAGE 

Voyage  down  the  Gulf  of  California  in  a  pilot  boat — Barren  coast — Island 
of  Carmen — Loreto — Reach  Mazatlan — Its  picturesque  appearance — 
Description  of  the  town — Americans  here — Embark  for  Acapulco — 
Land  at  San  Bias — Visit  to  Mr.  Horn,  the  Captain  of  the  Port — Ride  to 
the  old  town — Its  beautiful  position — Ruined  condition — Visit  an  old 
fortress — Leave  San  Bias — Description  of  the  coast — Volcanoes  of  Coli- 
ma — Land  at  Manzanillo  Bay — Its  unhealthy  climate — Laguna — Cargo 
discharged — Stupidity  of  Custom  House  official — Leave  without  papers 
— Reach  Acapulco — Chinese  hotel — Beautiful  harbor — Castle  of  San 
Carlos — Unhealthiness  of  the  place — Extreme  heat — Noxious  insects — 
Description  of  the  town — Ancient  commerce — Departure  for  San  Diego 
— Crowded  state  of  the  steamer — Voyage  up  the  coast — Arrival  at 
San  Diego — Rejoin  the  Boundary  Commission 482 


ILLUSTRATIONS  TO  FIRST  VOLUME. 


WOOD-CUTS. 

No.  Page 

1.  Mission  of  San  Jose,  Texas,.. 42 

2.  Mission  of  Concepcion,  Texas, 44 

3.  Prairie-Dog  Town,  Texas, 70 

4.  Castle  Mountain  Pass,  Texas, 91 

5.  Crossing  the  Peoos,  Texas,    .......  98 

6.  Guadalupe  Mountain  and  Pass,  Texas,    .        .        .        .  118 

7.  Waco  Mountain  and  Pass,  Texas, 132 

8.  Indian  Paintings  on  Kooks,  Waco  Mountains,  Texas,     .  171 

9.  "  "                 "                         "                      "  172 

10.  "  "                 "                         "                      '.'            .  173 

11.  Church  and  Plaza,  El  Paso,  Chihuahua,     ....  189 

12.  Presidio  of  San  Eleazario,  Texas, 194 

13.  Approach  to  Mule  Speing  and  Picacho  of  the  Mimbees, 

New  Mexico, 219 

14.  Sandstone  Eooks,  Yallet  of  the  Mimbees,  New  Mexico,  224 

15.  Yallet  of  the  Copper  Mines  (Fort  Webster),  New  Mexico,  .  227 

16.  Canon  Leading  to  the  Copper  Mines,  New  Mexico,        .  232 

17.  Presidio  at  the  Copper  Mines,  New  Mexico,       .         .         .  235 

18.  Defile  in  the  Guadalupe  Pass.     Sierra  Madre,  Sonora,  254 

19.  Town  of  Fronteeas,  Sonora, 265 

20.  Sandstone  Columns,  near  Arispe,  Sonoea,        .        .        .  280 


XX11 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


No. 
21. 

22. 

23. 
24. 
25. 
26. 
27. 
28. 
29. 
30. 
31. 
32. 
33. 
34. 


Town  of  Akispe,  Sonoea, 

Group  of  Apaches, 

Apache  Head-Deess  and  Boots,   .... 

Bueeo  Mountains,  New  Mexico, 

Sugae-Loaf  Mountain,  -Chihuahua, 

Rocky  Oayeen,  neae  the  Boundaey,  Chihuahua, 

Punt  a  de  Sauz  Cienega,  Sonoea, 

Chieicahui  Mountains,  Sonoea, 

Wigwam  of  the  Papago  Indians,  Sonoea,    . 

Town  of  Santa  Ceuz,  Sonoea,  .... 

Dooeway  of  a  Chuech,  San  Ignacio,  Sonoea,     . 

Town  of  Santa  Magdalena,  Sonoea, 

Date-Teee  and  Field  of  Sugae-Cane,  Uees,  Sonoea, 

Manzanillo  Bay,  Pacific  Coast, 


Page 
281 

326 

329 

364 

366 

368 

370 

369 

382 

408 

419 

430 

441 

496 


LITHOGRAPHS. 

No. 

1.  Snow-Stoem  on  Delawaee  Ceeek,  neae  the  Pecos,  Texas,  112 

2.  Guadalupe  Pass  on  Cooke's  Road,  Sieeea  Madee,  Sonoea,  296 

3.  Valley  Leading  to  Santa  Ceuz,  Sonoea,      ....  402 

4.  City  of  Heemosillo,  Sonoea, 468 

5.  City  of  Mazatlan,  Pacific  Coast,  .        .        .        .        .  486 

6.  City  of  Aoapulco,  Pacific  Coast, 500 


FIRST  DIVISION. 

NEW  YORK  TO  EL  PASO,  THROUGH  TEXAS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

NEW   YOEK    TO    INDIANOLA. 

Treaty  of  Peace  between  the  United  States  and  Mexico — Hon,  J.  B.  Wel- 
ler  appointed  Commissioner  to  run  the  new  Boundary  Line  between 
the  two  Bepublics — Determines  the  initial  point  on  the  Pacific  and  the 
centre  of  the  mouth  of  the  Gila — Ool.  J.  0.  Fremont's  Appointment 
and  Besignation — J.  B.  Bartlett  appointed  Commissioner — Fitting  out 
and  Organization  of  the  Expedition — Embarcation  of  main  body  of 
Commission  from  New  York — Embarcation  of  Commissioner  and  others 
— Water-Spouts — Havana — New  Orleans — Arrival  at  Indianola. 

The  treaty  of  peace  between  the  United  States  and 
the  Mexican  Republic,  dated  at  Guadalupe  Hidalgo, 
on  the  2d  February,  1848,  requires  that  "  the  two 
governments  shall  each  appoint  a  commissioner  and  sur- 
veyor, who,  before  the  expiration  of  one  year  from  the 
date  of  the  exchange  of  ratifications  of  this  treaty, 
shall  meet  at  the  port  of  San  Diego,"  and  proceed  to 
run  and  mark  the  boundary  between  the  two  countries 
"  in  its  whole  length  to  the  mouth  of  the  Rio  Bravo 
del  Norte."  These  officers  are  required  to  "  keep 
journals  and  make  out  plans  of  their  operations;  and 
the  result  agreed  upon  by  them  shall  be  deemed  a  part 


2  NEW   YORK 

of  this  treaty,  and  shall  have  the  same  force  as  if  it 
were  inserted  therein.  The  two  governments  will 
amicably  agree  regarding  what  may  be  necessary  to 
these  persons,  and  also  as  to  their  respective  escorts, 
should  such  be  necessary." 

The  treaty  requires  that  the  starting  or  initial  point 
on  the  Pacific  Ocean  shall  be  "  one  marine  league  due 
south  of  the  southernmost  point  of  the  port  of  San  Diego, 
according  to  the  plan  of  said  port,  made  in  the  year 
1782  by  Don  Juan  Pantoja,  second  sailing-master  of 
the  Spanish  fleet,  and  published  at  Madrid  in  the  year 
1802,  in  the  Atlas  to  the  Voyage  of  the  schooners  Sutil 
and  Mexicana."  From  this  point  the  line  separating 
Upper  from  Lower  California  was  to  be  "a straight  line 
to  the  middle  of  the  Rio  Gila,  where  it  unites  with  the 
Colorado." 

The  Hon.  John  B.  Weller  was  appointed  the  first 
Commissioner,  and  Andrew  B.  Gray,  Esq.,  the  first  Sur- 
veyor under  the  treaty.  They  took  with  them  to  San 
Diego  a  corps  of  engineers  and  assistants.  Major  W. 
H.  Emory,  Captain  E.  L.  F.  Hardcastle,  and  Lieuten- 
ant A.  W.  Whipple,  of  the  U,  S.  Topographical  Engi- 
neers, the  first  as  chief,  and  the  latter  as  assistant 
astronomers,  were  detailed  by  the  government  to  aid 
the  commissioner  and  surveyor,  in  carrying  out  the 
stipulations  of  the  treaty.  They  assembled  at  San 
Diego  in  the  month  of  June,  and  entered  upon  their 
duties  soon  after. 

Without  going  into  any  detail  of  the  proceedings 
of  this  Commission,  it  will  be  sufficient  for  my  purpose 
to  say,  that  the  two  important  points  referred  to,  viz., 
the  initial  point,  one  marine  league  south  of  the  Bay 


TO   INDIANOLA.  3 

of  San  Diego,  and  the  middle  of  the  Bio  Gila,  where 
it  unites  with  the  Colorado,  were  determined  by  means 
of  an  elaborate  series  of  astronomical  observations,  by 
the  Topographical  Engineers  intrusted  with  these  du- 
ties. A  considerable  portion  of  the  straight  line  con- 
necting these  points  was  also  run. 

In  February,  1850,  it  was  found  impracticable  to 
advance  eastward  beyond  the  mouth  of  the  Gila,  and 
towards  the  frontier  of  New  Mexico,  in  consequence 
of  the  difficulties  attending  the  fitting  out  of  large 
parties  for  the  important  service  to  be  performed. 
The  Commission  then  adjourned,  to  meet  at  El  Paso, 
in  the  State  of  Chihuahua,  on  the  first  Monday  of  No- 
vember following. 

Soon  after  the  adjournment,  Mr.  Weller  was  re- 
moved, and  Colonel  J.  C.  Fremont  appointed  to 
his  place;  but  before  the  latter  gentleman  entered 
upon  his  duties  as  Commissioner,  he  was  elected  by 
the  people  of  California,  to  represent  that  State  in  the 
Senate  of  the  United  States.  Elected  to  so  distin- 
guished an  office,  Colonel  Fremont  did  not  hesitate  to 
resign  his  place  as  Commissioner  on  the  Boundary, 
when  I  was  honored  by  President  Taylor  with  the 
appointment  to  succeed  him. 

I  received  my  letter  of  appointment  in  June,  1850, 
when  I  immediately  set  to  work,  to  organize  such  a 
party  as  would  be  necessary  to  carry  on  the  survey, 
and  to  procure  the  outfit  required  for  the  service. 
Here  was  a  preparatory  labor  of  several  months.  But, 
as  I  was  required  to  be  at  El  Paso  del  Norte,  on  the 
Rio  Grande,  on  the  1st  Monday  in  November,  the  day 
on  which  the  joint  Commission  was  to  meet,  agreeably 


NEW   YORK 


to  the  adjournment  in  the  preceding  February,  there 
was  little  time  left  me  for  these  preparations ;  for, 
making  every  exertion,  I  could  not  expect  to  reach 
that  far-distant  place,  in  less  than  two  months  after 
leaving  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  This  would  leave  me 
little  more  than  two  months,  viz.,  July  and  August,  to 
select  my  assistants,  organize  the  Commission,  procure 
the  necessary  outfit,  and  transport  the  whole  to  the  most 
convenient  point  on  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  from  which 
the  party  could  start  on  its  long  march  for  the  interior. 

I  immediately  set  to  work  to  complete  the  arrange- 
ments previously  made  for  wagons,  tents,  camp  equip- 
age, arms  and  ammunition,  instruments,  stationery, 
etc.,  and  to  purchase  provisions,  medical  stores,  and 
such  other  articles  as  would  be  required  in  a  distant 
country,  where  few  of  the  necessaries  of  life  could  be 
procured,  and  still  less  of  the  supplies  required  by 
surveying  parties,  except  only  animals,  and  the  means 
of  transportation. 

Twenty-five  wagons  were  contracted  for,  in  New- 
ark, New  Jersey,  including  ambulances,  or  spring  wag- 
ons, for  the  transportation  of  surveying  and  astronomi- 
cal instruments,  and  other  purposes.  Four  iron  boats, 
with  their  equipments,  were  constructed,  under  the 
direction  of  Lieutenant  J.  G.  Strain,  U.  S.  NaVy. 
Tents  for  the  whole  party,  camp  equipage,  harness, 
saddles  and  bridles,  pack  saddles,  mechanics'  tools, 
fire  arms,  and  the  other  articles  named,  were  purchased 
in  New  York ;  in  which  duty  I  had  the  assistance  of 
the  same  officer,  who  was  indefatigable  in  his  exertions 
to  prepare  the  party  for  service. 

That  no  time  might  be  lost  in  the  preparations  for 


TO    INDIANOLA.  0 

the  field,  I  first  appointed  a  Quarter- master  and  a 
Commissary,  who  immediately  entered  upon  their  re- 
spective duties.  The  former,  James  Myer,  Esq.,  a 
gentleman  from  Texas,  who  had  been  connected  with 
the  Quarter-master's  department,  under  General  Tay- 
lor, in  the  late  war  with  Mexico,  proceeded  at  once  to 
Texas,  with  his  assistant,  Edward  Clarke,  Esq.,  for  the 
purpose  of  procuring  horses  and  mules,  which  were  to 
be  brought  together  at  our  place  of  landing.  I  next 
appointed  the  various  engineers,  surveyors,  and  their 
assistants,  mechanics,  laborers,  cooks,  servants,  etc. ; 
and  issued  an  order  to  all,  to  report  themselves  in 
the  City  of  New  York,  on  board  the  Steamer  Gal- 
veston, on  the  3d  day  of  August,  1850,  having  char- 
tered that  vessel  to  transport  the  Commission  and  its 
stores  to  Indianola,  in  Texas. 

In  organizing  the  Boundary  Commission,  I  had  in 
view  other  objects,  not  directly  connected  with  the 
survey.  By  the  sixth  article  of  the  treaty  of  Guada- 
lupe Hidalgo,  provision  is  made  for  the  collection  of 
information  relative  to  the  construction  of  a  "road, 
canal,  or  railway,  which  shall,  in  whole  or  in  part,  run 
upon  the  river  Gila,  or  upon  its  right  or  left  bank, 
within  the  space  of  a  marine  league  from  either  mar- 
gin of  the  river." 

To  make  these  examinations  required  an  additional 
force  ;  but  besides  this,  my  intention  was  to  commence 
the  survey  with  two  parties  simultaneously,  at  El  Paso, 
and  work  towards  both  the  Pacific  and  the  Atlantic, 
by  which  means  the  work  would  be  brought  to  a  much 
speedier  termination,  than  if  a  single  party  of  engi- 
neers should  take  the  field  and  carry  on  the  work, 


6  NEW   YORK 

from  one  end  of  the  line  to  the  other.  To  do  all  this 
required  four  full  parties,  two  of  them  being  astro- 
nomical and  two  surveying.  The  Commission  was 
therefore  organized  accordingly.  Its  chief  officers, 
when  the  re-organization  took  place,  after  my  appoint- 
ment, were  as  follows: 

John  R  Bartlett,  Commissioner. 

Andrew  B.  Gray,  Surveyor. 

Col.  John  McClellan,  Chief  Astronomer. 

Lieut.  J.  G.  Strain,  JJ.  S.  Wavy. 

Lieut.  A.  W.  Whipple,  Assistant  Astronomer. 

Capt.  E.  L.  F.  Hardcastle,  do.  do. 

The  latter  officer  remained  in  California,  to  finish  the 
demarcation  of  the  line  between  the  mouth  of  the 
Rio  Gila  and  the  Pacific,  and  did  not  join  the  parties 
which  accompanied  me.  For  the  programme  of  the 
Commission,  as  organized  in  Washington,  in  July,  1850, 
see  Appendix  C. 

On  the  third  of  August  following,  or  about  six 
weeks  after  my  appointment,  the  outfit,  subsistence, 
etc.,  were  so  far  ready,  that  the  whole  Commission, 
excepting  Lieutenant  Whipple,  Colonel  Chandler,  one 
of  the  first  assistant  engineers,  two  of  the  assistants, 
and  myself,  embarked  on  board  the  steamer  Galveston, 
at  New  York,  and  set  sail  the  same  afternoon  for  New 
Orleans  and  Indianola,  Texas.  The  whole  party,  em- 
bracing officers  and  men,  which  embarked,  numbered 
one  hundred  and  five  persons,  taking  with  them  pro- 
visions for  six  months.  An  escort  of  United  States 
soldiers,  under  Colonel  Craig,  consisting  of  3d  Infant- 


TO   INDIANOLA.  7 

ry,  and  embracing  eighty -five  men,  accompanied  the 
Commission. 

On  the  13th  of  August,  having  closed  up  all  the 
business  of  the  Commission,  and  procured  some  as- 
tronomical instruments  which  could  not  be  got  ready 
sooner,  I  embarked  on  board  the  steamship  Georgia, 
Captain  Porter,  accompanied  by  the  gentlemen  before 
referred  to,  for  Havana,  where  we  arrived  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  19th,  after  a  pleasant  voyage.  With  the  ex- 
ception of  a  thunderstorm  off  Cape  Hatteras,  and  the 
unusual  sight  of  five  water-spouts  at  the  same  time,  from 
a  large  heavy  cloud  about  two  miles  to  the  leeward, 
there  were  no  incidents  worth  recording.  The  water- 
spouts were  interesting  on  account  of  the  unusual 
number  seen  at  the  same  time.  One  of  these,  and 
the  largest,  rose  in  a  direct  perpendicular  column  from 
the  surface  of  the  ocean  to  the  cloud,  funnel-shaped  at 
either  end,  or  like  a  huge  column,  its  base  on  the 
ocean,  its  capital  under  the  cloud.  All  the  others 
were  spiral,  and  connected  in  the  middle  by  an  appa- 
rently small  column  of  water.  They  soon  disap- 
peared, as  well  as  the  heavy  cloud  with  which  they 
were  connected.  The  turbulent  ocean,  which  had 
lashed  the  ship's  sides  for  a  couple  of  hours,  soon 
became  composed,  and  relapsed  into  a  dead  calm. 
This  continued  until  we  rounded  the  Moro  Castle, 
and  entered  the  beautiful  harbor  of  Havana. 

In  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day  we  left  the  Geor- 
gia, which  went  no  further,  and  embarked  on  board  the 
steamer  Falcon  for  New  Orleans.  A  striking  con- 
trast was  presented  in  these  two  ships.  The  former 
was  sweet  and  clean  in  every  part ;  while  the  filth  of 


8  NEW   YORK 

th,e  latter,  and  the  stench  arising  from  her  cabin  and 
hold,  resembled  that  from  a  hog  stye.  She  had  just 
arrived  from  Chagres  with  a  large  number  of  passen- 
gers from  California,  many  of  whom  were  suffering 
with  fever.  One  poor  creature  died  during  the  day, 
and  was  sent  on  shore  for  interment.  Although  we 
felt  somewhat  apprehensive  on  finding  ourselves  in  Ha- 
vana at  mid-summer,  when  foreigners  generally  leave, 
and  when  all  avoid  it  who  can,  I  suffered  no  inconve- 
nience from  the  heat,  which  was  not  more  oppressive 
than  in  New  York ;  still  we  took  the  precaution  to 
keep  very  quiet.  A  gentle  breeze  drew  in  from  the 
ocean,  making  it  comfortable  under  the  awning.  To- 
wards evening,  I  went  on  shore  with  Lieut.  Whipple, 
when  we  took  a  volante  and  drove  out  to  the  bishop's 
palace,  and  the  neighboring  public  places  of  resort. 

Tuesday,  August  20th.  At  two  o'clock  p.  m.,  sailed 
for  New  Orleans ;  the  weather  pleasant,  and  not  uncom- 
fortably warm.  The  boat  was  not  only  crowded  with 
passengers,  but,  to  increase  the  discomfort,  her  decks 
were  filled  with  crates  of  pine-apples  and  other  fruits, 
so  as  to  leave  but  little  room  to  move  about.  When 
I  went  to  retire,  I  learned  that  there  were  two  pas- 
sengers on  board  with  the  yellow  fever ;  in  fact,  I  had 
arranged  my  cot  near  them  before  I  found  out  what 
their  illness  was.  Several  of  the  passengers  then,  my- 
self among  the  number,  thought  it  more  prudent  to 
spread  our  beds  upon  the  deck,  where  we  had  the  ad- 
vantage of  a  pure  atmosphere.  Reached  New  Orleans 
at  midnight  on  the  23d,  and  proceeded  at  once  to  the 
Saint  Charles  Hotel,  as  did  nearly  all  the  rest  of  the 
passengers. 


TO    INDIANOLA.  V 

I  here  learned  that  the  Galveston  had  arrived  in 
safety,  and,  after  a  delay  of  a  couple  of  days,  had  pro- 
ceeded to  Indianola.  One  of  the  officers  had  been 
taken  with  a  fever,  and  remained  behind ;  all  the 
others  were  in  good  health. 

After  remaining  at  New  Orleans  two  days,  we  em- 
barked on  board  the  steamer  Portland,  for  Indianola, 
a  clean  and  comfortable  vessel,  though  somewhat 
slow.  The  surface  of  the  gulf  was  scarcely  ruffled 
by  the  breeze ;  so  that  no  one  was  sea-sick,  and  all 
seemed  to  enjoy  the  voyage.  The  fourth  day  brought 
us  to  Galveston,  where  I  found  three  young  men  be- 
longing to  the  Commission,  who  had  been  left  by  the 
Galveston  steamer.  Remained  here  long  enough  to 
go  to  the  beach  and  bathe,  which  greatly  refreshed 
us ;  when  we  continued  our  voyage,  and  came  to 
anchor  the  next  evening  off  the  town  of  La  Salle,  in 
Matagorda  Bay.  Several  officers  of  the  Commission, 
who  had  been  watching  the  arrival  of  the  steamer, 
came  on  board  late  at  night,  and  informed  me  that  all 
had  arrived  in  safety,  and  that  they  were  encamped 
at  Indianola,  about  six  miles  distant. 

August  31st  A  small  government  steamer  came 
off  to  us  early  this  morning  and  took  us  to  Indianola, 
which  we  reached  at  eleven  o'clock.  Many  of  the 
party  met  me  at  the  landing,  when  I  took  an  ambu- 
lance and  rode  to  the  camp,  on  the  shore  of  the  bay, 
a  short  distance  from  the  town. 


10  INDIAN  OLA 


CHAPTER  II 

INDIANOLA   TO    SAN  ANTONIO. 

Preparations  for  the  Start — Breaking  mules — La  Salle  and  its  early  History 
— Prosperity  of  Indianola — Commencement  of  Survey — Eoute  to  Vic- 
toria— Shoeing  mules — Encampment  in  grove — Military  drilling — 
Flourishing  condition  of  Victoria — Primitive  legal  proceedings — Diffi- 
culties of  navigating  Espiritu  Santo  Bay — Description  of  surrounding 
country — Mexican  ranch — Observance  of  the  Sabbath — Justice  dis- 
pensed in  the  matter  of  a  calf — Goliad,  its  early  history  and  ruins — 
Massacre  of  prisoners  after  the  battle  of  Perdida  Creek — Leave  Goliad 
— Murder  of  a  Mexican  by  a  teamster — Arrival  at  San  Antonio — 
Another  murder — Preparations  for  crossing  the  Plains — Description 
of  San  Antonio— Alamo — Mission  Churches. 

Since  the  arrival  of  the  Commission,  all  parties  had 
been  busily  occupied  in  getting  ready  to  move  into 
the  interior ;  and  those  only  who  have  had  experience 
in  fitting  out  a  large  train  of  wagons  for  a  journey 
across  the  prairies,  or  to  California,  can  form  an  ade- 
quate idea  of  the  preparations  required.  If  the  route 
were  a  settled  one,  or  if  settlements  were  to  be  met 
with,  even  at  distances  of  a  hundred  miles  apart, 
where  supplies  could  be  procured  and  repairs  made, 
much  of  the  labor  necessary  on  setting  out,  and  a  vast 
deal  that  is  required  on  the  way,  might  be  dispensed 
with.     At  this  place  it  was  not  necessary  to  complete 


TO    SAN    ANTONIO.  11 

our  arrangements  for  a  final  start.  The  town  did 
not  furnish  the  facilities  for  so  doing.  My  intention, 
therefore,  was  to  proceed  to  San  Antonio,  the  princi- 
pal city  of  Texas,  a  hundred  and  forty  miles  distant, 
and  there  complete  our  outfit  for  the  longer  march 
across  the  prairies  and  deserts  to  El  Paso  del  Norte. 

Quarter-master  Myer  had  arrived  before  the  Gal- 
veston, with  about  one  hundred  horses  and  mules ;  but 
these  were  quite  inadequate  for  the  wants  of  the  party. 
It  was  found,  too,  that  the  twenty -five  wagons  brought 
out  were  insufficient  to  transport  the  property  of  the 
Commission ;  in  fact,  they  would  little  more  than 
carry  the  instruments,  personal  baggage,  tents,  and 
camp  equipage.  The  instruments  were  packed  with 
great  care,  and  filled  four  of  the  ambulances.  It  there- 
fore became  necessary  to  procure  at  once  additional 
wagons,  mules,  and  horses  for  the  transportation  of 
the  provisions,  of  which  we  had  a  six  months'  supply 
for  one  hundred  men,  as  well  as  for  the  men  to  ride 
on.  But  that  no  time  should  be  lost,  it  was  thought 
best,  as  fast  as  the  wagons  could  be  got  ready,  to  pro- 
ceed into  the  interior,  as  far  as  the  town  of  Victoria, 
where  water,  wood,  and  grass  were  abundant,  and 
where  greater  facilities  were  to  be  found  for  shoeing 
our  animals  than  at  Indianola.  Here  there  was  no 
wood,  and  water  could  be  had  only  from  one  or  two 
wells,  and  that  of  so  bad  a  quality  that  many  of  the 
party  had  been  attacked  with  complaints  of  the 
bowels. 

The  quartermaster  and  his  men  occupied  them- 
selves in  breaking  the  mules,  very  few  of  which  had 
ever  been  in  harness  before.     This  was  done  by  mak- 


12  INDIANOLA 

ing  them  draw  logs  about  for  a  few  days,  when 
they  became  docile,  and  could  be  harnessed  to  the 
wagons  with  safety.  While  this  was  going  on,  the 
mechanics  were  employed  in  their  various  duties. 
The  blacksmiths  and  carpenters  in  making  many 
small  fixtures  to  the  wagons;  amongst  other  things, 
all  had  to  be  provided  with  feed-troughs,  not  a  single 
one  of  these  necessary  appendages  being  furnished 
with  them.  All  the  harness  and  collars  had  to  be  re- 
duced, to  adapt  them  to  our  Mexican  mules,  which 
were  much  smaller  than  the  mules  of  Kentucky  and 
Missouri,  used  at  the  north,  and  for  the  transportation 
of  merchandise  for  the  Santa  Fe  and  New  Mexican  trade. 
La  Salle,  the  place  opposite  which  we  came  to  an- 
chor in  entering  Matagorda  Bay,  is  so  named  in  memo- 
ry of  one  of  the  most  remarkable  of  the  early  explo- 
rers of  the  North  American  continent.  This  distin- 
guished Frenchman,  with  the  ardent  zeal  which  charac- 
terized his  countrymen  in  their  attempts  to  penetrate 
to  the  very  heart  of  the  continent,  had  passed  the  great 
chain  of  the  northern  lakes,  pushed  his  discoveries  to 
the  head  waters  of  the  Mississippi,  and  traced  its  course 
to  the  gulf,  before  the  first  English  colonist  had  es- 
tablished himself  on  the  Atlantic  coast.  Coasting  along 
the  shores  of  the  gulf  in  search  of  a  spot  whereon  he 
might  establish  a  colony,  he  landed,  against  his  will,  at 
or  near  the  spot  which  now  bears  his  name,  where  he 
remained  nearly  a  year  with  a  little  band  of  adventu- 
rers, facing  all  the  dangers  and  undergoing  all  the  hard- 
ships to  which  they  could  be  exposed  in  a  country  sur- 
rounded by  hostile  Indians.  In  his  attempt  to  extricate 
his  party,  he  was  murdered  by  one  of  them. 


TO    SAN    ANTONIO.  13 

This  place  was  selected  as  the  most  desirable  spot 
for  a  town,  on  account  of  its  depth  of  water,  and  con- 
venience of  approach  from  the  gulf.  Vessels  drawing 
ten  feet  of  water,  are  said  to  have  passed  in  without 
difficulty  ;  and,  to  use  the  words  of  an  enthusiastic  ad- 
mirer of  its  position,  who  doubtless  had  some  interest 
in  its  success,  "it  seems  to  have  been  intended  by 
nature,  to  rear  and  sustain  a  large  commercial  city." 

From  the  several  examinations  which  have  been 
made  of  Matagorda  Bay,  it  appears  that  the  harbors  on 
its  western  shores,  the  chief  of  which  are  La  Salle  and 
Indianola,  possess  advantages  above  those  of  any  ports 
on  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  between  the  mouth  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi and  Vera  Cruz,  with  the  exception  of  Galves- 
ton. The  whole  Texan  coast,  it  is  well  known,  is  bor- 
dered by  long  and  shallow  lagoons,  connected  with  the 
waters  of  the  gulf  by  narrow  openings,  whose  position 
is  constantly  shifting,  and  which  have  not  always  suffi- 
cient depth  of  water  for  the  passage  of  large  vessels. 
Paso  Cavallo,  the  entrance  to  Matagorda  Bay,  is  only 
second  to  that  which  leads  to  Galveston  Bay. 

In  the  contest  for  superiority,  Indianola  seems  to 
have  carried  away  the  palm  ;  for  while  the  highly  ap- 
plauded site  for  the  city  of  La  Salle  is  almost  unoccu- 
pied, the  former  has  grown  into  a  large  and  thriving 
town,  second  only  to  Galveston  among  all  the  ports  of 
Texas.  Indianola  is  now  the  port  for  the  extensive 
commerce  with  Western  Texas,  Chihuahua,  and  por- 
tions of  New  Mexico  ;  a  railroad  has  already  been  com- 
menced to  connect  it  with  San  Antonio,  the  chief  city 
of  the  State,  and  two  lines  of  steamers  plying  between 
it  and  New  Orleans  will  continue  to  add  to  its  prosperi- 


14  INDIANOLA 

ty.  Should  one  of  the  contemplated  railroads  to  the 
Pacific  be  extended  west  from  San  Antonio,  with  its 
terminus  here,  Inclianola  will  rank  second  only  to  New 
Orleans  among  the  cities  of  the  gulf  in  commerce  and 
population. 

The  necessity  of  giving  early  employment  to  the 
large  corps  of  engineers  attached  to  the  Commission, 
in  the  duties  which  appertained  to  their  profession, 
induced  me,  among  other  reasons,  to  make  an  examina- 
tion of  the  country  between  Indian ola  and  our  place  of 
destination  on  the  Rio  Grande,  in  order  to  ascertain  the 
facilities  it  afforded  for  a  railroad.  With  this  view  I 
caused  a  party  to  be  organized  to  make  a  chain  and 
compass  survey,  and  to  carry  a  line  of  levels  to  deter- 
mine a  profile  of  the  route  from  this  point  to  El  Paso 
del  Norte.  The  eyes  of  the  South  had  long  been  di- 
rected this  way ;  for  whether  there  might  be  a  more 
practicable  route  or  not  further  north,  it  was  a  question 
of  great  importance  to  the  southern  section  of  the 
Union,  that  all  the  information  possible,  should  be  ob- 
tained with  reference  to  the  country  we  were  about  to 
traverse,  and  its  practicability  for  the  purpose  of  a  rail- 
road. 

The  various  engineers,  surveyors,  and  assistants, 
were  desirous  to  enter  on  active  duty  as  soon  as  possi- 
ble, and  received  with  great  satisfaction  the  order  to 
commence  their  labors  in  a  field  comparatively  un- 
known. 

Lieutenant  A.  W.  Whipple,  of  the  Topographical 
Engineers,  was  placed  at  the  head  of  the  party,  and 
performed  the  astronomical  duties;  while  Mr.  John 
Bull  was  the  principal  surveyor,  in  charge  of  this  de- 


TO    SAN   ANTONIO.  15 

partnient  of  the  work.  They  selected  their  assistants, 
and  entered  upon  their  operations  on  the  3d  of  Septem- 
ber. 

The  preparations  on  the  train,  the  breaking  in  of 
the  mules,  and  obtaining  the  additional  transportation 
before  alluded  to,  occupied  about  a  week  after  my  ar- 
rival. I  left  Indianola  on  the  fifth  of  September  for 
Victoria,  distant  about  thirty  miles,  a  portion  of  the 
train  having  preceded  me.  Immediately  on  leaving 
the  shores  of  the  bay  we  entered  a  fine  level  prairie,  un- 
limited by  hill  or  any  elevation,  and  covered  with  the 
richest  grass.  Not  a  tree  or  shrub  interrupted  the 
broad  expanse  that  lay  before  us.  Here  and  there  were 
gentle  undulations,  like  the  long  waves  of  the  ocean 
when,  after  a  severe  blow,  its  agitated  waters  are  sub- 
siding into  a  calm.  The  prairie  fowl,  the  great  curlew, 
and  flocks  of  quail  arose  as  we  moved  along  ;  and  be- 
ing in  advance  of  the  party,  I  had  an  opportunity  to 
test  the  qualities  of  my  double-barrelled  gun.  When  but 
a  few  miles  from  the  town,  we  began  to  observe  herds 
of  deer  a  short  distance  from  the  road,  grazing  in 
quietness  among  the  innumerable  cattle  which  dotted 
the  plain  in  every  direction,  doubtless  imagining  that 
proximity  to  their  tame  companions  added  to  their 
security :  though,  in  fact,  it  proved  directly  the  reverse ; 
for  the  cunning  hunter  would  take  advantage  of  their 
presence  to  approach  the  nearer  to  his  game.  The  young 
men  who  accompanied  me,  being  prepared  with  rifles, 
dashed  off  to  try  their  hand  at  this  exciting  sport,  in 
which  they  were  more  or  less  successful ;  so  that  on 
reaching  our  place  of  encampment,  they  were  provided 
with  a  fine  saddle  of  venison  for  their  dinner. 


16  INDIANOLA 

The  entire  distance  to  Victoria  is  over  the  rich 
prairie  just  described.  It  is  occasionally  intersected 
by  bayous,  lagoons,  or  small  streams,  where  the  land 
is  brought  into  cultivation,  giving  evidence  of  its 
inexhaustible  richness  in  the  luxuriant  growth  of  cotton 
and  sugar-cane  which  it  bears.  Near  the  water  are 
clumps  of  trees ;  and  such  spots  are  eagerly  sought 
after  as  places  of  residence. 

On  the  morning  of  the  6th,  I  reached  Victoria, 
where  I  found  great  activity  in  the  camp.  Here  one 
of  the  most  important  jobs  was  to  be  performed,  that 
of  shoeing  the  mules.  It  was  believed,  that  breaking 
them  in  to  the  harness  at  Indian ola,  and  two  days' 
journey  with  heavily  loaded  wagons,  would  render  them 
more  tractable,  when  the  process  of  shoeing  was  to 
be  undertaken.  But  this  rough  handling  seemed  to 
have  subdued  them  but  little.  They  were  as  wild 
and  skittish  as  when  roaming  at  large  over  the  broad 
prairies,  and  as  repugnant  to  civilized  life,  and  the 
arduous  labors  attending  it,  as  the  untamed  mustangs, 
which  had  never  been  brought  under  the  control  of 
the  teamster's  lash. 

The  first  step  in  this  process,  was  to  construct  a 
frame-work  of  timber,  called  the  "stocks,"  consisting 
of  four  upright  posts,  connected  by  bars  on  all  sides, 
and  capable  of  containing  a  single  mule.  Near  this  was 
placed  the  blacksmith's  forge. 

The  next  step  was  to  catch  the  mules,  and  place 
them  in  the  stocks,  a  task  of  infinitely  more  labor  than 
that  of  putting  on  the  shoes.  The  mules  were  first 
driven  into  a  corral  or  pen.  The  animal  to  be  shod 
was  then  selected,  and  a  lasso  or  rope  thrown  over  his 


TO    SAN    ANTONIO.  17 

head,  by  which  he  was  drawn  from  the  inclosure. 
Then  commenced  a  series  of  kickings,  and  rearings,  and 
boltings,  a  caution  to  all  to  keep  out  of  the  way,  when, 
by  the  aid  of  several  men,  the  victim  was  brought  up 
to  the  stocks.  Now  came  the  most  difficult  part  of 
the  operation,  that  of  getting  him  in.  A  mule  is  by 
nature  timid,  even  when  he  has  been  used  for  years, 
and  subjected  to  kind  treatment;  but  if,  when  only 
half  tamed,  he  is  violently  brought  under  control,  this 
timidity  is  increased  to  actual  fright,  and  he  does  not 
hesitate  to  ply  his  heels  pretty  vigorously.  There  is  no 
species  of  defence  belonging  to  the  horse,  no  stubborn- 
ness peculiar  to  the  ass,  but  are  concentrated  in  the 
mule.  He  possesses  the  bad  qualities  of  his  paternal  and 
maternal  progenitors,  with  the  good  traits  of  neither. 
The  gentleness,  docility,  and  instinct  of  the  horse,  are 
not  found  in  the  race  ;  while  the  capricious  obstinacy 
of  his  paternal  ancestor  is  exhibited  to  the  fullest  ex- 
tent. There  is  one  trait  of  his  character,  however, 
that  should  be  noticed,  and  that  is  his  power  of  endu- 
ring fatigue  and  privation,  which  renders  him  better 
fitted  for  the  long  inland  journeys,  where  there  is  an 
insufficiency  of  food  and  a  scarcity  of  water,  than  the 
horse. 

The  sight  of  the  stocks,  as  might  be  supposed, 
would  not  tend  to  make  a  mule  more  tractable.  Then 
begins  the  tug.  The  rear  kick,  the  side  kick,  the  for- 
ward plunge,  are  exhibited  to  the  fullest  extent.  Seve- 
ral men  get  hold  of  the  halter,  while  other  ropes  are 
passed  round  his  rear,  and  thus  he  is  finally  drawn 
into  the  stocks.  Bandages  or  straps  are  placed  under 
his  body,  by  which  he  is  raised  from  his  feet.     His 

VOL.  I. — 2 


1 8  INDIANOLA 

head  is  secured  between  two  wooden  bars ;  and  each 
foot,  after  a  severe  tussle,  is  fastened,  by  means  of  iron 
clamps,  to  the  four  upright  posts  or  cross-bars.  The 
victim  is  now  ready  for  the  shoeing  process,  which  is 
the  most  expeditious  part  of  the  operation.  The  shoes 
having  been  previously  brought  to  the  size  of  the  small 
hoofs,  a  blacksmith  stands  ready  at  each  foot,  with  a 
shoe,  nails,  and  hammer  in  hand.  He  does  not  then 
pause  in  order  to  make  a  close  fit ;  but  the  shoe  is  put 
on  in  less  time  than  a  city  farrier  would  spend  in 
paring  a  horse's  hoof.  This  part  of  the  job  being 
over,  the  finale  of  the  operation  is  to  haul  the  animal 
out,  which,  owing  to  the  spirit  of  perverseness  inherent 
in  his  nature,  is  generally  attended  with  as  much 
difficulty  as  that  of  getting  him  into  the  stocks.  He 
is  now  suffered  to  go  at  large,  unrestrained  by  the  bars 
and  rails  of  the  corral.  In  this  maimer,  about  one 
hundred  and  fifty  mules  were  shod ;  and,  as  only  twelve 
at  the  most  could  be  got  through  with  in  one  day, 
about  two  weeks  were  necessarily  spent  in  this  portion 
of  our  fitting  out  for  the  march.  Considerable  time 
was  also  occupied  in  preparing  the  shoes,  which  were 
made  in  New  York ;  and  being  adapted  for  the  larger 
American  mules,  it  was  found  necessary  to  reduce  them 
all  for  the  smaller  and  more  delicately  formed  hoofs  of 
our  Mexican  torments. 

Believing  it  would  be  more  advantageous  to  the 
members  of  the  Commission  whose  presence  was  not 
necessary  in  the  camp  where  the  work  alluded  to  was 
going  on,  and  that  it  would  be  conducive  to  their 
health,  I  left  Victoria  on  the  13th,  with  the  larger  por- 
tion of  the   Commission,  and  formed  my  camp  in  a 


TO    SAN    ANTONIO.  19 

beautiful  grove  of  live  oaks,  on  the  banks  of  the  river 
Colette,  a  tributary  of  the  Guadalupe,  six  miles  dis- 
tant. We  were  here  away  from  the  vices  and  mischief 
which  invariably  attend  large  parties  without  employ- 
ment, when  encamped  in  or  near  a  town.  We  here 
had  fine  running  water,  in  which  we  could  bathe,  a 
practice  which  greatly  tended  to  promote  health.  The 
trees  afforded  us  a  fine  shade ;  and,  as  the  heat  was  still 
great,  the  mercury  rising  from  95°  to  100°  Fahrenheit, 
in  the  coolest  places,  we  found  it  more  comfortable 
beneath  the  trees  than  to  remain  in  our  tents.  There 
was  excellent  grass  in  abundance  all  around  us,  where 
our  animals  could  feed,  and  we  quietly  awaited  the 
arrival  of  the  train,  to  continue  our  journey. 

Before  setting  out  from  Indianola,  it  was  deemed 
advisable,  for  the  safety  of  the  party,  in  the  long  and 
dangerous  march  of  more  than  eight  hundred  miles 
through  a  country  infested  by  hostile  Indians,  to  or- 
ganize the  members  of  the  Commission,  not  engaged 
on  surveying  or  other  duties,  into  two  military  com- 
panies. This  would  place  them  all  under  the  more 
direct  control  of  the  officers,  and  hence  lead  to  a  better 
subordination.  With  this  view,  the  engineers  and  their 
assistants  were  formed  into  a  cavalry  corps,  under  the 
command  of  Lieutenant  J.  G.  Strain,  U.  S.  Navy ;  and 
the  mechanics  and  laborers  into  a  rifle  corps,  under  the 
command  of  Captain  Edmund  Barry,  an  officer  who 
had  served  in  the  army  during  the  Mexican  war.  All 
were  provided  with  rifles  or  carbines,  and  many  of  the 
cavalry  with  Colt's  revolvers,  or  six  shooters.  Lieu- 
tenant Strain,  by  means  of  careful  drilling  at  India- 
nola, on  the  march,  and  during  our  stay   at  Victoria, 


20  INDIANOLA 

brought  his  company  into  such  a  state  of  discipline, 
that  it  made  a  very  respectable  appearance.  The 
saddles,  bridles,  and  trappings,  were  the  same  as  those 
of  the  U.  S.  Dragoons  ;  the  uniform,  blue  flannel  shirts, 
dark  pantaloons,  and  broad-brimmed  white  felt  hats. 
The  dress  of  the  rifles  was  scarlet  flannel  shirts,  the 
rest  of  the  uniform  the  same  as  the  cavalry. 

The  town  of  Victoria,  which  we  have  just  left,  is 
one  of  the  most  flourishing  inland  towns  in  Texas.  It 
stands  on  the  banks  of  the  Guadalupe  River,  and,  being 
in  the  midst  of  a  fertile  region,  possesses  a  good  trade. 
At  the  time  of  our  visit,  in  September,  1850,  it  had 
three  public  houses,  numerous  stores,  mechanics'  shops 
of  various  kinds,  a  weekly  newspaper,  and  a  court- 
house. The  latter  edifice  always  brings  with  it,  in 
new  countries,  numerous  accessories.  The  court  was 
in  session  at  the  time  of  our  visit,  and  appearances 
indicated  that  a  good  deal  of  law  and  justice  was  dis- 
pensed here.  The  house,  being  of  limited  dimensions, 
could  scarcely  contain  those  whom  business  brought 
here,  and  the  numerous  idlers  who  have  a  propensity 
for  hanging  round  country  courts.  Many  were  there- 
fore obliged  to  spend  their  time  in  the  shade  of  the 
fences  and  trees  near  by  ;  and  when  required  as  wit- 
nesses, the  constables  came  outside  the  building  and 
called  out  their  names  to  the  full  extent  of  their  lungs  ; 
a  primitive  mode  of  doing  business,  though  attended 
with  much  more  comfort  for  the  witnesses,  than  if 
obliged  to  be  pent  up  in  a  closely  confined  room  for 
hours  and  days  together.  How  the  juries  were  dis- 
posed of  I  did  not  learn  ;  they  could  not,  at  any  rate, 
carry  them  out  into  the  high  grass,  as  was  customary 


TO    SAN    ANTONIO.  21 

in  some  of  the  new  States  of  the  West,  when  courts 
were  first  introduced. 

Victoria  is  a  place  of  recent  growth,  having  been 
settled  within  ten  years.  The  Guadalupe  River,  where 
it  passes  the  town,  is  an  insignificant  stream ;  but  its 
high  banks  bear  witness  that  it  is  at  times  one  of  con- 
siderable magnitude.  Attempts  have  been  made  to 
navigate  it  by  means  of  a  small  steamer,  but  with 
indifferent  success ;  and  the  difficulties  attending  the 
navigation  of  Espiritu  Santo  Bay,  into  which  the  river 
empties,  will  prove  a  serious  obstacle  to  regular  com- 
munication with  the  seaboard.  I  directed  the  quarter- 
master to  transport  the  property  of  the  Commission  to 
Victoria  by  steamer  from  the  coast ;  but  finding  it  a 
very  uncertain  mode,  and  one  which  might  be  attended 
with  serious  delays,  he  thought  it  most  prudent  to 
make  use  of  wagons,  and  such  of  our  stores  as  exceeded 
our  own  means  of  conveyance  were  drawn  with  hired 
teams.  As  I  did  not  pass  through  this  place  on  my 
return,  I  do  not  know  whether  the  attempt  to  navi- 
gate the  Guadalupe  with  steamboats  has  been  success- 
ful or  not. 

September  14^.  The  weather  was  extremely  warm 
to-day,  the  mercury  rising  to  102°  in  the  shade.  Took 
an  early  breakfast,  in  order  to  examine  the  country 
around  us  before  the  sun  was  too  high.  The  banks  of 
the  Colette  are  overhung  with  trees,  from  the  branches 
of  which  hang  long  festoons  of  moss,  waving  grace- 
fully with  the  breeze.  The  river  is  about  150  feet 
wide,  and  near  our  camp  about  five  feet  deep  and  quite 
sluggish.  Saw  many  fine  fish,  among  them  the  kind 
known  as  the  "  buffalo  fish ;"  but  it  would  not  take  the 


22  INDIANOLA 

hook.  The  largest  ones  seemed  fond  of  lying  near  the 
surface  of  the  water,  which  enabled  us  to  shoot  them 
with  a  rifle.     They  proved  excellent  eating. 

The  vegetation  presents  more  interesting  features 
as  we  proceed  inland, — the  river  bottoms  are  well 
wooded  with  oaks,  pecan,  and  huck-berry, — and  the 
minor  plants  are  more  numerous.  The  peach  and  fig 
flourish  well  in  the  gardens  near  Victoria ;  but  the  sea- 
son is  so  dry,  that  we  have  no  vegetables  except  pump- 
kins,— even  potatoes  have  disappeared. 

In  our  walk  Mr.  Thurber  gathered  many  plants; 
we  also  found  the  first  appearance  of  rock  that  we  had 
seen  in  Texas,  near  the  banks  of  the  stream.  Near  by 
was  a  Mexican  ranch,  which  was  then  an  object  of 
curiosity,  being  the  first  of  the  kind  we  had  met  with. 
It  was  built  of  sticks  set  upright,  the  interstices  filled 
in  with  mud.  The  floor  was  of  the  same  material. 
The  house  contained  but  a  single  apartment,  which  was 
occupied  by  a  Mexican,  his  wife,  and  several  children. 
The  pigs  were  rooting  near  the  door.  Several  fowls 
were  perched  upon  projecting  sticks,  or  nestling  on 
the  beds ;  and  we  had  ocular  proof  that  they  some- 
times deposited  their  eggs  there.  Bought  out  the 
entire  stock  of  eggs,  and  all  the  milk  that  could  be 
spared. 

September  I5th,  Sunday.  Thermometer  at  101°. 
Announced  that  I  would  read  the  church  service  at  9 
o'clock,  and  invited  all  to  attend.  It  was  a  source  of 
gratification  to  find  that  the  whole  camp  were  present 
save  the  two  men  on  guard.  The  service  took  place 
beneath  the  branches  of  a  large  tree,  where  we  were 
sufficiently  protected  from  the  sun's  rays.     The  chapter 


TO    SAN    ANTONIO.  23 

read  on  this  occasion  was  from  the  20th  Corinthians, 
giving  the  narrative  of  St.  Paul's  voyage  and  shipwreck, 
which  seemed  an  appropriate  one :  a  hymn  was  after- 
wards sung,  in  which  the  greater  portion  joined.  This 
being  over,  all  returned  to  their  tents,  or  beneath  the 
adjacent  trees,  and  passed  the  remainder  of  the  day  in 
quietness.  Much  satisfaction  was  expressed  at  this 
observance  of  the  Sabbath,  and  it  was  hoped  that  it  might 
continue  to  be  thus  kept  during  our  long  march. 

September  16th.  The  weather  continues  hot,  the  mer- 
cury reaching  99°  to  day,  which  of  course  kept  us 
quietly  in  camp  as  before.  Early  in  the  day  I  set  off 
with  my  gun  in  search  of  game,  but  was  unsuccessful 
in  finding  any  thing  but  a  few  quails :  the  prairie  fowls 
which  were  so  abundant  on  the  great  plain  between 
Victoria  and  Indianola  had  disappeared. 

A  calf  was  killed  and  brought  into  camp  by  one  of 
the  men,  who  declared  that  he  took  it  for  a  deer  ;  and  a 
few  hours  after  several  claimants  appeared  demanding 
pay  for  the  animal.  They  did  not  come  together,  nor 
did  either  of  them  know  that  there  were  other  appli- 
cants besides  himself.  The  first,  on  my  questioning  him 
as  to  the  color  of  the  calf,  said  it  was  black.  The  next 
one  said  it  was  red,  and  a  very  valuable  animal,  more 
so  indeed  than  a  full-grown  ox.  A  third  declared  it  to 
be  of  some  other  color.  I  expressed  my  willingness 
to  pay  for  the  slaughtered  innocent  if  I  could  know  its 
rightful  owner,  and  requested  the  several  applicants  to 
call  on  me  again  towards  evening.  In  the  mean  time  I 
sent  for  the  skin,  which  was  not  found  to  correspond 
with  the  description  given  by  either  of  the  claimants, 
whom.  I  then  dismissed. 


24  INDIANOLA 

The  wagons  and  mules  continued  to  arrive  at  the 
camp ;  but  when  I  was  expecting  soon  to  move,  I 
learned  that  Colonel  McClellan  was  seriously  ill  at  his 
quarters  in  Victoria.  So  ill  was  he  that  many  feared 
he  would  be  unable  to  continue  the  journey.  Dr. 
Bigelow,  surgeon  of  the  commission,  remained  to 
attend  him. 

While  we  lay  here  waiting  for  the  remainder  of  the 
party,  the  wagons  were  overhauled,  reloaded,  and  some 
additional  teams  added  by  purchase.  Not  being  able 
to  get  all  we  wanted,  a  few  were  hired  to  aid  in  trans- 
porting the  stores  to  San  Antonio,  where  the  quarter- 
master expected  to  complete  his  purchase  of  wagons 
and  mules. 

September  20th.  Colonel  McClellan  having  so  far 
recovered  as  to  join  the  camp,  I  gave  orders  to  move 
to-morrow  morning  at  daylight.  Every  thing,  therefore, 
not  absolutely  necessary,  was  stored  in  the  wagons, 
and  preparations  made  for  an  early  start. 

September  21st.  The  bugle  sounded  at  half  past  three 
o'clock  ;  breakfast  was  dispatched  before  the  sun  had 
risen  ;  and  ere  the  morning  mist,  which,  arising  from 
the  river,  hung  over  our  camp,  had  disappeared,  we 
were  on  our  way.  The  morning  was  cool  and  pleasant, 
and  I  was  desirous  to  reach  our  proposed  camping 
spot  before  noon.  This  was  the  first  day's  march  of 
the  whole  party ;  and  as  the  wagons  were  heavily 
laden,  I  did  not  think  it  best  to  press  the  animals  too 
much  at  the  start. 

Our  route  was  over  a  country  of  alternate  prairie 
and  woodland,  with  an  excellent  road.  After  a  march 
of  fifteen  miles,  the  main  body  encamped  at  Manahuila : 


TO    SAN    ANTONIO.  25 

while  I  with  a  small  party  rode  on  five  miles  further  to 
Goliad,  having  some  business  to  transact  at  that  place, 
which  I  reached  at  12  o'clock.  Here  I  found  Mr.  F. 
Wheaton  and  Mr.  Scott,  assistants  in  the  surveying 
party,  who  had  been  taken  ill  and  were  obliged  to  remain 
behind. 

Towards  evening  Judge  Lea,  a  gentleman  of  enter- 
prise and  a  large  landholder,  called  on  me  and  invited 
me  to  his  house  at  Old  Goliad  about  two  miles  distant. 
He  took  a  deep  interest  in  the  survey  we  were  then 
making  from  Indianola  to  San  Antonio,  and  had  accom- 
panied the  surveying  party  when  it  passed  through  his 
lands  a  day  or  two  before  my  arrival.  Crossed  the  river 
in  a  log  canoe,  and  reached  the  Judge's  residence,  a 
venerable  and  ruined  church,  just  at  sunset.  Took  a 
brief  view  of  the  ruins  of  the  ancient  town  while  the 
dim  twilight  remained. 

The  present  town  of  Goliad  is  about  two  miles  from 
the  former  town,  and  at  the  time  of  my  visit  contained 
about  two  hundred  inhabitants.  The  old  place,  which 
is  now  in  ruins,  is  situated  upon  a  hill  directly  upon 
the  west  bank  of  the  San  Antonio  River,  at  its  highest 
navigable  point,  and  formerly  contained  several  thou- 
sand inhabitants.  It  was  originally  a  Spanish  Mission, 
instituted  for  the  purpose  of  christianizing  the  Indians, 
and  united  within  one  inclosure  a  church  and  fort, 
while  numerous  dwellings  were  clustered  under  the 
protection  of  its  guns.  The  date  of  its  establishment 
is  not  known  with  certainty,  the  accounts  varying  from 
one  to  two  hundred  years.  The  church  is  the  only 
building  in  any  tolerable  preservation,  except  two  or 
three  houses  which  have  been  restored,  provided  with 


26  I  INDIANOLA 

new  roofs,  and  made  into  very  comfortable  dwellings — 
better,  indeed,  than  modern  builders  would  think  of 
erecting.  The  church  seems  to  have  been  designed  for 
the  double  purpose  of  a  church  and  a  castle.  Its  mas- 
sive walls  on  every  side,  which  measure  four  feet  in 
thickness,  are  cemented  with  waterlime  ;  and  to  its 
great  strength  is  owing  its  fine  state  of  preservation. 
Its  extreme  length  is  90  feet,  its  breadth  27  feet. 
Its  roof  is  a  single  stone  arch  from  wall  to  wall,  sus- 
tained by  small  buildings  or  cloisters  which  project 
from  the  sides,  and  which  are  connected  with  the  main 
edifice ;  a  parapet  rises  above  the  roof,  behind  which 
cannon  were  formerly  planted. 

In  the  various  domestic  wars  of  Mexico  this  was  an 
important  place,  and  frequently  changed  hands ;  nor 
was  its  importance  lost  during  the  struggle  for  Texan 
independence,  when  it  was  occupied  by  the  Mexican  as 
well  as  the  Texan  forces.  Its  original  name  was  La 
Bahia  del  Espiritu  Santo,  the  Bay  Town  of  Espiritu 
Santo,  because  it  was  originally  the  place  for  collect- 
ing the  revenue  of  the  small  ports  upon  the  bay.  Hence 
all  persons  arriving  on  the  bay  with  merchandise  were 
obliged  to  go  forty  miles  into  the  interior  to  find  the 
officer  of  the  customs,  to  whom  they  had  to  pay  their 
duties.  Similar  inconveniences  exist  at  the  present 
day  in  Mexico,  on  the  Pacific  coast :  the  collector  of  the 
port  of  Manzanillo,  for  instance,  resides  at  the  city  of 
Colima,  ninety  miles  in  the  interior.  This  name  of  La 
Bahia  was  changed  by  the  Spaniards  about  thirty  years 
since,  when  it  began  to  decay  as  a  religious  establish- 
ment, to  that  of  Goliad,  on  account  of  its  great  strength. 

Around  the  church  are  some  twenty  or  more  ru- 


TO    SAN    ANTONIO.  27 

ined  buildings  of  stone,  with  nothing  but  their  walls 
standing.  One  of  these  extends  about  150  feet  south- 
ward, and  appears,  from  its  small  apartments,  to  have 
been  constructed  for  barracks  :  its  walls,  like  those  of 
the  church,  are  very  massive.  A  high  wall  seems  once 
to  have  surrounded  the  church,  but  much  of  it  now  lies 
prostrate.  The  other  buildings,  which  are  detached  and 
of  various  dimensions,  were  chiefly  used  as  dwellings. 
The  whole  town  is  in  ruins,  and  presents  a  scene  of  de- 
solation, which  to  an  American  is  at  once  novel  and 
interesting.  Each  succeeding  capture,  of  course,  im- 
paired the  buildings ;  and  after  the  decisive  battle  of 
San  Jacinto,  the  Mexicans  evacuated  it  and  destroyed 
it  as  far  as  they  were  able.  The  material  of  these  build- 
ings is  a  soft  white  sandstone,  which  underlays  the 
town,  and  which  appears  to  become  hardened  when 
exposed  to  the  air. 

We  enjoyed  the  hospitalities  of  Judge  Lea,  who  is 
domiciliated  in  the  old  church,  the  interior  being  in 
good  condition.  To  this  gentleman  we  are  indebted 
for  many  facilities  for  visiting  the  ruins,  and  for  much 
information  respecting  the  country  adjacent.  He  had 
partitioned  the  church  with  a  slight  frame-work  about 
ten  feet  high,  which  was  covered  with  calico  or  brown 
cotton,  the  top  being  open  ;  making  it  a  very  comforta- 
ble place  for  the  greater  portion  of  the  year.  After  tea 
we  ascended  to  the  roof,  to  enjoy  the  cool  breeze  of  the 
evening,  and  the  beautiful  landscape  which  there  opens 
to  the  view.  Situated  on  an  eminence,  the  country 
can  be  seen  for  a  great  distance  around.  After  the 
moon  arose  and  cast  a  deep  shadow  from  the  ruined 
walls,  and  the  long  belt  of  fire  from  the  burning  prairie 


28  INDIANOLA 

shed  its  red  glare  on  the  few  clouds  that  flitted  across 
it,  the  scene  assumed  an  aspect  of  peculiar  solemnity 
and  interest.  We  lingered  long  to  enjoy  the  fairy -like 
vision,  and  until  the  fatigues  of  the  day  warned  us  that 
it  was  time  to  retire. 

The  sword  has  truly  given  place  to  the  plough- 
share here  ;  and  the  inclosure  which  has  been  the  scene 
of  many  a  bloody  fight,  is  now  employed  by  the  Judge 
as  an  experimental  garden,  in  which  he  has  demonstrat- 
ed the  capacity  of  the  soil  and  climate  to  produce  any 
of  the  great  Southern  crops  of  cotton,  corn,  and  sugar, 
as  well  as  the  choicest  garden  vegetables.  The  church 
is  especially  notorious  as  having  been  the  place  where 
Fannin  and  his  men  were  confined  and  massacred.  We 
were  fortunate  enough  to  meet  with  a  gentleman, 
Judge  H,,  who  was  one  of  the  prisoners,  and  whose 
singular  escape  may  be  worth  relating. 

After  the  battle  of  Perdida  Creek,  between  Fannin 
and  275  men  on  one  side,  and  Urrea  with  900  Mexi- 
cans on  the  other,  articles  of  capitulation  were  signed, 
according  to  which,  those  who  surrendered  were  to 
be  treated  as  prisoners  of  war,  and  either  released 
on  parole  or  sent  to  some  port  upon  the  bay.  The 
articles  were  drawn  up  within  the  Texan  lines,  and  all 
was  arranged  in  good  faith.  The  prisoners  were  con- 
fined within  the  fortress  of  Goliad,  where  they  met 
others  of  their  countrymen,  sufficient  in  number  to 
make  up  four  hundred.  When  Santa  Anna  was  in- 
formed of  their  capture,  he  sent  orders  for  them  to  be 
shot.  The  officers  in  command  remonstrated,  but  the 
order  was  repeated  peremptorily.  The  massacre  took 
place  upon  the  27th  March,  1836,  eight  days  after  the 


TO    SAN    ANTONIO.  29 

battle.  The  prisoners  were  marched  out  of  the  fort  in 
three  divisions,  full  of  high  expectations  that  the  time 
of  their  release  had  arrived,  and  were  shot  down 
almost  simultaneously  by  the  Mexican  soldiery.  The 
gentleman  above  referred  to  was  in  the  second  divi- 
sion, and  owes  his  escape  to  the  most  wonderful  pre- 
sence of  mind.  As  his  division  was  marching  out,  he 
heard  the  report  of  the  muskets,  which  were  fired  upon 
the  preceding  division.  Instantly  the  truth  flashed 
upon  his  mind,  and  his  course  of  action  was  decided. 
As  he  saw  the  lips  of  the  Mexican  officer  move  to 
give  the  order  for  the  soldiers  to  fire,  he  fell  upon 
his  face  as  if  dead.  The  soldiers  stood  within  six  feet 
of  the  prisoners,  and  fired  with  fixed  bayonets.  As 
soon  as  they  had  fired,  they  rushed  upon  the  victims 
with  their  bayonets  to  complete  the  slaughter.  Judge 
H.  was  pierced  through  the  shoulder,  bearing  the 
wound  without  showing  signs  of  life.  After  the  exe- 
cution, the  scavengers  and  camp  followers  came  to  rob 
the  dead.  A  Mexican,  in  cutting  away  his  hunting 
shirt  to  get  at  his  coat  which  was  beneath,  wounded  him 
in  the  neck,  at  which  he  let  escape  some  expression  of 
pain ;  whereupon  the  Mexican,  finding  him  still  alive, 
beat  him  upon  the  head  with  the  butt  of  his  escopetto 
until  he  supposed  life  extinct,  and  then  went  on  with  his 
robbery.  All  this  time  the  Judge  retained  a  conscious- 
ness of  his  situation ;  and  when  all  had  left  the  bloody 
scene,  he  crawled,  as  well  as  his  remaining  strength 
would  allow,  to  some  concealment  near  the  river,  and 
at  dark  made  his  escape.  After  wandering  three  days 
without  food,  he  obtained  assistance  from  some  kind- 
hearted  Mexicans,  and  finally  reached  the  coast  in  safety. 


30  1NDIANOLA 

As  near  as  can  be  ascertained,  about  375  Texans 
fell  victims  to  this  treachery.  They  are  all  buried  in 
one  common  grave,  with  no  other  monument  than  the 
prison's  ruined  walls. 

The  situation  of  Old  Goliad  is  well  chosen,  and 
from  the  top  of  the  old  church  a  view  of  surpassing 
beauty  is  obtained.  The  fertile  valley  of  the  San  An- 
tonio lies  below ;  and  all  around  the  land  stretches 
away  in  gentle  undulations,  not  densely  enough  wooded 
to  form  a  wilderness,  but  bearing  here  and  there 
clumps  of  trees,  disposed  so  regularly  as  to  give  the 
landscape  a  rural  aspect.  So  closely  do  the  clusters 
of  live-oaks  resemble  orchards,  and  the  recently  burnt 
prairies,  with  the  newly-springing  grass,  meadows, 
that  one  finds  it  difficult  to  convince  himself  that  he 
is  not  passing  through  a  highly  cultivated  district. 
Upon  the  opposite  side  of  the  river  are  the  ruins  of 
another  mission — the  Aranama — named  from  a  tribe 
of  Indians  now  extinct.  This  building,  like  the 
church  before  described,  was  surrounded  with  the 
ruins  of  lesser  ones.  It  is  of  smaller  dimensions  than 
the  one  tenanted  by  Judge  H. ;  but  with  restored  walls, 
openings  for  windows,  and  a  modern  roof,  it  has  been 
changed  into  a  comfortable  dwelling.  It  is  occupied 
by  a  gentleman  from  New  York,  who  lives  in  a  style 
of  elegance  that  we  were  quite  unprepared  to  meet 
with  in  Western  Texas. 

Visited  to-day  the  camp  of  Mr.  Bull,  a  portion 
of  whose  party  was  near  Goliad.  They  had  made 
good  progress  with  their  survey ;  but,  though  they 
had  met  with  no  serious  obstacles,  had  suffered  much 
from    the  intense  heat  on   the    open   prairies,  where 


TO    SAN    ANTONIO.  31 

they  could  obtain  no  shelter  from  the  mid-day  sun. 
Joined  the  train,  and  moved  on  six  or  eight  miles,  to 
the  banks  of  the  Cabeza,  a  small  stream,  and  encamped 
in  a  grove  of  trees  near  by. 

September  22d,  Sunday.  Remained  in  camp.  The 
grass  being  excellent,  our  animals  had  the  advantage 
of  good  feed.  Held  service  beneath  a  large  tree,  which 
was  attended  by  the  greater  portion  of  the  Commis- 
sion. 

September  23d.  The  cooks  were  called  at  three 
o'clock,  and  our  breakfast  dispatched  by  the  break  of 
day.  This  enabled  us  to  move  by  five  o'clock,  and  to 
reach  our  intended  place  of  encampment,  known  as  the 
Ojo  de  Agua,  or  Water  Eye,  before  noon. 

September  2Mli.  Left  at  five  o'clock,  and  after 
travelling  over  an  excellent  road,  reached  the  Sebilla 
River,  a  rather  diminutive  stream  to  receive  the  appel- 
lation of  river,  and  encamped  upon  its  banks.  Dis- 
tance travelled,  twenty-one  miles. 

September  25th.  Took  an  early  start,  as  usual. 
More  timber  appeared,  and  of  a  larger  growth  than 
we  had  observed  towards  the  coast.  The  live-oak  in 
particular,  which  had  been  of  a  stunted  or  dwarfish 
appearance,  now  assumed  the  stateliness  of  northern 
latitudes.  Our  ascent  was  more  perceptible  to-day 
than  any  day  since  our  departure  from  the  coast. 
Reached  the  San  Antonio  River  at  ten  o'clock,  and 
pitched  our  tents  near  a  cluster  of  Mexican  ranches. 
Distance  travelled,  seventeen  miles. 

A  sad  event  occurred  in  camp  this  afternoon,  which 
resulted  in  the  death  of  one  of  our  Mexican  neighbors, 
who  had  been  furnishing  us  with  meat  and  other  arti- 


32  INDIANOLA 

cles.  While  sitting  in  my  tent  in  the  afternoon,  I 
heard  the  report  of  a  pistol  quite  near,  and  immedi- 
ately after  saw  a  number  of  men  and  women  running 
towards  one  of  the  ranches.  I  hastened  to  follow, 
and  found  a  man  lying  on  his  back  with  the  mark 
of  a  gun  shot  in  his  breast,  which  I  was  told  had  been 
inflicted  by  one  of  our  teamsters  named  Green.  The 
wounded  man  appeared  to  be  about  thirty  years  of 
age,  and  was  surrounded  by  his  father,  mother,  wife 
and  four  children.  His  brothers  and  sisters  were  also 
around  him.  Doctors  Bigelow  and  Webb  were  in  im- 
mediate attendance,  and  rendered  all  the  aid  possible. 
But  as  they  pronounced  the  wound  a  mortal  one,  but 
little  could  be  done  for  him,  and  he  died  in  two  hours. 

The  particulars  of  the  murder  were  briefly  these : 
While  Green,  the  teamster,  was  gathering  wood,  he 
attempted  to  take  some  portion  of  a  fence ;  when  the 
deceased,  who  owned  the  farm  and  wood,  ordered 
him  off,  at  the  same  time  drawing  a  jack-knife  and 
pointing  it  towards  him.  Green  dropped  a  portion  of 
the  wood,  and  returned  to  his  fire  with  the  remainder. 
He  then  took  his  pistol,  a  large  revolver,  and  came  back 
for  the  wood  he  had  dropped.  The  man  who  had 
ordered  him  off  was  still  there,  and  approached  Green 
with  his  knife  open.  The  latter,  when  within  three 
feet  of  him,  leisurely  drew  his  pistol  and  discharged 
it  at  the  Mexican's  breast.  The  wounded  man  ran 
towards  his  ranche,  but  fell  before  he  had  reached  the 
door. 

I  immediately  caused  Green  to  be  arrested ;  though 
I  found  that  during  my  visit  to  the  ranch,  he  had 
been  to  my  tent  to  confess  the  deed.     He  came  for- 


TO   SAN   ANTONIO.  33 

ward  at  once,  and  related  the  facts  as  previously  stated 
to  me.  My  intention  was  now  to  keep  a  guard  over 
the  prisoner,  and  deliver  him  to  the  authorities  on  our 
arrival  at  San  Antonio ;  for  which  purpose  he  was 
placed  in  a  tent,  with  two  men  to  guard  him. 

I  stated  to  the  family  that  the  prisoner  should  be 
delivered  to  the  authorities  for  trial,  which  in  a  mea- 
sure pacified  them.  But  for  this,  an  attempt  would 
doubtless  have  been  made  to  take  his  life,  word 
having  been  sent  to  the  neighboring  ranches  of  the 
occurrence.  The  man,  I  told  them,  was  not  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Commission,  but  a  Texan  teamster,  hired  at 
Indianola.  Afterwards,  learning  the  poverty  of  the 
family,  that  the  deceased  was  its  main  stay,  and  that 
the  expense  of  the  funeral  would  be  great,  I  gave  the 
father  one  hundred  dollars. 

During  the  evening,  before  the  guards  had  been 
posted,  and  while  our  people  were  moving  to  and 
fro,  the  prisoner  raised  the  back  of  the  tent,  unseen 
by  the  guard  and  others  who  were  sitting  near  the 
entrance,  crept  to  the  outer  lines  of  the  camp,  leaped 
on  a  horse  which  was  staked  near,  and  escaped  under 
cover  of  the  darkness.  No  more  was  heard  of  either 
horse  or  rider,  though  it  was  believed  that  some  of 
the  friends  of  the  teamster  had  aided  him  in  making 
his  escape. 

September  26th.  Our  march  to-day  brought  us  to 
the  Cibolo  (corrupted  by  the  Texans  into  Sea- Wil- 
low) River,  where  we  encamped. 

/September  2*1  th.  Took  an  early  start,  and  reached 
the  city  of  San  Antonio  at  two  o'clock,  distant 
twenty-one   miles.      Having   much   to   attend   to   in 


34  INDIANOLA 

completing  the  outfit  of  the  party,  I  took  up  my 
quarters  at  the  Verandah  Hotel,  while  the  rest  of  the 
Commission  encamped  on  the  banks  of  the  river,  about 
four  miles  from  the  city.  Colonel  Craig,  with  the 
escort,  had  not  been  with  us  on  the  march  from  Indi- 
anola.  As  no  protection  was  yet  required,  he  proceed- 
ed, immediately  on  landing  at  that  place,  to  his  camp 
near  San  Antonio,  where  his  train  was  preparing  for 
him. 

September  28th.  Another  sad  event  took  place 
to-day.  In  making  up  the  party  for  our  journey  to 
El  Paso,  it  was  necessary  to  procure  teamsters  in  Texas, 
no  men  having  been  engaged  at  the  north  for  such 
duty.  When  we  started  from  Indianola,  four  or  five- 
persons  who  had  been  engaged  for  other  duties  under- 
took to  drive  teams.  All  the  others  had  to  be  pro- 
cured there  or  at  Victoria ;  and  the  quartermaster  was 
obliged  to  take  such  men  as  he  could  find,  giving  in 
all  cases  the  preference  to  such  as  had  been  in  the 
government  employ,  or  who  could  bring  good  re- 
commendation. But  with  all  his  care,  several  despe- 
rate characters  were  engaged.  One  of  these,  named 
Turner,  had  had  a  quarrel  with  Mr.  Tennant,  the 
butcher  in  the  employ  of  the  Commission,  a  very 
worthy  man  who  had  accompanied  us  from  Washing- 
ton. In  the  camp  to-day  they  were  seen  having  high 
words.  Turner,  it  appears,  had  endeavored  on  sev- 
eral occasions  to  get  the  former  into  a  fight  without 
success.  To-day  Tennant  was  heard  to  say  that  he 
had  no  fears  of  Turner,  if  he  would  lay  aside  his  knife 
and  other  weapons,  and  fight  him  fairly  ;  at  the  same 
time  drawing  a  small  knife  from  its  sheath  and  throw- 


TO    SAN    ANTONIO.  35 

ing  it  from  him.  No  sooner  was  this  done,  than 
Turner  drew  his  long  bowie-knife  and  rushed  upon  him, 
plunging  it  into  the  side  of  Tennant,  and  causing  his 
death  in  half  an  hour.  The  murderer  sheathed  his 
knife,  and  hastened  to  a  horse  which  stood  near.  In 
another  moment  he  was  mounted,  and,  riding  at  full 
speed,  he  disappeared  in  the  thick  chapporal,  or  thorny 
bushes,  near  the  camp. 

This  transaction  took  place  in  the  very  midst  of 
the  camp ;  but  as  broils  and  altercations  were  not 
uncommon  among  the  teamsters,  and  as  no  one  antici- 
pated what  was  to  follow,  Tennant  being  a  very  ath- 
letic man,  they  did  not  interfere.  In  fact,  from  the 
statements  made  to  me,  the  affair  was  so  sudden  that  it 
scarcely  admitted  of  any  interference.  But  the  blow 
of  the  murderer,  and  his  subsequent  escape,  were  wit- 
nessed by  many.  The  whole  camp  was  immediately 
in  motion ;  horses  were  saddled,  and  several  started 
in  pursuit.  The  chapporal  was  high  and  thick ;  yet  the 
pursuers,  regardless  of  the  difficulty  and  danger  of  rid- 
ing through  its  thorny  recesses,  dashed  on,  and  soon 
caught  sight  of  the  object  of  their  pursuit.  In  a 
short  time  the  two  foremost  of  the  party,  Mr.  Robert 
E.  Matthews,  and  Mr.  J.  E.  Weems,  assistants  in  the 
engineer  corps,  succeeded  in  overtaking  Turner,  when, 
presenting  their  pistols,  they  compelled  him  to  sur- 
render. Having  been  disarmed,  and  others  of  the  pur- 
suers coming  up,  the  prisoner  was  carried  in  safety  to 
the  camp.  Great  credit  is  due  to  Messrs.  Matthews 
and  Weems  for  their  activity  and  courage  in  captur- 
ing this  desperate  man. 

A  detachment  from  the  engineer  corps  brought 


36  INDIANOLA 

their  prisoner  to  me  at  San  Antonio,  and  I  immediately 
placed  him  in  the  hands  of  the  sheriff  of  the  county. 
Soon  after,  I  saw  him  lodged  in  jail  and  handcuffed. 

Although  this  affair  did  not  attract  much  public 
attention,  such  things  being  of  frequent  occurrence  at 
the  time,  yet,  among  the  class  to  which  the  murderer 
belonged,  there  was  much  excitement,  and  threats  were 
heard  that  an  attempt  might  be  made  during  the  night  to 
effect  his  release.  The  prison  being  an  adobe  building 
and  quite  insecure,  I  deemed  it  my  duty  to  detail  a  guard 
of  six  men  from  the  Commission  to  the  jail  for  the  night. 

The  following  day  an  examination  took  place  before 
the  mayor,  the  Hon.  J.  M.  Devine.  Many  witnesses 
were  examined  ;  and  the  result  was  the  committal  of 
the  prisoner,  to  take  his  trial  for  murder.  I  learnt 
some  months  after  that  he  was  found  guilty,  and  sen- 
tenced to  fifteen  years  imprisonment.  He  remained  in 
prison  about  two  years ;  but  on  my  return  from  the 
survey,  I  heard  that  he  had  made  his  escape. 

Murders  were  common  in  Texas  about  the  time  of 
my  visit  in  1850 ;  and  it  had  been  too  often  the  case 
that  the  guilty  escaped  justice.  At  this  time  the  laws 
were  better  executed  ;  and  now  (1853)  there  is  as  much 
security  for  life  and  property  as  in  the  older  States  of 
the  Union.  Frontier  States  often  contain  a  bad  popula- 
tion, at  least  such  is  the  case  in  their  early  history.  At 
the  time  of  the  annexation  of  Texas,  large  numbers  of 
vicious  and  worthless  men,  some  of  whom  had  commit- 
ted crimes  and  eluded  the  hands  of  justice,  had  sought 
a  home  here,  where  law  and  order  had  not  then 
been  firmly  established :  life  and  property  were  little 
regarded  by  them.    But  since  the  laws  have  come  to  be 


TO   SAN   ANTONIO.  37 

more  rigidly  enforced,  these  desperadoes  have  found  it 
necessary  either  to  adopt  more  honest  modes  of  living, 
or  to  take  refuge  on  the  very  borders  of  Texas  and  New 
Mexico,  where  they  can  pursue  their  old  courses  with 
impunity,  by  crossing  over  when  necessary  into  Mexico. 

My  servant  who  was  taken  ill  on  the  march  up, 
here  died  of  fever :  several  others  were  attacked,  but 
soon  recovered. 

As  San  Antonio  was  the  last  place  at  which  sup- 
plies could  be  procured,  and  the  train  fitted  out  for  the 
long  march  of  nearly  700  miles,  it  was  necessary  to 
make  it  as  complete  as  possible.  We  yet  required  a  large 
number  of  mules  and  many  wagons  to  transport  the 
public  stores,  which  had  been  sent  forward  in  hired 
wagons.  The  quartermaster  therefore  found  it  necessary 
to  increase  the  train  to  about  56  teams,  which  included 
sixteen  Mexican  carts,  the  latter  drawn  by  three  yoke 
of  oxen  each :  some  of  the  wagons,  too,  were  of  the 
largest  description,  and  drawn  by  ten  mules  or  five 
yoke  of  oxen.  These,  with  some  additional  riding  ani- 
mals, and  their  equipments  of  saddles,  bridles,  etc.,  com- 
pleted the  means  of  transportation  for  the  Commission 
and  its  stores. 

We  also  procured  here  about  a  hundred  head  of 
beef  cattle,  to  be  driven  with  the  train,  and  used  on 
the  march.  The  draught  oxen  I  also  intended  to  fat- 
ten after  our  arrival  in  the  field  of  operations,  for  a 
future  supply  of  beef ;  so  that  we  were  pretty  well  pro- 
vided in  this  department  of  our  subsistence.  A  few 
barrels  of  pork  and  some  small  stores  were  also  added 
to  our  stock  here  :  some  additional  arms,  ammunition, 
tents,  and  camp  equipage,  finished  our  outfit. 


38  INDIANOLA 

From  the  lateness  of  the  season  there  was  an  uncer- 
tainty about  grass  ;  furthermore,  by  the  recent  arrivals 
from  El  Paso,  I  learned  that  the  prairies  had  been 
burned  by  the  Indians  a  considerable  portion  of  the 
way,  and  that  it  would  be  absolutely  necessary  to  trans- 
port a  considerable  quantity  of  corn  to  keep  the  ani- 
mals in  good  trim,  and  enable  them  to  cross  the  desert 
portions  of  the  route.  The  quartermaster,  therefore, 
sent  in  advance  to  the  military  post  on  the  Leona,  90 
miles  distant,  several  wagon-loads  of  corn,  and  made 
arrangements  to  carry  as  much  in  the  train  as  pos- 
sible, without  overburdening  it.  In  these  various  pre- 
parations, and  the  shoeing  of  the  additional  animals, 
about  two  weeks  were  spent.  During  this  time  the 
party  remained  encamped  at  the  San  Pedro  Springs, 
about  a  mile  and  a  half  from  the  town.  These  springs, 
of  which  there  are  several,  gush  out  of  crevices  in  the 
limestone  rock  ;  and  their  united  waters  form  a  small 
river,  which  runs  through  the  town,  and  unites  with  the 
San  Antonio  three  or  four  miles  below  it. 

The  view  of  San  Antonio  from  a  distance,  as  it  is 
approached  by  the  Victoria  road,  is  exceedingly  beau- 
tiful. The  place  seems  to  be  embowered  in  trees, 
above  which  the  dome  of  the  church  swells  with  an 
air  quite  Oriental.  But  this  pleasing  impression  is 
soon  dissipated  on  entering  the  town,  and  making 
one's  way  among  the  filthy. buildings  of  the  Mexican 
suburbs  to  the  plaza,  or  public  square.  The  town  is  a 
strange  mixture  of  massive  old  Spanish  buildings  and 
recent  American  structures.  But  upon  the  plaza  the 
modern  buildings  have  for  the  most  part  superseded 
the  ancient;  though  some  few  remain,  seeming  lost 


TO   SAN   ANTONIO.  39 

and  out  of  place  in  the  company  of  their  smart-looking 
neighbors.  The  old  church  still  occupies  its  promi- 
nent position  in  the  plaza.  This  is  a  building  charac- 
terized rather  by  solidity  than  beauty,  and  has  as 
much  the  appearance  of  a  citadel  as  of  a  church.  In- 
deed, during  one  of  the  battles  of  the  war  of  Texan 
independence,  it  was  occupied  by  the  Mexican  troops, 
and  its  tower  still  bears  the  scars  made  by  the  cannon 
balls  of  the  besiegers. 

San  Antonio  is  delightfully  situated.  The  rivers 
San  Antonio  and  San  Pedro  run  through  the  place. 
The  latter  is  a  small  stream,  and  with  us  would  hardly 
be  dignified  with  the  title  of  river.  The  San  Anto- 
nio is  much  the  larger  of  the  two.  It  rises  about 
three  miles  from  the  town,  from  a  number  of  large 
springs,  flowing,  like  those  forming  the  San  Pedro, 
from  the  solid  rock.  The  largest  of  these  is  worth  a 
visit.  The  water  rises  in  a  cavity  some  six  or  eight 
feet  in  diameter  and  twelve  or  fifteen  feet  deep,  and 
rushes  out  in  an  immense  volume.  The  water  of  these 
springs  unite  with  Olmos  Creek,  forming  a  river,  which, 
in  its  course  towards  the  sea,  receives  the  Medina, 
Salado,  Cibolo,  and  other  tributaries,  and  finally, 
uniting  with  the  Guadalupe,  empties  into  Espiritu 
Santo  Bay.  The  San  Antonio  is  capable  of  affording 
immense  water  power.  At  present,  in  its  course 
through  the  town,  it  turns  but  one  wheel,  and  that 
simply  by  the  flow  of  the  current. 

San  Antonio  contains  about  6000  inhabitants,  of 
which  number  it  is  estimated  two  thirds  are  Mex- 
icans, Germans,  and  French.  Yet,  notwithstanding 
this  preponderance  of  other  nations,  the  town  is  es- 


40  INDIANOLA 

sentially  American  in  its  character.  Mexican  indo- 
lence cannot  stand  by  the  side  of  the  energy  and 
industry  of  the  Americans  and  Europeans ;  and  the  new 
comers  are  rapidly  elbowing  the  old  settlers  to  one 
side.  Some  few  of  the  Mexicans  have  the  good  sense 
to  fall  in  with  the  spirit  of  progress ;  but  the  great 
majority  draw  back  before  it,  and  live  upon  the  out- 
skirts of  the  town  in  the  primitive  style  of  their  fore- 
fathers. 

f 
Situated  in  the  centre  of  a  rich  agricultural  region, 

San  Antonio  is  destined  to  be  a  place  of  much  impor- 
tance. The  necessity  of  a  railroad  communication 
with  the  coast  is  severely  felt,  and  energetic  move- 
ments are  making  to  establish  it.  At  present  the  sup- 
plies of  merchandise  are  brought  from  the  coast  by 
the  slow  medium  of  ox  carts.  These  are  driven  by 
Mexicans,  and  in  a  favorable  condition  of  the  roads 
make  the  trip  in  six  days.  The  business  of  freighting 
almost  entirely  supports  the  Mexican  population  of 
the  city  and  its  vicinity.  The  American  people  are 
too  much  imbued  with  the  spirit  of  progress  to 
engage  in  any  business  that  partakes  of  the  past.  The 
idea  of  carrying  on  commerce  with  ox  carts,  and 
making  130  miles  in  six  days,  over  an  excellent  road, 
might  do  for  the  past  century,  not  for  this  steam  and 
lightning  age.  « 

Large  trains  frequently  leave  here  for  El  Paso, 
Eagle  Pass,  and  other  points  on  the  Mexican  frontier, 
and  often  penetrate  to  Chihuahua,  Parras,  and  other 
Mexican  cities.  Those  engaged  in  the  Mexican  trade 
are  beginning  to  see  the  advantages  the  route  through 
Texas  possesses  over  the  long  one  from  Missouri,  by 


TO    SAN   ANTONIO.  41 

way  of  Santa  Fe ;  and  doubtless  ere  long  all  merchan- 
dise for  the  northern  part  of  Mexico  will  pass  this 
way. 

One  of  the  principal  objects  of  interest  to  the 
stranger  in  San  Antonio  is  the  Alamo,  memorable  for 
its  brave  defence  by  Travis,  Crockett,  Bowie,  and 
others,  who  only  gave  up  the  contest  with  their  lives. 
The  building  was  originally  a  mission.  It  is  now 
occupied  as  a  storehouse  by  the  United  States  Quarter- 
master's Department,  and  retains  but  little  of  its  former 
appearance.  The  principal  doorway,  ornamented  in 
the  Moorish  style,  remains  tolerably  perfect. 

We  saw  in  the  County  Clerk's  office  a  large  col- 
lection of  old  Spanish  documents,  which  have  been 
accumulating  ever  since  the  first  settlement  of  the  town. 
Doubtless  their  careful  perusal  by  some  persevering 
antiquary  would  develope  many  interesting  facts  con- 
nected with  the  early  history  of  the  country.  It  is  to 
be  hoped,  that  measures  will  ere  long  be  taken  by  the 
enterprising  State  to  which  they  relate  to  rescue  them 
from  oblivion  and  decay,  and  cause  them  to  be  collated 
and  given  to  the  world.  The  Northern  States  have 
spent  immense  sums  in  sending  agents  to  England, 
France,  and  Holland,  to  procure  similar  papers  from 
the  State  archives  to  illustrate  their  Colonial  history. 
Texas  possesses  in  her  own  record  offices  voluminous 
documents  of  equal  value,  in  which  the  scholar  and 
historian  of  every  State  feels  an  interest  second  only 
to  that  of  her  own  people. 

Near  the  town  and  upon  the  banks  of  the  San  An- 
tonio River  are  the  remains  of  extensive  mission  esta- 
blishments.    We  found  time  to  pay  a  short  visit  to. 


42 


INDIANOLA 


those  of  San  Jose,  San  Juan,  and  Concepcion.     There 
is  another,  La  Espeda,  which  we  did  not  visit. 

A  ride  of  about  five  miles  through  a  mezquit 
country  brought  us  to  the  mission  of  San  Jose,  situated 
upon  the  right  bank  of  the  river.  This  was  the  largest 
and  wealthiest  mission;  and  its  buildings  were  con- 
structed with  greater  display  of  art,  and  still  remain  in 
better  preservation,  than  the  others.     Entering  the  in- 


Mission  of  San  Jose,  Texas. 

.closure  formed  by  the  granary  and  other  out-buildings, 
we  alighted  in  front  of  the  main  edifice  or  church. 
This  is  constructed  of  stone,  and  plastered.  The  princi- 
pal doorway  is  surrounded  by  elaborate  carving,  which 
extends  the  whole  length  of  the  front,  and  includes 
numerous  figures,  among  which  San  Jose,  the  patron  of 


TO    SAN   ANTONIO.  43 

the  church,  and  the  Virgin  and  Child  are  conspicuous. 
The  material  of  this  work  has  the  appearance  of  stone ; 
but  we  found  on  examination  that  it  was  a  hard  kind 
of  stucco.  The  action  of  the  weather  has  done  much 
to  destroy  the  figures ;  and  the  work  of  ruin  has  been 
assisted  by  the  numerous  military  companies  near  here, 
who,  finding  in  the  hands  and  features  of  the  statues 
convenient  marks  for  rifle  and  pistol  shots,  did  not  fail 
to  improve  the  opportunity  for  showing  at  the  same 
time  their  skill  in  arms  and  their  contempt  for  the 
Mexican  belief.  That  portion  of  the  front  of  the  church 
not  covered  with  carving,  was  ornamented  with  a  sort 
of  stencilling  in  colors,  chiefly  red  and  blue.  But  few 
traces  of  this  have  withstood  the  rain.  The  most  per- 
fect portion  of  the  church  is  an  oval  window  in  the 
sacristy,  which  is  surrounded  with  scrolls  and  wreath- 
work  of  exceeding  grace  and  beauty. 

The  interior  presents  but  little  of  interest.  The 
dampness  has  destroyed  the  frescoes  upon  the  walls, 
and  the  altar  has  been  stripped  of  its  decorations.  It 
is  now  seldom  used  for  religious  purposes  ;  as  the  Mexi- 
cans of  the  neighborhood  are  poor,  and  cannot  often 
afford  the  fifty  dollars  charged  by  the  San  Antonio 
priests  for  officiating. 

The  convent  in  the  rear  of  the  church,  as  that  por- 
tion of  the  building  occupied  by  the  fathers  is  called, 
remains  in  tolerable  preservation,  and  is  at  present 
inhabited  by  an  American  who  cultivates  the  adjoining 
lands.  A  fine  view  of  the  surrounding  country  may 
be  had  by  ascending  the  tower,  which  is  accomplished 
in  part  by  means  of  a  spiral  staircase,  and  in  part  by 
a  rude  ladder,  consisting  of  a  stick  of  timber  with 


44 


INDIANOLA 


notches  cut  in  its  sides.  The  plan  of  the  building  evi- 
dently included  two  towers  ;  but  only  one  of  them  was 
ever  completed. 

About  two  miles  below  San  Jose,  and  upon  the 
opposite  side  of  the  river,  are  the  ruins  of  San  Juan. 
This  was  never  a  building  of  much  pretensions,  and  is 
in  a  more  ruinous  state  than  San  Jose.  The  interior 
shows  the  remains  of  some  exceedingly  rude  paintings ; 
and  we  noticed  that  the  earthen  floor  was  broken  up  in 
several  places  where  graves  had  recently  been  made. 

It  was  late  when  we  reached  Concepcion,  which  is 


Mission  of  Concepcion,  Texas. 


nearer  the  town  than  either  of  the  other  missions.  The 
two  towers  and  dome  of  the  church  make  quite  an 
imposing  appearance  when  seen  from  a  distance ;   but 


TO    SAN    ANTONIO.  45 

on  approaching  it,  we  found  it  not  only  desolated  but 
desecrated ;  the  church  portion  being  used  as  an  in- 
closure  for  cattle,  the  filth  from  which  covered  the  floor 
to  the  depth  of  a  foot  or  more.  Myriads  of  bats  flitted 
about,  which  chattered  and  screamed  at  our  invasion 
of  their  territory  ;  and  we  found  nothing  of  interest 
within  the  church  to  repay  us  for  encountering  their 
disagreeable  presence. 


46  SAN   ANTONIO 


CHAPTER  III. 

SAN    ANTONIO    TO    FREDERICKSBURG. 

Advanced  party  formed  for  the  journey  to  El  Paso — Arms  and  equipments 
— Mode  of  travel — General  order — Storm  on  the  Prairie  — Guadalupe 
river — Refinement  among  the  German  settlers  on  its  banks — Terraced 
hills  of  Texas — Mormons  in  the  valley  of  the  Piedernales — Fredericks- 
burg. 

The  long  though  necessary  delay  in  getting  the  train 
ready  to  move,  and  the  slowness  with  which  it  would 
probably  proceed,  convinced  me  that  it  would  not  be 
possible  for  it  to  reach  El  Paso  on  the  first  Monday  of 
November,  the  4th  of  the  month,  the  day  fixed  upon 
for  the  meeting  of  the  Joint  Commission.  After 
advising  with  General  Brooke,  Colonel  Johnston,  and 
others,  as  to  the  practicability  and  safety  of  my  pro- 
ceeding in  advance  with  a  small  party,  I  came  to  the 
determination  to  do  so,  and  announced  my  intention 
to  the  members  of  the  Commission,  requesting  to  be 
notified  of  such  as  would  volunteer  to  accompany  me. 
The  whole  would  willingly  have  gone,  although  the 
proposed  journey  would  be  attended  with  severer 
duties  and  considerable  danger,  as  we  should  not  have 
the  advantage  of  a  military  escort,  which  must  remain 
with  the  main  body  of  the  Commission  and  its  stores. 


TO    FREDERICKSBURG. 


47 


I  selected  the  following  gentlemen  for  the  advance 
party. 


Thomas  H.  Webb, 
Robert  C.  Murphy, 
George  Thurber, 
Theodore  F.  Moss, 
John  C.  Cremony, 
Edward  C.  Clark, 


Sec.  to  the  Joint  Commission. 

Asst.  Secretary  and  Clerk. 

Botanist  and  Commissary. 

Geologist. 

Interpreter. 

Quartermaster. 


Robert  E.  Matthews,  Assistants  in  the  Engineer  and 

John  B.  Stewart,  "  Surveying  Corps. 

Thomas  Thompson, 

S.  P.  Sandford, 

J.  Thomas  McDuffie, 

Thomas  Dunn, 

George  G.  Garner, 

J.  E.  Weems,  Jr., 

Clement  Young, 

C.  Neville  Simms, 

George  S.  Peirce, 

A.  P.  Wilbar, 
R.  B.  Smith,  Mason •  G.  W.  Miller,  Blacksmith  •  Wm. 
Garratt,  Harness-maker  •  William  Ferguson,  Carpen- 
ter •  Thomas  Briggs,  Tailor.  These  with  cooks,  serv- 
ants, hunters,  and  teamsters,  making  altogether  thirty 
persons,  constituted  the  party. 

The  main  body  of  the  Commission,  which  did  not 
leave  until  several  days  later,  intended  taking  the 
Southern  route,  which  had  been  more  travelled  and 
was  better  known  than  the  Northern  one,  by  the  way 
of  Fredericksburg.  But  with  the  advice  of  those  who 
had  lately  come  over  the  Northern  route,  I  determined 
to  take  that.     The  distance  was  said  to  be  about  thirty 


48  SAN   ANTONIO 

miles  less,  and  there  was  a  prospect  of  finding  better 
grass. 

October  10th.  Although  orders  had  been  given  to 
have  every  thing  in  readiness  to  start  early  this  morn- 
ing, on  going  out  to  the  camp  on  the  San  Pedro,  I 
found  the  train  was  not  ready.  Being  determined  to 
move  if  I  did  not  get  a  mile,  and  the  wagons  having  at 
last  been  geared  up,  we  took  leave  of  our  friends  at 
4  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  and  reached  a  pool  of  water 
four  and  half  miles  distant  just  before  dark. 

My  train  now  consisted  of  six  wagons,  each  drawn  by 
five  mules,  and  my  carriage  by  four :  the  latter  was  what 
is  called  in  New  York  a  Rockaway.  It  was  a  large 
vehicle  with  close  sides  and  windows,  and  so  arranged 
that  it  could  in  a  few  minutes  be  turned  into  an  excel- 
lent sleeping 'place ;  it  was  so  occupied  by  me  during  the 
whole  journey  to  El  Paso.  It  might  also  with  propriety 
be  termed  an  armory,  and  did  receive  that  appellation 
from  the  number  of  fire-arms  contained  in  it.  First, 
there  was  suspended  at  the  top  a  double  barrelled-gun, 
while  to  one  of  the  uprights  was  affixed  my  rifle,  one 
of  Sharp's  repeaters ;  a  heavy  revolver,  one  of  Colt's 
six-shooters,  was  strapped  to  each  door;  and  Dr.  Webb 
(who  rode  with  me)  and  I  were  both  provided  with  a 
pair  of  Colt's  five  shooters.  My  carriage  driver  carried 
a  pair  of  Deringer  pistols.  We  were  thus  enabled,  in 
case  of  necessity,  to  discharge  a  round  of  thirty-seven 
shots  without  reloading ;  besides  which,  Sharp's  rifle 
could  be  fired  at  least  six  times  in  a  minute.  I  also  car- 
ried a  spy -glass,  barometer,  lantern,  and  a  variety  of 
tools  and  other  articles  which  we  had  constant  occasion 
for  on  the  road.     The  rest  of  the  party  were  mounted 


TO    FREDERICKSBURG.  49 

on  horses  or  mules,  and  I  occasionally  resorted  to  a 
mule  by  way  of  variety  ;  for  it  is  a  dull  mode  of  tra-. 
veiling  to  be  dragged  slowly  along  for  eight  or  ten 
hours  a  day  cramped  up  in  a  carriage.  I  also  made  it 
a  point  to  walk  a  few  miles  every  day  on  starting,  which 
practice  was  followed  by  others. 

Every  man  in  my  party  was  well  armed,  the  officers 
with  Colt's  revolvers  and  a  rifle  ;  the  mechanics,  la- 
borers, cooks,  and  servants,  with  rifles,  and  the  team- 
sters with  pistols  or  rifles. 

We  seldom  moved  at  a  faster  gait  than  a  walk ;  as  1 
did  not  wish  to  run  the  risk  of  fatiguing  the  mules  or 
breaking  them  down,  while  the  feed  was  scanty,  and 
there  were  no  means  of  making  good  any  losses  of  ani- 
mals. By  setting  out  at  7  o'clock,  which  was  as  early 
as  we  could  get  off  on  an  average,  we  could  make  about 
twenty  miles  by  two  o'clock,  which  gave  the  animals  time 
to  graze  before  night,  when  it  was  necessary  to  bring 
them  all  in.  An  earlier  start  might  have  been  made, 
but  the  animals  had  to  be  fed  first ;  and  when  there  was 
good  grazing,  they  were  turned  out  at  daylight  for  the 
purpose. 

On  leaving  camp,  one  half  the  horsemen  took  the 
lead  as  an  escort ;  for  the  timid  mules  are  always  reluc- 
tant to  lead  off,  and  do  much  better  when  a  horse  is  in 
advance.  I  followed  with  my  carriage,  when  not 
mounted  on  my  mule ;  the  train.of  wagons  came  next, 
with  a  few  horsemen  alongside ;  and  the  cooks,  servants, 
etc.,  brought  up  the  rear. 

On  reaching  a  camping  ground,  we  formed  what  is 
called  on  the  prairies,  and  by  all  overland  travellers, 
a  corral,  or  inclosure,  to  serve  as  a  protection  for  men 


50  SAN   ANTONIO 

and  animals.  When  there  is  a  good  number  of  wagons 
in  a  train,  a  very  large  inclosure  may  be  formed,  suffi- 
cient to  contain  the  tents  and  all  the  animals ;  but  my 
small  train  of  seven  vehicles  was  too  limited  for  that : 
the  wagons  were  therefore  arranged  in  a  semicircle,  and 
the  tents  pitched  along  the  base.  After  the  animals  had 
been  "  corralled"  a  stout  rope  was  drawn  across  in 
rear  of  the  tents,  to  prevent  their  escaping  should  any 
get  loose.  When  the  ground  would  admit  of  a  large 
corral,  the  animals  were  staked  inside,  but  they  were 
generally  made  fast  by  halters,  or  lariats,  to  the  pole 
of  the  wagons  for  the  night ;  and  in  this  position,  corn 
was  fed  to  them  when  we  had  it.  The  following  order 
was  issued  on  leaving  San  Antonio  : 

"  General  Order  for  the  government  of  the  Advance  Party 

of  the    U.  S.  Mexican  Boundary  Commission,  on  its 

march  from  San  Antonio  to  El  Paso  del  Norte. 

"As  this  portion  of  the  Commission  is  entering  a 
country  inhabited  by  warlike  tribes  of  Indians,  where 
no  resources  can  be  had  beyond  what  the  prairies  sup- 
ply, it  is  absolutely  necessary  that  a  rigid  observance 
be  kept  of  the  following  order  : 

"  The  same  organization  of  the  cavalry  company 
formed  at  Indianola,  will  be  continued  to  El  Paso. 

"  Mr.  Geo.  S.  Peirce,  commanding  the  cavalry,  will 
act  as  master  of  the  camp,  detailing  for  the  guard  what- 
ever force  may  be  deemed  necessary  for  the  safety  of 
the  train. 

"Every  member  of  the  Commission,  the  teamsters 
and  cooks  excepted,  is  expected  to  do  guard  duty. 

"  The  train  and  escort  will  keep  as  close  together 


TO   FREDERICKSBURG.  51 

as  possible ;  and  after  leaving  Fredericksburg,  no  one 
will  be  permitted  to  leave  the  train  beyond  a  short 
limit. 

"  Mr.  Cremony  will  take  charge  of  the  ammunition, 
inspect  the  arms,  and  report  in  what  manner  every  man 
is  armed.  Economy  must  be  used  in  the  ammunition, 
as  the  quantity  in  the  train  is  limited. 

"  As  there  is  one  Jornada  of  seventy  miles  without 
water,  and  we  may  suffer  inconvenience  elsewhere, 
every  man  who  has  not  already  provided  himself  with 
a  canteen  or  gourd,  will  do  so  before  leaving  Frede- 
ricksburg. 

"  In  case  of  any  difficulty  or  accident  to  the  wagons, 
it  is  expected  that  every  one  will  lend  all  the  aid  in  his 
power  to  remove  it,  and  hasten  the  movement  of  the 
train. 

"  Mr.  E.  C.  Clark,  the  acting  quartermaster,  will 
arrange  the  encampments  and  direct  the  distribution  of 
the  forage.  It  is  absolutely  necessary  that  there 
should  be  an  equal  distribution  of  corn,  and  no  one 
will  be  permitted  to  take  more  than  is  assigned  or 
delivered  to  him.  On  this  depends  the  safety  of  our 
animals,  and  consequently  our  own.  A  limited  quan- 
tity of  corn  can  only  be  taken,  and  great  economy  must 
be  used  in  its  distribution. 

"  On  coming  into  camp,  holes  must  be  dug  for  the 
fires,  which  must,  when  the  ground  permits,  be  placed 
in  hollows,  or  beneath  a  hill,  in  order  to  conceal  the 
encampment  as  much  as  possible. 

JOHN  R.  BARTLETT, 

Commissioner." 

In  Camp,  near  San  Antonio,  October  11,  1853. 


t 

52  SAN   ANTONIO 

The  weather  on  the  first  evening  was  so  warm  and 
pleasant,  that  the  young  men  did  not  pitch  their  tents, 
but  bivouacked  for  the  night.  One  was  afterwards  set 
up  for  the  botanist  and  geologist,  who  had  some  labor 
to  perform.  About  midnight,  one  of  those  sudden 
storms  arose,  which  are  so  common  in  this  region  :  the 
rain  fell  in  torrents,  the  wind  blew  with  violence,  the 
thunder  re-echoed  from  the  hills,  and  the  vivid  lightning 
showed  our  tentless  party  in  a  very  sorry  plight.  A 
few  sought  shelter  in  the  only  tent  that  was  pitched ; 
but  scarcely  had  they  got  ensconced  within,  when  a 
stronger  gust  than  usual  drew  the  pins  from  their 
fastenings  and  laid  the  tent  flat  upon  the  ground.  As 
there  was  no  other  shelter  near,  they  had  no  alternative 
but  to  lie  soaking  in  their  wet  blankets  till  morning. 
I  feared  that  this  rude  exposure  at  the  outset  would 
be  attended  with  unpleasant  consequences;  but  all 
were  up  early  and  rea,dy  for  the  march  in  the  morning. 

October  \lth.  Deferred  starting  until  9  o'clock,  in 
order  to  give  the  party  time  to  dry  their  clothing. 
The  road  was  exceedingly  heavy  in  consequence  of 
the  rain,  which  kept  falling  at  intervals  during  the 
morning.  The  country,  since  we  left  San  Antonio, 
consists  of  low  hills,  with  broad  intervening  valleys, 
and  is  covered  with  rich  mezquit  grass.  Clusters  of 
live  oak  abound  in  the  valleys,  while  the  hills  are 
comparatively  bare  of  trees.  Left  the  road  with  my 
mule  and  ascended  a  high  conical  hill  on  the  left,  from 
which  I  had  a  fine  view  of  the  surrounding  landscape. 
Limestone  seems  to  prevail  here,  and  much  of  it  crops 
out  of  the  ground  on  which  the  road  passes,  making  it, 
exceedingly  rough  for  the  wagons.     A  very  little  labor 


TO   FREDERICKSBURG.  53 

would  make  the  road  a  good  one ;  but  most  of  the 
roads  in  Texas  are  so  good  naturally,  that  the  idea  of 
improving  such  portions  as  really  need  it,  seems  never 
to  have  been  entertained.  Reached  a  well  known 
watering  place  called  the  Comanche  Spring,  over 
which  a  stone  building  has  lately  been  erected.  Several 
German  families  reside  here,  who  have  brought  their 
lands  into  a  fine  state  of  cultivation. 

October  12th.  Morning  quite  foggy.  The  roads  very 
heavy  and  stony,  and  the  country  of  the  same  character 
as  that  passed  over  yesterday.  Open  grassy  plains 
occur  at  intervals,  with  clumps  of  live-oak,  giving  a 
cheerful  and  picturesque  appearance  to  the  landscape. 
Passed  the  dry  bed  of  a  stream,  in  following  which  we 
spent  an  hour  waiting  for  the  train  to  come  up.  Mr. 
Thurber  collected  some  specimens  of  plants,  among 
them  several  species  of  Euphorbia.  First  noticed  the 
Sycamore  to-day.  The  prevailing  timber  continues  to 
be  live-oak.  Reached  Sabine  Creek  at  3  o'clock,  p.  m., 
where  we  encamped  after  a  very  hard  day's  march,  our 
mules  showing  much  fatigue.  The  margins  of  the  creek 
bore  cypress  trees  of  large  size,  and  great  beauty  of 
foliage.  This  is  the  last  place  at  which  we  saw  the 
palmetto.  The  bright  flowers  of  the  Lobelia  cardinalis 
were  abundant. 

October  lWi.  An  express  from  Quarter-master  Myer 
arrived  at  midnight,  informing  me  that  in  consequence 
of  a  further  call  upon  him  for  horses  for  the  party,  and 
to  meet  other  demands,  he  should  require  more  funds. 
The  messenger  waited  till  after  breakfast,  when  he  was 
dispatched  to  the  quarter-master  with  the  requisite 
drafts. 


54  SAN   ANTONIO 

Crossed  Sabine  Creek,  and  found  both  the  descent 
and  ascent  very  bad.  The  banks  being  high,  we  had 
to  follow  the  bed  of  the  stream  over  huge  rocks,  which 
I  feared  would  disable  our  wagons.  But  by  dint  of 
pushing  and  lifting,  and  hitching  horses  ahead  of  the 
mules,  we  succeeded  in  getting  across  and  on  the 
opposite  bank  without  accident.  Bits  of  rolling  prairie, 
covered  with  luxuriant  grass,  with  here  and  there  a 
clump  of  live-oaks,  continued  as  before.  Limestone 
frequently  appears  above  the  surface.  On  reaching 
the  Guadalupe  River,  we  stopped  at  the  log  houses  of  a 
small  German  colony.  Among  these,  I  was  not  a  little 
surprised  to  find  one  occupied  by  a  gentleman  of 
learning  and  taste,  with  a  choice  library  of  scientific 
books  around  him.  In  chemistry  and  mineralogy,  his 
collection  was  particularly  rich ;  and  even  in  other 
departments  of  natural  science,  as  well  as  in  history, 
voyages,  and  travels,  it  would  have  been  a  very 
respectable  one  in  our  large  cities,  where  books  are 
easily  procured.  Some  good  pictures,  including  co- 
pies from  Murillo,  evinced  his  taste  in  the  fine  arts. 
There  was  no  floor  or  glass  windows  to  this  humble 
dwelling,  and  as  much  daylight  seemed  to  come  through 
the  openings  in  the  logs  as  through  the  windows.  A 
plank  table,  chairs  covered  with  deer  skin,  and  a  rude 
platform,  on  which  was  spread  a  bed  filled  with  corn 
husks,  but  destitute  of  bed-clothes,  constituted  the 
furniture.  The  walls  were  covered  with  books,  except 
one  spot,  where  were  arranged  twelve  rifles  and  fowling 
pieces  of  various  kinds,  with  other  paraphernalia  of  a 
genuine  sportsman;  while  here  and  there,  jutting  out 
from  a  projecting  corner  or  log,  were  sundry  antlers, 


TO    FREDERICKSBURG.  55 

evidence  of  the  skill  of  the  occupant.  For  want  of 
closets  and  drawers,  these  antlers  served  to  hang  his 
clothes  on. 

On  entering  this  primitive  dwelling,  we  found  its 
owner,  Mr.  Berne,  busily  engaged  upon  his  meteoro- 
logical table.  He  received  us  with  kindness  and 
suavity  of  manner ;  and  we  found  him,  as  well  as  several 
others  of  his  countrymen  who  had  entered,  communi- 
cative and  intelligent.  They  had  been  here  two  years, 
and  formed  part  of  a  large  colony  of  Germans,  who  had 
settled  in  the  vicinity.  By  invitation,  we  called  at  an 
adjoining  house,  equally  primitive  with  that  before 
described..  On  the  rude  walls  hung  some  beautiful 
pictures,  while  other  articles  of  taste,  and  a  cabinet  of 
minerals,  had  their  appropriate  places.  Here,  too,  was 
a  fine  harpsichord,  from  which  we  were  treated  to 
selections  from  the  most  popular  composers,  played 
with  an  expression  and  feeling  which  indicated  a 
master's  hand.  In  the  yard  were  some  fine  merino 
sheep  ;  and  while  we  were  listening  to  the  conversation 
of  our  friends,  a  tame  peccari  thrust  his  long  nose 
against  me  to  receive  my  caresses,  much  as  a  faithful 
dog  would.  But  the  propensities  of  the  swinish  family, 
to  which  the  peccari  is  closely  allied,  were  so  strongly 
exhibited  in  this  specimen,  that  I  could  only  gratify 
his  affection  for  me  by  rubbing  his  back  with  a  stick, 
which  seemed  to  afford  him  all  the  pleasure  he  desired. 
It  is  pleasant  to  meet  such  emigrants  as  these  Germans, 
who  bring  with  them  the  tastes  of  their  father-land,  and 
the  means  of  further  cultivating  them.  They  bring 
cheerfulness  and  contentment  with  them,  and  impart  to 
the  pioneer  population  by  which  they  are  surrounded 


56  SAN    ANTONIO 

that  love  for  refined  enjoyments  in  which  it  is  so  often 
deficient. 

Fording  the  Guadalupe  River,  which  is  here  about 
eighty  feet  wide  and  beautifully  transparent,  we  came 
to  a  more  open  country,  though  with  patches  more 
closely  wooded  than  any  yet  observed.  The  prospect 
on  every  side  was  broad  ;  the  land  appeared  rich,  and 
presented  the  traces  of  long  cultivation.  Passed 
several  fenced  inclosures,  the  first  we  had  seen  since 
leaving  San  Antonio. 

A  species  of  grape  (probably  Yitis  aestivalis)  was 
abundant  in  the  bottoms  of  the  rivers  ;  and  at  the 
crossing  of  the  Guadalupe  we  found  the  vines  in  great 
profusion,  climbing  into  the  tops  of  lofty  trees,  and 
filled  with  fruit,  of  which  some  of  our  young  men 
gathered  great  quantities,  and  which  proved  very 
acceptable. 

Stopped  at  the  house  of  Dr.  Ernst  Kapp,  Professor, 
as  indicated  by  his  card.  There  was  here  the  appear- 
ance of  comfort  and  taste,  though  the  house  was  of  logs. 
I  was  introduced  to  his  wife  and  daughter,  who  both 
appeared  to  be  intelligent,  and  several  bright-looking 
children.  Waited  here  a  couple  of  hours  for  a  supply 
of  corn,  and  then  drove  to  a  watering  place  seven 
miles  further,  where  we  encamped  for  the  night. 

October  lkth.  Soon  after  starting  this  morning,  we 
ascended  an  elevated  hill,  the  highest  yet  met  with  in 
the  country.  The  road  had  followed  up  a  rich  and 
narrow  valley,  studded  at  intervals  witli  oaks,  and 
covered  with  luxuriant  grass,  when  at  length  it  wound 
around  the  base  of  the  hill,  and  by  a  zig-zag  course  led 
to  a  point  near  its  summit.     Here  I  left  the  road  and 


TO    FREDERICKSBURG.  57 

walked  to  the  hill-top  on  the  right.  It  had  a  conical 
shape,  with  a  level  surface,  scantily  covered  with  low 
shrubbery,  and  was  about  half  an  acre  in  size.  A 
magnificent  prospect  here  opened  to  the  sight,  surpass- 
ing in  extent  any  thing  we  had  seen  in  Texas.  To 
the  south,  the  view  extended  at  least  forty  miles,  losing 
itself  in  the  distant  hills,  which  were  scarcely  distin- 
guishable from  the  pale  blue  sky  of  the  horizon.  On 
the  east  and  west  were  elevated  points,  inclosing  the 
valley  through  which  we  had  for  miles  been  winding 
our  way.  The  hills  around  us  presented  a  singular 
appearance,  owing  to  their  terraced  sides.  These 
^terraces  are  formed  by  layers  or  strata  of  limestone, 
which  jut  out  from  the  sides  of  the  hills,  the  rains 
having  washed  away  the  soil.  This  was  characteristic, 
more  or  less,  of  all  the  hills  then  in  sight,  though  we 
afterwards  met  more  striking  ones  as  we  journeyed 
westward.  This  peculiarity  of  the  hills,  from  the  plateau 
of  Texas  to  the  Missouri,  has  been  noticed  by  other 
travellers,  and  is  represented  in  many  of  the  scenes 
given  by  Mr.  Catlin  in  his  work  on  the  Indians.  On 
the  north  side,  whither  we  were  directing  our  march, 
lay  a  broad  and  deep  valley,  exhibiting,  even  from  the 
distance,  a  fertility  of  soil  such  as  we  had  not  before 
seen.  This  valley,  as  far  as  I  could  judge,  appeared 
to  be  about  twenty  miles  in  length ;  though  I  think  it 
extended  further,  its  termination  being  concealed  from 
view  by  the  projecting  spurs  of  the  mountains.  The 
whole  was  clad  in  foliage  of  deep  green,  so  that  it 
appeared  like  a  dense  ^wood.  As  we  approached,  we 
found  ourselves  in  an  open  forest  of  live-oaks,  without 
any  under-growth  of  shrubs.     The  grass  was  nearly 


58  SAN   ANTONIO 

three  feet  high,  and  its  strength  showed  the  richness 
of  the  soil.  After  riding  several  miles  through  this 
beautiful  valley,  we  forded  the  river  Piedernales,  there 
about  one  hundred  feet  in  width,  and  entered  the 
village  which  glories  in  the  name  of  Zodiac,  a  Mormon 
colony  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  persons,  under  the 
especial  care  of  Elder  Wight,  as  designated  by  the 
faithful,  though  among  worldly  sinners  he  bore  the 
appellation  of  "  Colonel." 

Sending  the  train  forward  by  a  more  direct  road, 
I  drove,  with  twelve  of  my  party,  to  the  house  of  the 
Mormon  leader.  To  a  request  that  dinner  might  be 
served  to  us,  if  it  was  his  custom  to  entertain  travel- 
lers, he  readily  expressed  assent,  and  ordered  the 
meal  to  be  prepared. 

Every  where  around  us  in  this  Zodiacal  settlement, 
we  saw  abundant  signs  of  prosperity.  Whatever  may 
be  their  theological  errors,  in  secular  matters  they 
present  an  example  of  industry  and  thrift  which  the 
people  of  the  State  might  advantageously  imitate. 
They  have  a  tract  of  land,  which  they  have  improved 
for  about  three  years,  and  which  has  yielded  profitable 
crops.  The  well  built  houses,  perfect  fences,  and  tidy 
door-yards,  gave  the  place  a  home-like  air,  such  as  we 
had  not  before  seen  in  Texas.  The  dinner  was  a  regu- 
lar old-fashioned  New  England  farmer's  meal,  com- 
prising an  abundance  of  every  thing,  served  with 
faultless  neatness.  The  entire  charge  here  for  a  din- 
ner for  twelve  persons,  and  corn  for  as  many  animals, 
was  three  dollars — a  modest  demand,  which  strikingly 
contrasted  with  the  Astor  House  prices  of  a  Mr.  Mc- 
Grew,  and  some  others,  between  Indianola  and  Victoria. 


TO    FREDERICKSBURG.  59 

The  Colonel  said  he  was  the  first  settler  in  the 
valley  of  the  Piedernales,  and  for  many  miles  around. 
In  his  colony  were  people  of  all  trades.  He  told  me 
that  his  crop  of  corn  this  year  would  amount  to  seven 
thousand  bushels,  for  which  he  expected  to  realize 
one  dollar  and  twenty-five  cents  per  bushel.  Finding 
that  I  had  not  the  means  to  transport  the  corn  I 
should  absolutely  require  for  my  journey,  I  struck  a 
bargain  with  Colonel  Wight  for  another  team,  con- 
sisting of  a  wagon  and  four  mules,  which  he  agreed  to 
deliver  to  me  at  Fredericksburg. 

*  Taking  leave  of  our  Mormon  friends,  we  rode  on 
two  miles,  to  an  encampment  of  Delaware  Indians. 
Stopped  to  see  a  chief,  whom  I  was  advised  to  employ 
to  accompany  us  to  El  Paso,  where  he  had  been  with 
other  parties,  and  who,  from  his  acquaintance  and 
influence  with  the  Indian  tribes  on  our  route,  might 
be  of  great  service.  Unfortunately  he  was  absent, 
and  not  expected  to  return  for  a  week.  This  people 
did  not  present  a  flattering  appearance,  and  seemed  to 
have  few  more  comforts  than  the  wild  and  unsubdued 
tribes  we  afterwards  met.  A  mile  further  brought  us 
to  the  United.  States  military  post,  called  Fort  Martin 
Scott,  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Stannaford. 
This  was  the  most  extreme  post  on  the  frontier.  We 
were  kindly  received  by  the  officers  here,  and  fur- 
nished by  the  acting  commissary,  Lieutenant  Blake, 
with  such  provisions  as  we  stood  in  need  of.  After 
an  hour's  delay,  we  rode  on,  about  two  miles  further, 
to  Fredricksburg,  and  pitched  our  tents  on  an  open 
spot  in  the  centre  of  the  village. 

This  is  a  flourishing  German  settlement,  founded 


60         SAN  ANTONIO  TO  FEEDERICKSBURG. 

about  three  years  before  our  visit,  or  in  1847,  and  has 
a  population  of  about  five  hundred  souls.  There  were 
but  few  Americans  to  be  seen.  The  stores  were  filled 
with  goods  adapted  to  the  Indian  trade,  as  the  place 
is  on  the  very  borders  of  civilization,  and  resorted  to 
by  numbers  of  the  Indian  tribes  contiguous. 


FREDERICKSBURG.  61 


CHAPTER  IV. 

FREDERICKSBURG   TO  HORSE-HEAD  CROSSING. 

Projected  route  through  the  wilderness — Setting  out — Uninviting  ap- 
pearance of  the  country — Precarious  condition  of  German  settlements 
on  the  Llano  River — Leave  the  Emigrants'  Eoad — Crossing  of  the  San 
Saha — Community  of  prairie  dogs — Kickapoo  Creek — Hints  to  future 
travellers — The  Mezquit — Visit  of  Lipan  Chiefs — Indian  dexterity  in 
mule  catching — Regain  the  Emigrant  Road  at  Concho  River — Horse 
wounded  by  a  rattlesnake — Character  of  country  and  vegetation — 
Mustang  roads — Scarcity  of  water — Prairie  on  fire — Deceptive  maps — 
Castle  Mountains — Stray  cattle  captured — Pecos  River — Chapporal — 
"  Indian  sign." 

September  15th.  Remained  at  Fredericksburg  to- 
day to  procure  our  supply  of  corn,  and  made  the 
acquaintance  of  many  of  the  citizens,  among  them 
Captain  J.  L.  Ankrim,  since  appointed  Judge  of  El 
Paso  district.  I  was  exceedingly  anxious  that  Judge 
Ankrim  should  accompany  us  to  El  Paso.  He  had 
been  on  the  road  several  times,  and  directed  its  con- 
struction ;  moreover,  his  intimate  acquaintance  with 
the  country  and  knowledge  of  the  Indian  character 
were  such,  that  I  believed  he  might  be  of  essential 
service.  But  his  engagements  were  of  such  a  nature 
as  not  to  permit  his  leaving  at  the  time.  I  felt  much 
disappointed,  and  a  heavy  responsibility  resting  on 
me,  in  having  to  conduct  such  a  party  across  a  country 


62  FREDERICKSBURG 

but  little  known,  a  distance  of  more  than  six  hundred 
miles.  Not  one  of  us  had  any  experience  in  crossing 
the  prairies  beyond  what  had  been  gained  in  coming 
up  from  the  coast.  None  had  ever  encountered  any 
hostile  Indians,  or  suffered  the  hardships  which  inevi- 
tably attend  a  journey  in  the  wilderness  like  that  before 
us.  I  endeavored  to  procure  a  guide  in  San  Antonio, 
but  was  unsuccessful,  and,  in  the  last  emergency,  took 
a  man  who  had  driven  a  team  some  months  previous 
in  a  train  which  came  to  this  place  from  El  Paso. 
Judge  Ankrim  gave  me  much  information  about  the 
route  we  proposed  taking,  and  advised  me  to  leave 
the  Emigrants'  Road,  which  passes  by  the  old  fort  on 
the  San  Saba,  and  take  a  more  northerly  course.  He 
said  there  had  been  no  rain  for  several  months,  so 
that  the  small  streams  might  be  dry,  and  the  grass 
poor ;  and  that  to  cross  the  tributaries  of  the  Colo- 
rado nearer  their  union  with  that  stream  would  insure 
a  greater  probability  of  finding  water  and  grass. 
There  was  no  road  or  trail  along  the  route  he  recom- 
mended, until  we  should  strike  the  Concho  ;  but  he 
marked  the  courses  down  on  my  travelling  map,  so 
that  I  anticipated  no  great  difficulty  in  finding  my  way. 
We  were  to  continue  on  the  Emigrants'  Road  for  seve- 
ral days,  until  we  crossed  the  Llano  River.  About 
two  and  a  half  miles  from  this  stream  the  Judge  said 
we  would  see  a  mezquit  tree  close  by  the  road,  on 
the  right,  and  a  broken  limb  of  another  tree  sus- 
pended from  one  of  its  branches.  At  this  tree  we 
must  leave  the  road,  which  has  a  westerly  direction, 
and  strike  off  to  the  northwest ;  soon  after  which  we 
would   cross  the  San  Saba  River.     Continuing   this 


TO    HORSE-HEAD    CROSSING.  63 

course,  we  would  then  meet  the  south  branch  of 
Brady's  Creek,  and  next  the  north  branch  of  the 
same.  The  latter  we  must  follow  to  its  source,  which 
lay  in  a  westerly  direction.  Here  we  should  find 
some  small  pools  or  springs.  From  this  point  we 
were  to  take  a  course  due  west,  crossing  many  streams, 
which  are  laid  down  on  the  maps,  until  we  discovered 
two  conical  hills  or  mounds.  Between  these  we 
must  pass,  when  we  should  see  the  Concho  River 
about  seven  miles  distant.  Striking  that  at  the  nearest 
point,  we  would  find  the  Emigrants1  Road  once  more, 
which  we  had  only  to  follow  to  its  termination  on  the 
Rio  Grande. 

October  lQtJi.  As  the  corn  contracted  for  was  not 
delivered  until  late,  the  train  did  not  get  off  before 
twelve  o'clock.  The  first  watering  place  was  seven 
miles  distant,  beyond  which  I  was  advised  not  to  go, 
as  it  was  then  late,  and  it  was  a  good  day's  journey 
from  that  to  Hickory  Creek.  The  road  was  much 
better  than  it  had  been  beyond  Fredericksburg ;  the 
country  was  covered  with  grass,  and  wooded,  as  it  had 
been  since  we  passed  the  Guadalupe. 

October  1*1  th.  Left  at  7  o'clock,  and  a  few  hours 
after  came  to  an  old  Indian  encampment.  The  coun- 
try now  assumed  a  different  aspect :  ledges  of  granite 
and  fragments  of  quartz  appeared,  and  the  entire  sur- 
face was  much  broken ;  the  oaks  were  fewer  and  of  less 
size ;  mezquit  trees  were  scattered  among  them,  with 
here  and  there  a  cactus.  It  was,  on  the  whole,  the 
most  interesting  country  we  had  seen  since  leaving  San 
Antonio.  A  reddish  sandstone  appeared  in  some 
places,  the  debris  of  which  imparted  its  own  hue  to  the 


64  FREDERICKSBURG 

soil.  Weather  oppressively  hot,  the  thermometer  at 
90°  Fahrenheit.  Rode  eighteen  miles  and  encamped 
on  Hickory  Creek,  a  small  stream  at  any  time,  but  now 
dried  up.  On  a  closer  search,  a  few  water-pools  were 
found,  which  were  sufficient  for  our  purpose. 

As  according  to  our  maps  there  was  a  German  set- 
tlement on  the  Llano  about  fifteen  miles  from  our  road, 
I  determined  to  send  a  party  there  to  purchase  a  load 
of  corn  for  our  animals.  Mr.  Thurber  and  three  others 
constituted  this  party.  It  was  small  to  enter  an  Indian 
country  ;  but  being  without  wagons  or  other  property, 
save  their  animals,  and  moreover  being  well  armed, 
there  was  no  danger  of  an  open  attack  by  the  Indians. 
A  surprise  was  all  they  had  to  fear. 

October  ISth.  Left  camp  at  6  o'clock;  Mr.  Thurber 
and  his  party  at  the  same  time  striking  off  on  a  trail 
which  ran  in  a  northeasterly  direction.  Thermometer 
stood  at  60°,  with  the  wind  northeast.  The  country 
assumed  a  more  agreeable  aspect  than  yesterday.  Live- 
oaks  prevailed,  with  a  few  mezquit ;  the  former  large 
and  in  thick  groups.  Passed  several  valleys  more 
thickly  wooded.     Reached  the  Llano  at  11  o'clock. 

Found  two  deserted  houses,  with  out-buildings  and 
inclosures.  Were  informed  at  Fredericksburg  that 
the  Comanches  had  attacked  this  place  about  six 
months  before,  killed  one  man,  and  driven  away  the 
rest :  it  has  not  since  been  occupied.  I  could  conceive 
no  reason  why  a  few  settlers  should  come  so  far  into 
the  midst  of  an  Indian  country,  when  land  equally  good 
and  cheap  might  have  been  had  near  a  settlement.  The 
situation,  it  is  true,  is  a  very  fine  one,  on  the  banks  of 
a  clear  and  beautiful  river,  with  water  power  in  abun- 


TO   HORSE-HEAD   CROSSING.  65 

dance  and  timbered  land.  But  all  these,  even  if  given 
to  the  occupant,  are  of  little  value  when  life  and  pro- 
perty are  unsafe.  A  number  of  hogs  were  running 
about  quite  wild,  of  which  a  couple  were  killed,  to  add 
to  our  stock  of  fresh  meat. 

The  Llano  is  the  finest  stream  we  have  yet  met  in 
Texas,  the  Guadalupe  alone  excepted.  Where  we  forded 
it,  it  was  two  feet  deep  and  one  hundred  and  fifty  in 
width.  At  a  short  distance  was  a  rapid,  with  fall  enough 
for  mills.  On  the  opposite  bank  we  found  the  traces  of  a 
large  Indian  encampment,  which,  from  appearances, 
must  have  been  occupied  a  long  time  :  it  was  probably 
the  habitation  of  those  who  destroyed  the  settlement 
referred  to.  Left  for  Mr.  Thurber  and  his  party  a  note 
affixed  to  a  pole,  stating  that  we  had  passed  on.  After 
getting  our  teams  up  the  opposite  bank,  which  was  very 
steep  and  rocky,  and  attended  with  considerable  diffi- 
culty, we  continued  our  march  nine  miles  over  a  fine 
country  to  Comanche  Creek,  a  small  stream  then  nearly 
dry.  Where  we  encamped,  there  was  no  running 
water ;  the  little  that  remained  stood  in  pools  among  the 
rocks  in  the  bed  of  the  stream.  It  was,  however,  clear 
and  very  good.  In  one  of  these  pools,  not  exceeding 
sixty  feet  in  length  and  eighteen  inches  in  depth,  I  saw 
a  number  of  mullet  from  ten  to  fourteen  inches  long,  and 
several  gar-pike  about  two  feet  in  length.  There  were 
no  small  fish  in  the  pool,  the  gars  having  doubtless 
devoured  them.  Some  of  our  men  got  into  the  water 
with  bushes,  drove  the  fish  to  one  end  of  the  pool,  and 
caught  some  of  the  mullet,  which  proved  to  be  good 
eating.  The  water  line  on  the  banks  of  this  stream 
showed  it  to  be  some  six  feet  below  its  ordinary  height. 

VOL.  I. — 5 


66  FREDERICKSBURG 

At  sunset  Mr.  Thurber  and  his  party  rejoined  us. 
He  reported  that  he  had  visited  the  German  settlements 
as  instructed.  The  first  one  presented  a  scene  of  deso- 
lation seldom  witnessed,  owing  to  the  predatory  incur- 
sions of  the  Comanches,  and  was  on  the  point  of  being 
abandoned.  The  other,  called  Zastel,  contained  twenty- 
six  houses ;  though  but  nine  families  remained,  and 
the  wives  and  children  of  most  of  these  had  been  sent 
away  to  New  Braunfels  and  other  places.  These  peo- 
ple, living  as  they  do  upon  the  very  outposts,  are  so 
completely  at  the  mercy  of  the  Indians,  that  it  is  doubt- 
ful if  they  succeed  in  braving  it  out.  Their  houses  are 
very  small,  built  of  squared  logs,  and  furnished  with  loop- 
holes for  rifles.  The  land  is  poor ;  and  there  seemed 
no  attraction  about  the  place,  except  the  beautiful 
Llano,  which  is  a  most  picturesque  stream,  now  rushing 
in  rapids  over  a  rocky  bed,  and  now  spreading  into 
broad  and  quiet  lakes. 

On  their  way  back  the  party  met  a  band  of  Caddo 
Indians,  a  small  but  mischievous  tribe,  returning  from 
a  horse-stealing  expedition.  They  spoke  some  English, 
and  had  a  number  of  fine  animals  with  them,  which  they 
said  they  had  taken  by  way  of  reprisal  from  their  ene- 
mies the  Wacoes.  But  the  knowing  look  which  one  of 
them  put  on  when  Mr.  Thurber  expressed  a  doubt  of 
the  story,  and  the  fine  condition  of  their  horses  showed 
pretty  plainly  that  they  had  been  among  the  settle- 
ments. 

About  midnight  a  party  of  Germans  reached  camp 
with  about  twenty  bushels  of  corn,  which  proved  a 
valuable  accession  to  our  stock,  and  made  up  what  we 
had  been  feeding  out. 


TO   HORSE-HEAD    CROSSING.  67 

October  19th.  All  up  before  day  ;  dispatched  break- 
fast, struck  tents,  and  were  off  at  6  o'clock.  The  morn- 
ing was  clear  and  cold,  the  mercury  standing  at  36° 
at  sunrise.  This  low  temperature  affected  us  sensibly 
after  the  very  hot  weather  we  had  had.  The  country 
was  thinly  wooded  with  live-oak.  Passed  a  range  of 
high  hills,  with  two  conical  ones  standing  directly  in 
our,  path,  between  which  we  passed.  Left  my  mule 
and  walked  to  the  summit,  whence  there  was  presented 
a  fine  view  of  the  surrounding  country,  consisting  of 
an  alternation  of  hills  and  prairie,  with  scattering  trees, 
chiefly  mezquit.  Leaving  this  valley  we  ascended  to 
a  plateau,  the  surface  of  which  was  quite  level.  We 
now  looked  anxiously  for  the  mark,  where  Judge 
Ankrim  directed  us  to  leave  the  Emigrants'  Road,  and 
soon  discovered  a  broken  limb  suspended  from  a  tree, 
precisely  as  described  to  us.  Here,  with  some  reluc- 
tance and  not  a  little  uneasiness,  I  left  the  beaten  road 
and  struck  off  into  a  broad  and  open  prairie  in  a  north- 
westerly direction,  with  no  trail  or  path,  and  no  guide 
but  my  compass.  The  man  hired  at  San  Antonio 
proving  entirely  ignorant  of  localities  and  destitute  of 
useful  information,  I  sent  him  to  the  rear  of  the  train, 
preferring  my  maps  and  compass  to  his  doubtful 
suggestions.  Had  the  country  presented  a  pleasant 
aspect,  we  would  have  entered  the  untrodden  field  with 
more  satisfaction  ;  but,  unfortunately,  a  recent  fire  had 
burned  off  all  the  grass,  destroying  every  green  thing 
and  leaving  only  a  black  stubble,  from  which  slabs  of 
limestone  protruded.     The  soil  appeared  good. 

We  had  hoped  to  meet  the  San  Saba  River  soon 
after  leaving  the  road ;  but  coming  to  a  small  stream 


68  FREDERICKSBURG 

at  4  o'clock,  with  water  standing  in  pools,  and  a  little 
patch  of  grass  near,  which  had  escaped  the  fire,  I 
deemed  it  prudent  to  go  no  farther,  but  encamp,  rather 
than  continue  our  march  without  knowing  the  exact 
distance  to  the  river.  It  is  always  advisable  to  encamp 
early  enough  to  procure  wood  and  water,  and  make 
all  the  necessary  arrangements  before  dark.  We  gen- 
erally endeavored  to  get  into  camp  in  season  to  let  our 
mules  graze  two  or  three  hours  before  nightfall ;  but 
in  some  instances  this  was  impossible,  as  our  daily 
marches  were  governed  by  the  state  of  the  grass  and 
facilities  for  procuring  water.  If  we  struck  a  spot  with 
these  important  necessaries  by  two  or  three  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon,  we  encamped.  In  some  instances  we 
even  stopped  at  twelve  o'clock,  while  in  others  we  kept 
on  our  way  until  dark. 

October  20th,  Sunday.  I  would  gladly  have  re- 
mained in  camp  to-day,  agreeably  to  my  original 
intention  to  rest  on  Sundays ;  but  it  was  of  the  utmost 
importance  that  we  should  push  on  as  fast  as  possible, 
having  barely  provisions  enough  for  our  journey. 
Besides,  there  was  scarcely  grass  enough  for  another 
day's  feed  on  the  little  spot  where  we  were  encamped. 
Early  in  the  morning,  therefore,  I  sent  off  parties  to 
seek  the  San  Saba  River,  and  a  place  to  cross  it.  We 
were  occupied  an  hour  or  two  in  securing  some  mules 
which  had  got  loose  during  the  night;  but  by  the 
time  the  animals  were  hitched  up,  reports  came  in  that 
the  river  was  within  a  mile  of  us,  and  a  fording  place 
had  been  found.  We  soon  after  got  off,  and,  crossing 
some  steep  and  rocky  hills,  reached  the  ford.  The 
horsemen  led  the  way  across  the  stream,  which  was 


TO   HORSE-HEAD   CROSSING.  69 

very  clear,  and  flowed  over  a  smooth  limestone  rock. 
But  the  opposite  bank  was  found  to  be  impassable  for 
wagons.  Set  all  hands  at  work,  some  in  levelling  the 
bank,  some  in  bringing  logs,  boughs,  and  stones,  while 
a  passage  through  the  thick  wood  which  grew  along 
the  river's  margin  was  opened  with  axes  by  others. 
In  an  hour  all  was  ready.  The  teams  were  now 
brought  over  singly,  and  by  hard  pushing  and  pull- 
ing they  were  all  got  safely  up  the  bank. 

Near  this  crossing,  we  observed  fine  burr  oaks ;  and 
the  ground  was  strewn  with  their  enormous  acorns, 
with  beautifully  fringed  cups.  A  gradual  ascent  over 
a  rocky  surface  brought  us  again  to  the  level  of  the 
table  land  beyond.  We  continued  our  way  over 
gentle  hills,  pretty  well  covered  with  mezquit  and 
live-oaks,  for  about  six  miles,  when  we  reached  Camp 
Creek,  a  small  stream,  dry  in  many  places.  Stopped 
an  hour  to  water  our  animals  and  take  lunch,  as  it  was 
my  determination  to  reach  Brady's  Creek,  about  six- 
teen miles  distant. 

The  ground  ascended  gradually  from  this  point  for 
several  miles,  when  we  struck  a  more  open  country, 
on  a  level  plateau,  which  continued  without  interrup- 
tion during  several  hours'  march.  On  this  plateau  we 
entered  a  colony  of  the  misnamed  "prairie  dogs," 
which  extended  in  every  direction  as  far  as  the  eye 
could  reach.  The  ground  occupied  by  this  fraternity  was 
distinctly  marked  by  the  shortness  of  the  grass,  which 
these  little  creatures  feed  on,  as  well  as  by  their  hillocks, 
some  of  which  contain  two  or  three  cart-loads  of  earth, 
brought  up  by  them  from  their  excavated  dwellings. 
We  tried  in  vain  to  get  one  of  them  as  a  specimen, 


70  FREDERICKSBURG 

dead  or  alive.  At  least  twenty  shots  were  fired  at 
them,  both  with  pistols  and  rifles,  by  several  indivi- 
duals of  the  party,  who  considered  themselves  good 
marksmen ;  but  they  either  dodged  at  the  flash,  or, 
if  shot,  fell  into  their  holes,  at  the  mouth  of  which 
they  invariably  sat.  Not  one  was  obtained.  On 
examination,  drops  of  blood  were  seen  near  the  holes, 
which  showed  that  some  of  the  shots  took  effect. 
In  one  instance  I  saw  a  rattlesnake  enter  one  of  the 
habitations ;  but  whether  he  belonged  there  or  was 
an  interloper  it  was  impossible  to  tell.  Small  brown 
owls  flitted  about,  and  lit  on  the  little  hillocks  in 
the  midst  of  the  prairie  dogs,  with  which  they 
seemed  to  be  upon  good  terms.  For  more  than  three 
hours  our  march  continued  through  the  vast  domains 
of  this  community,  or  "  dog-town,"  as  they  are  usu- 
ally called,  nor  did  they  terminate  when  we  stopped 
for  the  night. 

The  country  passed  over  to-day  was  very  smooth 
and  hard,  and  excellent  for  wagons  in  any  direc- 
tion. The  grass  was  poor.  The  only  trees  seen  were 
mezquit,  which  we  here  found  for  the  first  time  in 
fruit. 

The  plain  suddenly  terminated  by  a  steep  descent 
of  about  150  feet,  to  another,  which  extended  along  its 
base,  and  through  which  ran  Brady's  Creek  (south 
fork),  where  we  encamped.  Like  the  other  water 
courses  we  had  passed,  this  was  nearly  dry,  and  existed 
only  in  pools.  Quails  were  abundant  here ;  and  by 
the  time  my  cook  had  his  fire  ready,  I  had  a  dozen  of 
these  delicious  birds  ready  for  him.  Estimated  dis- 
tance travelled  to-day,  twenty-five  miles. 


TO    HORSE-HEAD    CROSSING.  71 

October  21st  The  night  had  been  quite  cold.  The 
morning  was  clear  and  pleasant.  Left  at  half-past  six 
o'clock.  The  colony  of  prairie  dogs  continued  the 
whole  of  this  day's  march,  with  scarcely  an  interrup- 
tion. Our  course  was  more  westerly,  over  a  level 
and  open  country,  covered  with  short  mezquit  grass, 
and  studded  with  small  mezquit  trees,  uninterrupted 
by  either  hill,  rock,  or  valley.  We  kept  steadily  on 
by  the  compass  until  we  struck  the  north  fork  of 
Brady's  Creek,  sixteen  miles  from  our  last  camp. 
Stopped  on  its  banks  two  hours  to  water  and  graze 
the  animals,  a  longer  time  than  was  necessary,  or 
than  could  well  be  spared ;  but  our  mules  got  frisky, 
and  it  was  difficult  to  catch  them.  I  determined  not 
to  make  a  noon  halt  again,  but  to  push  on  until  we 
should  reach  our  place  for  encamping.  This  course 
is  recommended  by  all  experienced  men  who  have 
had  charge  of  trains.  A  stop  cannot  be  made  at 
noon,  if  the  mules  are  taken  from  the  wagons,  without 
consuming  two  hours,  which  cannot  be  spared,  unless 
a  very  long  march  is  to  be  made,  and  continued 
during  a  portion  of  the  night.  Then  it  becomes 
necessary  to  stop  to  rest  and  feed.  Reached  what  I 
supposed  to  be  the  head  of  the  creek  at  half-past  three 
o'clock ;  at  least  my  guide  stated  such  to  be  the  case, 
and  that  we  should  not  meet  water  again  for  thirteen 
miles.  We  therefore  encamped  here,  though  the 
grass  was  very  poor,  having  been  recently  burnt,  and 
the  new  shoots  but  just  appearing  above  the  ground. 

October  22d.  Delayed  this  morning  until  half- 
past  eight  o'clock  in  searching  for  four  mules,  which 
got  loose  during  the  night  and  disappeared.     Such  is 


72  FREDERICKSBURG 

often  the  case  when  the  grazing  is  poor;  and  parties 
should  take  particular  care  on  these  occasions  to  see 
that  their  animals  are  well  secured.  Left  three  or 
four  men  to  continue  the  search  after  the  mules,  as  we 
had  no  animals  to  spare.  Found  Brady's  Creek  did 
not  terminate  here,  as  my  guide  stated,  but  led 
towards  the  south-west.  Followed  it  three  or  four 
miles,  then  crossed  it,  and  took  a  course  a  little  north 
of  west,  and  reached  a  pool  of  deep  water,  with  excel- 
lent grass  on  its  margin,  about  four  o'clock.  Believing 
this  to  be  the  head  waters  of  the  creek  we  had  been 
following,  and  having  travelled  nine  hours  pretty 
steadily,  determined  to  stop  here  for  the  night.  The 
country  passed  over  to-day  has  been  very  flat,  and  of 
the  same  character  as  that  the  two  days  previous.  As 
we  are  now  on  the  high  table-land,  the  trees  diminish 
in  number  and  in  size.  A  few  mezquit  trees,  stunted, 
deformed,  and  decayed,  appear  on  the  prairie,  and 
occasionally  a  "mot"  of  live-oaks.  The  community 
and  domain  of  the  prairie  dogs,  which  we  entered 
two  days  ago,  continues. 

The  men  we  left  to  search  for  the  missing  mules 
rejoined  us,  and,  greatly  to  my  disappointment,  with- 
out the  animals.  They  had  scoured  the  country  for 
miles  around;  and  having  seen  "Indian  sign,"  as  it  is 
termed,  about  a  mile  from  our  trail,  keeping  by  us  for 
many  miles,  they  believed  our  mules  had  been  stolen, 
and  that  a  band  of  Indians  were  following  us.  It  is 
not  necessary  that  the  savage  should  be  seen,  to  judge 
of  his  presence.  He  always  leaves  marks  behind  him, 
which  are  soon  understood  by  the  sagacious  travellers  of 
the  prairie,  and  are  as  unmistakable  as  his  own  red  skin. 


TO   HORSE-HEAD    CROSSING.  73 

October  23d  Got  off  at  six  o'clock,  an  early  hour 
for  the  season  ;  but  it  is  an  advantage  for  travellers  in 
this  region  to  push  on  as  far  as  possible  in  the  early 
part  of  the  day.  Even  now  the  heat  of  the  sun  at 
mid-day  was  great,  and  the  shade  of  a  tree  refresh- 
ing. To  move  at  six,  it  was  necessary  to  call  the 
cooks  at  three  o'clock,  and  to  take  breakfast  before 
day.  After  this  the  cooks  and,  servants  had  to  take 
their  meal,  the  cooking  utensils  were  to  be  washed 
and  stowed  away,  the  tents  struck,  and  every  thing 
put  in  its  proper  place  in  the  wagons. 

Two  miles  brought  us  to  Kickapoo  Creek,  and 
three  miles  more  to  a  small  pool,  with  a  river  running 
through  it,  marked  on  the  map  as  "  Potato  Spring," 
where  we  stopped  to  water  our  animals.  Continued 
our  route  towards  an  opening  or  pass  in  the  elevated 
ridge,  which  stretched  across  our  path,  in  a  direction 
from  north  to  south,  called  "  the  divide."  Noticed  a 
sudden  shelving  off  on  the  north  side  of  the  highest 
portion  of  the  ridge,  directly  in  our  front,  where  we 
supposed  the  pass  to  be.  As  we  approached  we  could 
discover  no  opening;  and  the  point  towards  which 
we  had  been  moving  was  so  rocky  as  to  seem  utterly 
impracticable.  To  the  northward  the  ridge  appeared 
less  abrupt  and  rocky,  which  induced  me  to  deviate 
from  the  prescribed  course.  The  ascent  was  gradual, 
but  quite  rocky.  For  six  miles  or  more  we  held  our 
way  over  the  dividing  ridge,  which  proved  very  tire- 
some to  our  animals.  The  hills  were  entirely  desti- 
tute of  trees  and  shrubs ;  and  as  the  grass  had  been 
recently  burned  off,  the  prospect  before  us  as  far  as 
we  could  see  was  extremely  barren.     North  of  us,  at 


74  FREDERICKSBURG 

a  distance  of  two  or  three  miles,  the  ridge  we  were 
crossing  terminated,  and  beyond  it  lay  a  broad  and 
open  prairie,  extending  to  the  river  Concho,  the 
course  of  which  could  be  distinctly  traced  by  a  long 
line  of  dark  foliage  meandering  through  the  plain. 

I  would  recommend  future  travellers  who  may 
follow  my  trail,  or  any  other  road  passing  this  way, 
to  leave  the  stony  ridge  we  had  been  crossing  to  the 
south,  and  keep  on  the  plain,  where  the  soil  is  hard 
and  smooth.  The  distance  might  be  increased  a 
couple  of  miles,  but  it  could  be  accomplished  in  less 
time,  and  with  less  fatigue  to  the  mules,  than  the  toil- 
some passage  of  six  miles,  over  steep  and  rocky  hills, 
endangering  the  wagons,  and  injuring  the  hoofs  of  the 
animals. 

Descending  the  range  of  hills,  we  passed  the  dry 
bed  of  a  water-course,  and  reached  a  stream  called 
Antelope  Creek,  one  of  the  tributaries  of  the  Concho 
River,  at  five  o'clock,  where  we  encamped. 

Our  route  to-day  had  been  over  a  level  prairie 
country,  deficient  in  wood,  save  a  few  scattering  mez- 
quit  trees  of  diminutive  size,  and  light  grass,  indicat- 
ing a  poorer  soil.  We  have  noticed  as  we  advanced 
westward,  and  ascended  the  high  table-land  of  Texas, 
an  inferior  soil,  and,  as  a  necessary  consequence,  a 
more  scanty  herbage.  The  beautiful  live-oak,  which 
abounds  in  eastern  Texas,  and  which  grows  luxuriantly 
in  the  valleys  as  far  as  the  north  fork  of  Brady's  Creek, 
had  now  disappeared,  save  on  the  immediate  banks 
of  water-courses.  The  mezquit,  too,  which  grew  large 
and  thrifty  on  good  soil,  had  now  either  disappeared 
or  dwindled  into  a  diminutive  tree  or  mere  shrub. 


TO   HORSE-HEAD    CROSSING.  75 

The  niezquit  (Algarobia  glandulosa)  is  an  important 
tree  in  this  region,  and  is  mentioned  by  various  tra- 
vellers as  mezkeet,  'musquit,  muckeet,  &c;  it  belongs  to 
the  same  natural  family  as  our  locust,  which  it  very 
much  resembles  in  appearance.  The  foliage  is  more 
delicate  than  that  of  the  locust.  The  wood  is  hard, 
fine-grained,  and  susceptible  of  a  high  polish;  and 
were  it  not  difficult  to  obtain  it  sufficiently  large  and 
straight,  it  would  be  much  sought  after  for  cabinet 
making  purposes.  The  tree  seems  to  suffer  from  the 
attacks  of  insects  in  a  similar  manner  with  the  locust. 
The  mezquit  bears  a  long  and  narrow  pod,  which, 
when  ripe,  is  filled  with  a  highly  saccharine  pulp. 
Horses  and  mules  are  exceedingly  fond  of  these,  and 
will  often  leave  their  corn  for  a  feed  of  the  mezquit 
beans.  Its  great  value  is  for  fuel,  for  which  purpose 
it  is  not  surpassed  by  any  of  our  northern  woods. 
Where  the  prairies  are  frequently  burned  over,  the  tree 
is  reduced  to  a  shrubby  state,  a  great  number  of  small 
branches  proceeding  from  one  root,  which  goes  on 
developing  and  attains  a  great  size,  though  the  portion 
above  ground  may  not  be  more  than  four  or  five  feet 
high.  These  roots,  dug  up  and  dried,  are  highly 
prized  for  fire-wood,  and  form,  when  thoroughly  ignited, 
a  bed  of  lasting  coals,  much  like  those  from  the  hickory 
of  the  North. 

The  water  of  Antelope  Creek  is  clear  and  sweet. 
Large  oaks  and  pecans  grow  upon  its  banks,  from  the 
latter  of  which  we  gathered  a  quantity  of  its  excellent 
nuts.  To  the  north,  saw  ranges  of  mountains  far 
beyond  the  Concho,  a  broad  plain  intervening.  To 
the  south  were  hills  within  a  few  miles,  quite  barren  in 


76  FREDERICKSBURG 

appearance.  Passed  several  communities  of  prairie 
dogs,  with  the  same  interlopers  before  noticed,  the 
rattlesnake  and  owl.  I  also  observed  rabbits  among 
them,  which  took  refuge  in  their  underground  dwell- 
ings. Flocks  of  plover  were  seen  to-day  on  the  barren 
hills.  The  jackass-rabbit  also  crossed  our  path  occa- 
sionally; but  it  sprang  up  so  suddenly,  and  darted 
through  the  low  chapporal  or  bushes  so  rapidly,  that  I 
could  not  get  a  shot  at  one.  Some  catfish  and  trout 
were  taken  in  the  stream  within  a  few  rods  of  our 
camp.  The  men  who  were  out  with  the  mules  reported 
that  they  had  seen  fresh  Indian  signs  near  us,  which 
caused  us  to  keep  a  diligent  look-out. 

October  2£th.  Just  as  we  were  leaving  camp  this 
morning,  in  fact  after  I  had  myself  started,  and  was 
looking  for  a  place  to  ford  the  stream,  an  Indian 
mounted  on  a  mule  suddenly  appeared  from  behind  a 
clump  of  bushes,  and  the  next  moment  was  in  the 
midst  of  the  camp.  He  advanced  to  the  nearest  party 
with  his  hand  extended,  and  was  received  in  a  friendly 
manner.  As  soon  as  salutations  had  been  exchanged, 
he  hastily  drew  from  his  pouch  a  packet,  and,  after 
undoing  sundry  wrappings  of  buckskin  and  paper, 
drew  forth  several  documents,  which  proved  to  be  from 
various  American  officials.  The  first  was  from  Judge 
Rollins,  Indian  Agent;  the  others  from  our  military 
officers,  certifying  that  the  bearer  was  a  Lipan  chief 
of  eminence,  named  Chi-po-ta,  with  whom  a  treaty  of 
peace  and  friendship  had  recently  been  made,  and 
asking  the  protection  and  kind  treatment  of  all  Ameri- 
cans who  should  pass  through  his  country. 

This  chief  was  about  sixty  years  of  age,   rather 


TO   HORSE-HEAD   CROSSING.  77 

corpulent,  owing  to  the  life  of  ease  which  he  gave  us  to 
understand  he  had  been  leading,  and  was  mounted  on  a 
mule  so  disproportionately  small,  as  to  present  a  most 
ludicrous  appearance.  He  had  a  pleasant,  benevolent 
countenance,  and  bore  so  striking  a  resemblance  to 
the  portraits  of  General  Cass,  that  every  one  noticed 
it.  He  was  well  dressed  in  a  suit  of  deerskin,  with  his 
bow  and  arrows  slung  across  his  back:  these  were 
inclosed  in  a  beautiful  case  made  of  the  skin  of  the 
American  leopard,  and  he  wore  a  pouch  of  the  same 
material  by  his  side. 

He  spoke  Spanish  tolerably  well,  Mr.  Cremony 
acting  as-  the  interpreter,  and  was  immediately  brought 
to  me.  He  said  that  he  had  discovered  our  trail  two 
days  before,  and  had  since  watched  us,  keeping  at  a 
short  distance.  That  his  people  were  encamped  a  few 
miles  off,  having  removed  the  day  before.  Chipota 
knew  enough  of  civilization  to  be  aware  that  when 
distinguished  gentlemen  meet,  it  was  customary  to  take 
a  drink  ;  and  finding  no  proffer  of  such  civilities  on 
my  part,  he  gave  me  to  understand  that  he  would  not 
object  to  a  glass  of  whiskey.  I  told  him  that  we  were 
Americans  who  always  drank  water,  and  consequently 
were  not  provided  with  whiskey,  an  assertion  that 
he  seemed  to  doubt.  I  added,  however,  that  if  he 
would  accompany  us  to  our  next  encampment,  I  would 
give  him  a  shirt  and  something  to  eat.  As  we  intended 
to  encamp  after  a  short  march,  in  order  to  give  our 
animals  an  opportunity  to  graze,  I  asked  him  to  take 
a  seat  in  my  carriage,  an  invitation  which  he  accepted 
with  a  delight  that  showed  itself  in  spite  of  his 
endeavors  to  maintain  his  gravity.     Contrary  to  the 


78  FREDERICKSBURG 

custom  of  his  race,  he  manifested  much  curiosity- 
respecting  all  he  saw ;  for  the  carriage  was  well  filled 
with  a  variety  of  knick-knacks  which  were  new  to  him. 
The  revolvers  and  other  fire-arms  interested  him 
exceedingly.  My  Sharp's  rifle  which  loaded  at  the 
breech  and  primed  itself,  surpassed  all  his  previous 
conceptions ;  and  after  that,  he  was  prepared  for  any 
thing  in  the  shooting  line.  Taking  up  my  spy-glass, 
which  he  supposed  to  be  some  other  contrivance  of  the 
sort,  he  wished  to  be  shown  how  it  was  fired  off.  The 
instrument  was  adjusted,  and  a  distant  tree  pointed 
out,  which  he  was  told  to  look  at  with  the  glass.  His 
credulity  had  been  overtasked,  and  it  was  hard  to 
convince  him  that  it  was  the  same  far-off  tree.  I  told 
him  that  we  used  that  to  see  the  Indians  at  a  distance, 
and  could  always  tell  when  they  were  about,  or  had 
stolen  any  mules.  In  mien  and  conduct  the  old  chief 
was  extremely  dignified  and  self-possessed,  although 
his  Indian  gravity  was  not  proof  against  the  jovial 
condact  and  expressions  of  our  little  company,  all  of 
whom  took  an  interest  in  this  first  specimen  of  the  wild 
denizens  of  the  prairie  that  we  had  met  with.  Many 
a  blithe  smile  wreathed  around  his  lips ;  and  now  and 
then  a  hearty  laugh  would  ring  out  from  the  depths  of 
the  old  man's  heart,  with  a  right  good  will.  Finding 
that  he  had  mules,  I  requested  him  to  bring  them  to 
our  camp,  and  also  to  let  us  see  his  people. 

Five  miles  over  a  flat  country  brought  us  to  the  South 
Fork  or  Boiling  Concho.  The  stream  is  deep,  clear, 
and  in  many  places  rapid.  Crossed  it,  after  some  little 
search,  over  a  ledge  of  rocks,  and  stopped  to  water 
our  animals.      The  flat  country  continued,  with  a  few 


TO   HORSE-HEAD    CROSSING.  79 

mezquit  and  an  occasional  live-oak.  The  grass  good. 
Passed  Dove  Creek,  a  small  stream  filled  with  rushes ; 
and  a  ride  of  four  miles  further  over  a  similar  country 
to  that  before  described,  brought  us  to  Good  Spring 
Creek,  a  stream  of  clear  cold  water.  It  was  yet  but 
one  o'clock  ;  but  as  the  grass  was  unusually  fine,  with 
wood  and  water  in  abundance,  I  determined  to  rest 
the  remainder  of  the  day. 

Our  course  to-day  had  been  due  west  towards  the 
Green  Mounds,  the  land-marks  alluded  to  by  Judge 
Ankrim,  the  sight  of  which  we  all  hailed  with  pleasure, 
as  they  satisfied  us  that  we  were  in  the  right  track. 
To  the  north  we  had  seen  the  twin  mountains,  standing 
far  and  alone  in  the  prairie,  which  are  laid  down  on 
the  map.  The  stream  looked  so  inviting,  that  the 
fishing  tackle  was  got  out,  and  some  twenty-five  black 
bass  and  catfish  taken.  These  were  divided  among  the 
messes,  and  made  an  acceptable  meal.  A  few  ducks 
and  quails  were  also  shot  here. 

An  hour  or  two  after  we  encamped,  Chipota  returned 
with  Chiquita,  another  chief,  and  several  others  of  his 
band.  This  was  a  man  of  some  consequence  too,  as  he 
gave  us  to  understand ;  and  such  was  proved  to  be  the 
fact  by  the  certificates  he  presented  "  defining  his 
position,"  which  requested  kind  treatment  from  all 
Americans.  He  was  about  the  age  of  Chipota,  and 
similarly  dressed.  With  them  were  three  others,  one 
a  remarkably  fine-looking  young  man,  of  athletic  form, 
which  he  took  pride  in  displaying.  He  wore  no  gar- 
ment but  a  breech-cloth  and  a  necklace  of  bone,  and  was 
decorated  with  a  few  patches  of  vermilion.  At  first 
he  strutted  around  the  camp,  with  an  evident  design 


80  FREDERICKSBURG 

of  making  a  sensation,  and  to  convince  us  that  lie  felt 
it  a  condescension  to  associate  with  us ;  but  he  after- 
wards became  quite  familiar,  particularly  with  those 
who  could  hold  a  conversation  with  him  in  Spanish, 
which  he  understood  well,  and  spoke  a  little.  He 
asked  one  of  our  young  men  if  he  was  married.  The 
latter,  as  such  happened  not  to  be  the  case,  was  some- 
what confused,  not  liking  to  acknowledge  the  fact, 
as  he  feared  it  would  lower  him  in  the  estimation  of 
his  savage  friend,  who  moreover  might  take  it  into  his 
head  to  offer  him  one  of  his  red-skinned  sisters  for  a 
spouse,  to  refuse  which  would  give  mortal  offence. 
Without  replying,  therefore,  he  exhibited  a  miniature 
of  a  beautiful  woman,  which  he  carried  around  his  neck, 
and  which  quite  enchanted  the  red-skin.  He  expressed 
great  admiration  at  the  picture,  and  never  seemed  tired 
of  gazing  at  its  mild  countenance,  with  its  bright  eyes 
smiling  upon  him.  The  next  morning  before  leaving, 
this  young  Indian  made  his  appearance  at  the  tent 
of  the  owner  of  the  miniature,  and  endeavored  to 
purchase  it,  offering  in  exchange  his  bow,  arrows,  tiger 
skin,  and  finally  his  horse.  Failing  to  acquire  it,  the 
young  man  begged  one  more  sight  of  the  enchanting 
image,  which  he  was  permitted  to  enjoy ;  he  gave  it  one 
long  and  affectionate  look,  leaped  upon  his  horse,  and 
rode  off. 

Chipota  brought  with  him  one  mule,  which  I  bought, 
and  would  gladly  have  taken  more ;  but  whether  these 
people  had  them  or  not,  no  more  could  be  obtained. 
I  also  offered  them  ten  dollars  each,  or  goods  to  that 
amount,  if  they  would  bring  in  the  few  mules  we  had 
lost ;  but  they  adhered  to  their  first  assertion,  that  they 


TO   HORSE-HEAD    CROSSING.  81 

had  not  seen  them.  As  they  showed  no  inclination  to 
leave,  we  were  obliged  to  give  them  a  supper,  after 
which  they  asked  permission  to  remain  all  night  with 
us.  This  I  felt  reluctant  to  grant,  not  knowing  but 
some  treachery  or  trick  might  be  meditated,  such  as 
running  off  our  animals  during  the  night.  On  further 
reflection,  however,  I  consented,  on  condition  that  they 
remained  by  the  fires  without  the  encampment — at  the 
same  time  warning  them,  not  to  come  near  us  in  the 
dark,  lest  our  guard  should  take  them  for  Comanches 
and  shoot  them.  They  obeyed  my  injunctions,  and 
remained  quietly  by  the  fires.  The  night  was  rather 
cool,  and-  day  had  scarcely  dawned,  when  I  was 
aroused  by  a  tap  at  the  window  of  my  carriage,  in 
which  I  slept.  Rising  up,  I  found  old  Chipota  there 
shivering  with  cold.  On  opening,  the  door,  he 
whispered,  "  Mucho  frio — poco  de  viskey :"  Very  cold 
— a  little  whiskey.  I  was  compelled  again  to  deny 
the  old  man,  but  compromised  the  matter  soon  after  by 
giving  him  a  bowl  of  hot  coffee. 

The  Lipans  are  a  large  and  warlike  tribe,  extending 
from  Zacatecas,  in  Mexico,  to  the  Colorado  of  Texas. 
In  fact,  they  rove  from  the  Sea-coast  to  the  borders  of 
New  Mexico,  and  have  as  wide  a  range  as  the 
Comanches.  During  the  winter,  they  remain  in  the 
Bolson  de  Mapimi,  a  vast  region  lying  west  of  the  Rio 
Grande,  which  has  few  inhabitants,  except  the  untamed 
Comanches  and  Lipans.  The  portion  of  the  tribe  in 
Texas  are  at  present  on  friendly  terms  with  the  whites, 
but  are  sworn  foes  of  the  Comanches,  whom  they  profess 
to  hold  in  great  contempt.  The  Lipans,  in  common 
with  the  Indian  tribes  of  Mexico,   and  of  the  States 

VOL.  I. 6 


82  FREDERICKSBURG 

formerly  belonging  thereto,   speak  Spanish,  some  of 
them  with  tolerable  fluency. 

October  25th.  One  of  our  mules  got  loose  this 
morning ;  and  after  an  hour  and  a  half  spent  in  trying 
to  catch  him,  the  teamsters  gave  up  the  chase.  I  then 
offered  the  young  Indian  a  red  shirt,  if  he  would 
perform  the  job.  He  leaped  on  his  horse  without  a 
saddle,  took  a  long  lasso  or  rope  in  his  hand,  and 
dashed  off  at  full  speed,  followed  by  several  of  our 
men,  after  the  mule,  who,  seeing  his  tormentors 
approach,  took  alarm  and  ran  with  his  utmost  speed. 
The  race  was  quite  exciting,  and  for  a  little  while,  it 
seemed  doubtful  which  side  would  win.  At  length 
the  Indian  got  within  about  forty  feet,  when,  with  a 
vigorous  effort  he  threw  the  lasso  over  the  mule's  head, 
and  at  once  brought  him  to  a  stand.  All  seemed  to 
enjoy  the  sport  much  ;  and  the  Indians,  who  had  each 
received  from  us  presents  of  shirts  and  trinkets,  parted 
from  us,  apparently  delighted  with  their  visit. 

The  creek  was  five  or  six  feet  deep  near  our  camp, 
but  after  a  little  search  we  found  a  bare  rock  near  a 
fall,  where  we  made  an  easy  passage  across.  An  hour 
after  leaving,  reached  a  branch  of  the  stream  we  had 
left,  which  we  followed  in  a  course  to  the  west-southwest 
for  five  or  six  miles,  before  a  fording  place  could  be 
found.  The  water  was  deep,  and  the  banks  abrupt. 
Crossing  this  stream,  we  again  pursued  a  due  west 
course  until  we  struck  Lipan  Camp  Creek,  which,  as 
well  as  all  the  other  streams  we  have  crossed  since 
leaving  Brady's  Creek,  are  tributaries  of  the  Concho. 
We  now  made  directly  for  the  Green  Mounds,  which 
appeared  but  a  few  miles  from  us  up  a  gradual  ascent. 


TO   HORSE-HEAD    CROSSING.  83 

They  lay  north-east  and  south-west  from  each  other, 
and  the  train  passed  directly  between  them.  While  the 
train  moved  along  I  ascended  the  easterly  mound, 
accompanied  by  several  others,  to  see  what  was  the 
character  of  the  country  before  us.  These  mounds  or 
hills  are  about  five  hundred  feet  high,  and  had  been 
but  recently  burnt  over ;  hence  their  color  was  far 
from  being  green.  Not  a  blade  of  grass  was  to  be 
seen.  A  few  half-burnt  bushes  and  tufts  of  the  yucca 
were  all  the  vegetation  that  remained.  From  the 
summit  we  saw  the  line  of  the  Concho  River  running 
in  a  northeasterly  direction,  some  six  or  seven  miles 
distant.  ■  Reached  it  at  five  o'clock,  when,  to  our 
great  joy,  we  again  struck  the  Emigrant  Road,  which  we 
had  last  seen  south  of  the  San  Saba.  Yery  few  trains 
had  passed  over  it,  so  that  it  was  not  more  distinct  than 
the  roads  or  paths  through  a  northern  meadow. 

We  had  now  been  travelling  eight  days  over  a 
district  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  in  extent,  with  no 
other  guide  than  a  compass.  From  the  point  where 
we  left  Brady's  Creek,  we  had  pursued  a  course  as 
directly  west  as  the  nature  of  the  country  would  admit, 
with  no  land-mark  but  the  Green  Mounds,  which 
we  had  seen  about  forty  miles  before  reaching  them. 
In  this  march  we  had  frequently  crossed  a  single  wagon 
trail,  which  we  took  to  be  that  of  Major  Bryan,  of  the 
United  States  Topographical  Engineers,  who,  in  June 
and  July  of  the  previous  year,  had  passed  this  way.* 

The  character  of  the  country  the  last  three  or  four 

*  Since  my  return  from  the  survey,  I  have  seen  the  printed  Report 
of  the  Reconnoissance  made  by  Major  Bryan,  which  convinces  me  that 
our  routes  were  nearly  the  same. 


84  FREDERICKSBURG 

days  has  varied  but  little.  The  soil  is  poor  and  the 
grass  scanty,  except  near  the  water-courses,  with  but 
few  trees.  For  a  wagon  road  it  is  admirably  adapted, 
and  scarcely  requires  a  spade,  except  at  the  river 
crossings,  which  might  be  improved  by  a  little  levelling. 
No  animals,  except  wolves,  antelopes,  and  rabbits,  have 
been  seen.  Along  the  banks  of  the  streams  are  pecan 
trees,  from  which  we  supplied  ourselves  with  this 
delicious  nut. 

An  incident  occurred  to-day  which  deserves  notice. 
Soon  after  leaving  the  Green  Mounds  a  rattlesnake 
was  seen  in  the  path,  and  was  passed  over  by  my 
carriage.  Mr.  Cremony,  who  was  riding  immediately 
behind,  discharged  his  pistol  at  it ;  and  at  the  same 
moment  the  snake  darted  at  the  hind  leg  of  his  horse. 
He  dismounted,  and  on  examination  discovered  by  a 
drop  of  blood  the  spot  where  the  reptile  had  inserted 
his  poisonous  fangs.  In  less  than  half  an  hour  after  the 
horse  began  to  limp  and  show  the  effects  of  his  wound ; 
and  his  lameness  increased  until  we  reached  our  camp 
an  hour  later,  by  which  time  the  leg  had  greatly 
swollen  as  far  as  the  thigh.  Dr.  Webb  now  got  out 
his  medicine  chest,  shaved  the  hair  from  the  wound, 
and  applied  some  remedy.  He  also  scarified  the  place 
and  used  the  air-pump,  but  nothing  seemed  to  check 
the  swelling.  The  horse  was  now  unable  to  stand, 
and  thus  he  was  left  till  morning. 

October  26th.  From  our  camp  the  Concho  runs 
east  for  a  mile,  then  north-east  for  about  twenty  miles, 
and  afterwards  in  an  easterly  course  again  for  about  one 
hundred  and  twenty  miles,  when  it  empties  into  the 
Colorado.     Near  our  camp,  and  for  some  distance  on 


TO   HORSE-HEAD    CROSSING.  85 

either  side,  the  stream  flowed  between  banks  about 
fifteen  feet  high,  and  was  very  muddy  and  shallow. 
A  variety  of  trees  with  thick  brush  grew  upon  its 
immediate  banks.  There  was  no  valley  or  bottom 
land,  and  the  country  for  miles  adjacent  was  quite 
barren,  though  it  is  said  that  catfish  abound  here ;  but 
our  attempts  to  capture  some  were  unsuccessful. 

Left  camp  at  sunrise  and  forded  the  river  a  few 
miles  above.  Crossed  a  branch  at  the  south,  and 
another  on  the  north  side  of  the  stream,  both  quite 
small.  Passed  some  deep  arroyos,  or  dry  beds  of 
streams.  Sent  scouts  ahead  to  look  for  the  last  water, 
where  I  intended  to  encamp  and  give  my  animals  rest 
before  attempting  the  desert  that  lay  beyond.  The 
stream  continued  to  grow  less  as  we  advanced,  finally 
losing  itself  in  marshes  or  settling  into  mere  pools.  It 
also  became  so  salt  as  to  be  undrinkable.  The  scouts  on 
their  return  reported  that  the  water  grew  Salter  ahead, 
and  that  the  banks  of  the  pools  were  covered  with  in- 
crustations of  salt.  With  such  a  prospect  before  us,  I 
thought  the  more  prudent  course  would  be  to  retrace 
our  steps  a  mile,  to  a  pool  where  the  water,  though  far 
from  being  good,  was  palatable,  and  where  there  was 
excellent  grass.     At  half-past  two  got  into  camp. 

During  the  whole  day  we  had  seen  great  quantities 
of  wild  ducks,  of  which  twenty-five  were  shot,  also  two 
large  brandt.  The  whole  party  feasted  on  game 
to-day,  which  we  relished  much,  having  tasted  no  fresh 
meat  since  leaving  Fredericksburg.  I  procured  a 
supply  there,  which  I  hoped  would  last  four  or  five 
days ;  but  the  great  heat  had  rendered  it  unfit  for  use 
after  the  first  day. 


86  FREDERICKSBURG 

The  river  or  rather  creek  followed  to-day,  ran 
through  a  valley  quite  barren,  save  on  its  immediate 
banks,  where  the  grass  was  good.  No  trees  were  seen, 
except  here  and  there  a  small  clump  near  the  water- 
pools.  During  the  whole  day's  march  ranges  of  barren 
hills  lined  the  valley,  which  sloped  gradually  to  its 
bottom.  Estimated  distance  travelled  to-day  by  the 
map,  twenty-five  miles. 

Our  wounded  horse  seemed  somewhat  improved 
this  morning,  though  his  leg  was  still  much  swollen. 
He  was  led,  and,  as  our  movement  was  slow,  kept  up 
with  us  without  difficulty.  On  reaching  camp,  he  did 
not  appear  the  worse  for  his  march. 

October  27th.  Continued  along  the  valley  of  the 
Concho  for  eight  or  ten  miles,  and  encamped  at  noon 
near  a  pool  of  brackish  water,  which  our  scouts  reported 
to  be  the  last  they  could  find ;  and  every  appearance 
indicated  a  cessation  of  this  necessary  supply.  To  the 
west  the  valley  seemed  to  terminate  with  the  adjacent 
hills,  and  the  open  desert  or  prairie  to  commence 
immediately  beyond.  Expecting  therefore  no  water 
until  we  should  reach  the  Pecos,  sixty-five  miles  distant, 
and  knowing  that  the  Jornada  which  we  had  to  cross 
furnished  little  grass,  I  determined  to  remain  here  the 
rest  of  the  day,  as  the  grass  was  very  good  and  abun- 
dant. Our  water-kegs  were  accordingly  filled,  as  well 
as  all  the  canteens,  jars,  bottles,  and  flasks  that  we  could 
muster.  Food  was  cooked ;  and  it  was  determined 
that  there  should  be  no  stop  beyond  an  hour  or  two, 
to  let  the  animals  rest  and  graze,  in  case  grass  should 
be  found.  The  wagons  were  reloaded,  so  that  each 
should  carry  an  equal  weight.     Many  ducks  were  killed 


TO    HORSE-HEAD    CROSSING.  87 

in  the  water-pools.     The  road  from  our  last  camp  has 
been  good. 

October  2$th.  The  camp  was  aroused  early  ;  and 
after  taking  a  cup  of  coffee,  we  resumed  our  journey, 
about  an  hour  and  a  half  before  sunrise.  Sent  four 
men  ahead  to  find  the  road.  The  hills  extended  some 
eight  or  ten  miles  towards  the  desert,  when  they 
gradually  fell  off  into  the  plain.  The  desert  was  not, 
as  I  supposed,  a  level  surface,  but  a  succession  of  slight 
elevations.  Every  thing  bore  the  appearance  of  extreme 
barrenness ;  not  a  tree  could  be  seen.  Mezquit  chappo- 
ral,  or  bushes  from  three  to  five  feet  in  height,  were 
thinly  scattered  over  the  plain.  The  wild  sage  and 
Larrea  Mexicana,  the  prickly  pear  and  other  kinds  of 
cacti,  constituted  the  vegetation  of  this  desert  region. 
Grama  grass  ( Chrondosium)  grew  in  some  spots,  and, 
though  completely  dried  up,  was  eaten  with  avidity 
by  our  animals.  Antelope  were  seen  in  great  numbers, 
but  so  shy,  that  in  the  open  plain  we  could  not  get 
a  shot  at  them.  Colonies  of  prairie  dogs  were  occasion- 
ally observed;  and  from  the  numerous  burrowing 
places  of  greater  or  less  size,  it  was  evident  that  other 
animals  found  a  dwelling  among  them.  A  few  rabbits 
were  also  seen  bounding  over  the  plain,  and  disap- 
pearing in  their  holes  or  among  the  bushes.  Several 
shots  were  fired  at  them  without  success.  These  bar- 
ren regions  do  not  furnish  many  of  the  feathered  tribe : 
a  couple  of  prairie  fowls,  a  flock  of  large  curlews,  and 
a  few  meadow  larks  and  sparrows,  were  all  that  were 
seen. 

About  twenty  miles  from  our  last  camp  we  passed 
a  mud-hole,  marked   on   the   map   as  the   "Mustang 


88  FREDERICKSBURG 

Ponds."  It  was  a  slight  depression  in  the  prairie. 
Not  a  particle  of  water  was  to  be  found,  nor  did  there 
appear  to  have  been  any  for  a  long  time.  The  earth 
was  much  trampled  by  deer  and  mustangs,  which  had 
doubtless  resorted  here  in  numbers  for  water.  Made 
our  breakfast  from  bits  of  cold  meat  and  bread  which 
we  had  taken  with  us,  and  did  not  stop  the  train  until 
three  o'clock,  p.  m.  Finding  a  spot  where  there  was 
plenty  of  dry  grass,  the  train  was  stopped  and  the 
animals  turned  out  to  graze.  The  poor  creatures 
seemed  much  fatigued,  having  been  in  harness  ten 
hours  without  water  or  food.  They  ate  the  withered 
grass  and  browsed  on  the  twigs  of  the  mezquit  bushes 
with  eagerness.  Gave  each  animal  one  gallon  of  water. 
They  could  not  have  suffered  much  for  want  of  this, 
as  the  weather  had  been  quite  cool  during  the  day. 
Built  fires  with  the  dry  bushes,  and  made  coffee.  No 
meat  was  cooked.  Our  cold  pork,  and  some  of  the 
ducks  that  remained  from  yesterday,  with  hard  bread, 
gave  us  a  luxurious  dinner.  At  least  so  it  seemed  to 
us ;  for  on  no  day  since  we  commenced  our  journey 
had  we  relished  a  meal  more.  The  cool  and  bracing 
air  of  the  prairie  had  given  all  good  appetites. 

Had  a  narrow  escape  from  one  of  those  accidents 
which,  in  spite  of  every  precaution,  will  sometimes 
occur.  One  of  the  cooks,  contrary  to  my  express 
orders,  built  his  fire  near  the  dry  grass  without  dig- 
ging a  hole.  The  grass  took  fire,  spreading  on  all 
sides,  and  advanced  with  fearful  rapidity  towards  the 
wagons,  in  the  direction  of  which  the  wind  was  blow, 
ing.  All  hands  ran  to  the  rescue  with  blankets  and 
cloths  to  beat  down  the  fire ;  and  those  who  could 


TO    HORSE-HEAD    CROSSING.  89 

not  in  the  hurry  of  the  moment  get  any  thing  else, 
took  their  coats  and  hats  to  battle  with  the  raging 
element.  Some  ran  to  the  wagons  to  remove  them ; 
but  before  they  could  be  got  out  of  the  way,  the 
flames  were  about  the  heels  of  the  men  and  the  wagon 
wheels.  The  slightly-marked  road  where  the  grass 
was  destroyed,  offered  a  temporary  check,  and  was  of 
great  help  to  us  in  bringing  the  fire  under.  Had 
it  had  one  minute  more  the  start,  a  hundred  men 
could  not  have  controlled  it ;  besides,  had  it  extended 
fifty  feet  further — which  it  would  have  done  in  half 
a  minute — it  would  have  reached  our  animals,  and 
caused  a  general  stampede  among  them,  resulting, 
doubtless,  in  the  loss  of  many.  We  should  then  have 
been  in  a  sad  plight,  thirty  miles  from  water,  and  two 
hundred  and  fifty  from  the  nearest  settlement. 

Such  accidents  have  occurred,  which  have  resulted 
in  the  destruction  of  trains.  During  the  late  war  with 
Mexico,  several  wagons  were  burned  by  the  grass 
taking  fire. 

The  place  marked  "Flat-rock  Ponds,"  where  we 
were  told  water  was  sometimes  found,  was  quite  dry, 
nor  were  there  any  indications  that  there  had  been 
any  there  for  months. 

October  29th.  We  had  kept  in  motion  the  whole 
of  the  preceding  night.  A  cold  wind  blew  most  of 
the  time,  making  it  very  uncomfortable.  It  is  not  a 
desirable  piece  of  exercise  at  any  time  to  ride  on 
horseback  all  night ;  but  when  a  person  has  been  in 
the  saddle  for  thirteen  hours  the  previous  day,  and 
continues  the  journey  without  rest,  it  becomes  deci- 
dedly disagreeable ;  and  when  morning  dawned  upon 


90  FREDERICKSBURG 

us,  all  were  pretty  well  used  up.  Nor  could  we  now 
stop  to  rest.  There  was  yet  a  long  stretch  before 
us  to  water,  which  must  be  reached  at  the  earliest 
moment.  During  the  night  we  passed  the  spot  marked 
on  the  map  as  the  "  Wild  China  Ponds,"  which,  like  the 
places  before  referred  to,  was  destitute  of  water. 
Great  mischief  is  caused  by  marking  such  places  on 
the  maps ;  and  had  we  not  been  told  that  it  was 
doubtful  whether  water  would  be  found  there,  we 
might  have  been  unprepared  with  a  supply,  and  have 
suffered  accordingly.*  From  the  spongy  appearance 
of  the  ground  near  the  water-holes,  there  is  no  doubt 
water  might  be  procured  by  sinking  wells,  which 
ought  to  be  done  if  this  road  is  to  be  traversed. 

Soon  after  daylight  we  halted  the  train,  let  the 
mules  graze  for  an  hour  on  the  parched  grass,  made 
coffee,  and  such  a  breakfast  as  cold  pork  and  hard 
bread  would  furnish.     It  was  quickly  dispatched,  and 

*  On  ray  return  from  California  in  1852,  1  met  several  parties  of 
emigrants  from  Arkansas  and  Eastern  Texas,  who  had  followed  our 
trail  from  Fredericksburg  to  El  Paso,  and  who  were  loud  in  their  denun- 
ciations of  those  who  had  advised  them  to  take  this  road,  and  more  so 
of  those  who  furnished  them  maps,  which  deceived  them  as  to  the  water- 
ing-places. They  expected  to  find  water  at  the  localities  designated  on 
the  maps,  and  took  no  precautions  in  case  of  meeting  with  none.  On 
reaching  the  so-called  "Mustang  Ponds,"  they  did  not  recognise  them, 
and  sought  for  them  in  vain  for  miles  around.  At  the  "  Flat  Eock" 
and  "  Wild  China  Ponds,"  they  were  equally  disappointed.  They 
looked  about  the  desert  without  success.  One  party  was  seventy-two 
hours  without  tasting  water,  and  came  near  perishing.  Many  of  their 
mules  and  cattle  died ;  and  such  as  had  strength  remaining  hastened 
on  to  the  Pecos.  There  had  been  no  water  at  either  of  the  places  desig- 
nated during  the  spring  or  summer,  nor  was  there  any  in  October  or 
November,  when  we  crossed  it. 


TO    HORSE-HEAD    CROSSING. 


91 


the  few  minutes  we  had  to  spare  before  the  wagons 
were  ready  to  move  were  seized  to  have  a  little  rest. 
Brief  as  it  was,  it  was  a  great  relief. 


II 


Castle  Mountain  Pass,  Texas. 

Saw  a  low  line  of  hills  far  off  on  our  left,  and 
immediately  in  front  a  range,  called  the  u  Castle 
Mountains,"  of  considerable  elevation.  The  road  led 
to  a  gorge  through  which  it  was  necessary  to  pass. 
These  mountains  derive  their  name  from  the  project- 
ing cliffs  of  limestone,  which  sometimes  assume  the 
appearance  of  castles.  The  pass  was  exceedingly 
steep,    and   the    road    tortuous,    frequently    running 


92  FREDERICKSBURG 

between  rocky  walls,  so  close  together  as  to  render 
it  impassable  for  two  wagons  abreast.  These  walls 
were  covered  with  immense  cacti  wherever  the  almost 
perpendicular  surface  would  afford  them  a  foothold. 
As  we  entered  the  pass,  we  found  among  the  debris 
of  the  limestone  rock  numerous  fossil  shells.  It  became 
necessary  here  to  lock  the  wagon  wheels  and  advance 
with  great  care.  We  had  not  proceeded  far,  when, 
at  an  abrupt  turn,  one  of  the  wagon  tongues  snapped 
off.  Two  hours  were  lost  in  repairing  this  injury, 
which  was  effected  by  lashing  two  tent-poles  to  the 
broken  tongue.  I  took  advantage  of  the  delay,  and 
strolled  about  on  the  summit  of  the  mountain.  Por- 
tions of  this  pass  are  so  narrow,  that  a  few  Indians 
well  armed  could  keep  off  a  large  body  of  men.  In 
exploring  some  of  the  recesses  of  this  wild  and  roman- 
tic spot  I  noticed  many  caverns,  which,  from  the  quan- 
tity of  bones  within,  were  evidently  the  habitations  or 
resort  of  wild  beasts. 

On  emerging  from  these  mountains,  on  the  western 
side,  several  moving  objects  were  discovered.  They 
were  at  first  supposed  to  be  Indians ;  but  on  applying 
my  telescope,  they  were  discovered  to  be  cattle. 
Several  of  the  men  set  off  in  pursuit,  and,  soon  com- 
ing up  with  them,  drove  them  to  our  train.  They 
proved  to  be  quite  fat,  and  had  evidently  strayed  from 
some  herd  or  train  which  had  preceded  us. 

The  road  here  was  so  excessively  sandy,  that  our 
nearly  exhausted  animals  could  scarcely  draw  the 
wagons  through  it.  The  sun  beat  down  with  fiery 
force  upon  us,  and  we  had  not  a  drop  of  water  to 
relieve   our   thirst,   or   that  of  the  poor  beasts,  who 


TO    HORSE-HEAD    CROSSING.  93 

began  to  manifest  their  sufferings  in  the  most  piteous 
cries. 

A  march  of  twelve  miles  brought  us  to  the  river 
Pecos,  on  the  banks  of  which,  near  the  Horse -head 
Crossing,  we  encamped. 

This  river,  which  is  the  largest  tributary  of  the 
Rio  Grande,  is  here  about  100  feet  in  width,  and  in 
the  deepest  part  has  four  feet  of  water.  Unlike  all 
the  other  streams  we  had  passed,  the  Pecos  has  not  a 
single  tree  or  shrub  along  its  banks  to  mark  its  course, 
nor  has  it  any  valley  or  bottom  land  near.  It  runs 
with  a  dark  rapid  current  between  high  perpendicu- 
lar banks,  cut  through  various  strata  of  clay  and  sand. 
On  both  sides  is  a  vast  open  prairie,  entirely  destitute 
of  trees,  though  scantily  covered  with  mezquit  chap- 
poral,  and  other  plants  of  the  desert.  The  soil  is  clay 
and  sand,  but  so  blended  with  saline  matter  that  there 
is  no  vegetation  save  the  plants  mentioned.  A  few 
rushes  grow  on  the  margin  of  the  river;  but  these 
scarcely  appear  above  its  banks,  which  are  here  from 
six  to  ten  feet  above  the  water.  It  is  charged  with 
an  earthy  substance,  of  a  reddish  or  brown  hue,  which 
imparts  its  tinge  to  the  water.  As  we  approached, 
we  looked  in  vain  for  the  usual  indications  of  a 
stream ;  for,  owing  to  the  want  of  trees  or  bushes,  it 
was  not  seen  until  we  were  within  a  few  yards  of  it. 
The  Pecos  resembles  a  great  canal  rather  than  a 
river. 

During  the  latter  portion  of  our  route  we  first  came 
into  the  proper  chapporal,  and  met  the  plants  peculiar 
to  the  flora  of  Mexico  in  such  quantities  as  to  give  a 
character  to  the  landscape.     The  term  "  chapporal," 


94  FREDERICKSBURG 

probably  meaning  a  plantation  of  live-oak,  is  applied 
to  the  growth  of  shrubbery  which  forms  a  striking 
feature  of  the  country.  We  have  no  similar  growth 
at  the  North  to  which  it  can  be  compared.  One  may 
travel  for  days  without  seeing  a  tree  higher  than  one's 
head ;  yet  the  whole  country  is  covered  with  a  thicket 
so  dense  as  to  be  almost  impassable  to  man  or  beast. 
The  shrubs  composing  these  thickets  are,  for  the 
greater  part,  excessively '  thorny.  The  principal  are 
shrubby  mezquit ;  rosin  wood,  or  creosote  plant,  a 
most  disgusting,  strong-smelling  shrub ;  koeblerinia, 
called  "junco  "  by  the  Mexicans,  a  plant  armed  at  all 
points,  every  branchlet  or  twig  being  sharpened 
down  to  a  spear ;  and  various  species  of  yucca.  These 
last,  particularly  the  kind  known  as  Spanish  bayonet, 
are  truly  formidable,  their  stiff  sharp-pointed  leaves 
being  capable  of  inflicting  a  dangerous  wound.  The 
thorny  shrubs  enumerated,  with  various  species  of 
prickly  pear  and  other  cacti,  make  up  an  alliance 
which  one  soon  learns  to  treat  with  proper  respect. 

We  had  no  sooner  got  into  camp  than  one  of  the 
fattest  oxen  we  had  just  secured  was  killed ;  and  such 
a  treat  of  fresh  meat  as  we  had,  cannot  be  appreciated 
but  by  those  who  have  lived  on  salt  pork  for  nearly 
three  weeks.  We  made  great  calculations  on  having 
fresh  beef  the  remainder  of  our  journey,  by  driving 
the  other  two  oxen  with  us;  but  during  the  night  they 
escaped.  We  made  a  diligent  search  for  them  the 
following  day,  but  they  could  not  be  found. 

I  have  omitted  to  notice  an  incident  that  occurred 
soon  after  emerging  from  the  pass  in  Castle  Mountain. 
Anxious  to  find  the  Pecos,  I  sent  off  men  to  search  for 


TO    HORSE-HEAD    CROSSING.  95 

it.  They  returned  much  alarmed,  declaring  that  they 
had  seen  "Indian  sign,"  and  pointed  out  to  me  in  the 
midst  of  the  vast  plain  that  lay  before  us  the  well-known 
Indian  signal  of  a  puff  of  smoke  suddenly  rising  from 
the  earth.  This  is  produced  by  making  a  fire  in  a  hole, 
and  then  smothering  it  with  leaves.  The  hole  is  sud- 
denly opened,  when  the  smoke  rushes  forth  in  a  dense 
body,  and  rises  high  in  the  air  in  a  perpendicular 
column.  Such  columns  are  often  seen  in  traversing 
the  deserts  and  plains,  and  cannot  be  mistaken.  Not 
knowing  but  Indians  were  near,  our  arms  were  got 
ready,  and  every  bush  and  rock  we  passed  was  care- 
fully scrutinized.  No  Indians,  however,  were  seen  by 
us  ;  although  at  the  crossing  and  near  our  camp  there 
were  fresh  tracks  of  a  large  number  of  mules  and  horses, 
with  a  few  moccasin  prints,  which  convinced  us  that  a 
party  of  Indians  had  crossed  within  twenty-four  hours 
of  us. 


96  HORSE-HEAD    CROSSING 


CHAPTER  V. 

HORSE-HEAD    CROSSING   TO    DELAWARE    CREEK. 

Crossing  of  the  Pecos — Narrow  escape  from  a  cold  bath — Desolate  region — 
Prize  oxen — Stray  mule — Populous  biscuit — Toyah  Creek — Travellers' 
tokens — Rescue  of  lost  mule — Dreariness  and  monotony  of  the  Pecos — 
A  horse's  somerset — Delaware  Creek — Snow-storm,  sport,  and  Erman's 
Siberia — Mr.  Thurber  and  others  despatched  to  El  Paso — Letter  to 
Major  Van  Home. 

October  30t7i.  After  our  fatiguing  march  of  two 
days  and  one  night  without  rest,  we  slept  pretty  late 
this  morning ;  even  the  expectation  of  a  fine  beefsteak 
for  breakfast  could  hardly  induce  either  officers  or  men 
to  turn  out.  After  breakfast,  I  examined  the  river  with 
a  view  of  crossing,  intending  to  devote  the  day  to  it, 
and  recruit  our  tired  animals.  Found  the  water  at  the 
Horse-head  Crossing,  which  was  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
from  our  encampment,  to  afford  the  greatest  facilities. 
Here  there  was  a  bank  about  half  the  height  of  the 
main  bank,  to  which  there  was  an  easy  descent,  and 
one  equally  so  to  the  water.  It  is  the  place  where 
other  parties  seem  to  have  crossed,  and  hence  rendered 
easy  of  access.  I  noticed  a  long  line  of  horse  or  mule 
skulls  placed  along  the  bank,  which  probably  gave  it 
the  name  it  bears. 


TO    DELAWARE    CREEK.  97 

On  sounding  the  river  to  ascertain  its  depth,  we 
found  that  our  ambulances  (i.  e.  wagons  mounted  on 
springs)  would  pass  over  without  wetting  their  con- 
tents. We  therefore  unloaded  all  the  wagons  but  those 
on  springs ;  and  placing  their  contents  in  the  latter, 
we  succeeded  in  passing  all  our  provisions,  baggage, 
etc.,  over  with  but  little  trouble.  The  west  bank 
was  levelled  with  our  spades,  to  make  the  ascent  from 
the  water  easy.  I  remained  with  Dr.  Webb  and  Mr. 
Thurber  until  all  were  over,  except  one  empty  wagon. 
This  being  quite  low,  its  box  would  be  partly  immersed 
in  the  water ;  an  ambulance  was  accordingly  sent  back 
for  us,  and  for  the  contents  of  my  carriage.  We  entered 
the  stream,  which  just  touched  the  bottom  of  the 
ambulance,  but  not  without  some  fears,  as  experience 
had  shown  that  the  best  and  most  gentle  mules  cannot 
always  be  depended  upon.  When  we  had  reached 
about  two  thirds  the  distance  across,  or  some  thirty 
feet  from  the  opposite  bank,  the  mules  either  lost  their 
footing,  or  were  swept  by  the  current  into  deeper  water, 
a  little  out  of  the  course  taken  by  those  which  passed 
over  before.  Unable  to  contend  against  the  force  of 
the  water,  which  was  almost  on  a  level  with  their  backs, 
the  leaders  turned  their  heads  down  stream.  The 
teamster,  who  was  mounted  as  usual  on  one  of  the 
mules  next  to  the  wagon,  endeavored  in  vain  to  bring 
them  to  their  places  with  their  heads  towards  the 
shore.  The  frightened  creatures  could  not  maintain 
their  footing ;  and  in  struggling  to  extricate  themselves, 
they  extended  their  alarm  to  the  other  mules,  who 
began  to  rear  and  prance  in  the  water.  Just  at  this 
moment    the   last    wagon,    which   had  been   behind, 

VOL.  i. — 7 


98  HORSE-HEAD    CROSSING 

attempted  to  pass  us,  the  driver  thinking  the  other 
mules  would  follow  his  team ;  but  in  the  attempt,  the 
current  swept  his  wagon,  which  was  half  buried  in  the 
water,  against  ours.  This  brought  his  mules  nearly 
abreast  of  mine,  and  led  to  greater  confusion  and 
alarm.  Every  moment  we  expected  to  be  swept  away ; 
in  which  case  our  lives  would  have  been  in  great 
danger,  as  it  would  have  been  no  easy  matter  to  extri- 
cate ourselves  from  the  close  wagon.  I  could  do 
nothing  but  call  for  assistance  from  the  party  on  the 
opposite  bank,  who  stood  watching  our  progress  and 
critical  situation  with  breathless  suspense.  Mr.  Cle- 
ment Young,  seizing  the  end  of  a  picket  rope  which  lay 
on  the  bank,  sprang  into  the  river  without  stopping  to 
divest  himself  of  his  clothing,  and  came  to  our  relief. 
With  great  difficulty  he  succeeded  in  attaching  the 
rope  to  the  leading*  mules.  Several  other  gentlemen 
mounted  their  horses  and  sprang  into  the  water  at  the 
same  time,  some  to  urge  the  mules  towards  the  shore, 
and  others  to  extricate  the  two  wagons.  The  picket 
rope  was  now  seized  by  those  on  the  bank,  who,  pulling 
with  all  their  strength,  brought  the  heads  of  the  leading 
mules  towards  it.  The  teamsters  then  putting  on  the 
lash,  and  the  horsemen  in  the  water  urging  our  animals 
forward,  they  relieved  us  from  our  perilous  situation, 
and  we  gained  the  bank  in  safety. 

My  carriage  was  now  brought  over  by  lashing 
beneath  it  a  few  empty  kegs,  with  two  men  in  the  water 
to  keep  it  steady.  A  rope  was  taken  ahead,  by  means 
of  which  the  men  on  the  opposite  bank  drew  it  safely 
across.  We  now  pitched  our  tents,  corralled  the  wagons, 
and,  after  a  hearty  supper,  turned  in  for  the  night. 


TO   DELAWARE    CREEK.  99 

October  31st.  Struck  tents  and  left  camp  at  7  o'clock, 
following  a  northwesterly  direction,  keeping  near  the 
Pecos,  the  course  of  which  we  could  occasionally  trace 
by  the  rushes  which  grew  on  its  banks.  The  country 
continues  exceedingly  barren  and  destitute  of  trees  or 
shrubs,  except  the  thorny  chapporal,  which  generally 
grows  on  desert  spots.  A  short  grass  appears  here  and 
there,  but  is  now  completely  dried  up,  affording  but 
little  nourishment  to  the  animals.  Beautiful  yuccas 
were  seen  in  many  places,  seeming  to  thrive  in  the 
barren  soil.  Our  constant  companion,  the  prickly  pear, 
with  other  varieties  of  the  cactus  family,  were  con- 
tent, too,  to  flourish  in  these  dreary  abodes. 

The  only  living  creatures  seen  to-day  were  a  few 
blackbirds  sitting  on  the  mezquit  bushes,  so  near  the 
road  that  one  might  have  struck  them  with  a  cane, 
and  a  herd  of  antelopes.  The  latter  bounded  before 
us,  and  were  lost  to  view  before  our  hunters  could 
surround  them.  The  ground  beneath  us  seemed 
to  afford  habitations  for  various  burrowing  animals, 
judging  from  the  numerous  holes  seen  by  the  road 
side ;  but  we  had  no  time  or  means  to  discover  what 
they  were.  I  presume  however  that  they  were  the 
habitations  of  ground  rats  and  mice,  coyotes,  polecats, 
moles,  rabbits,  rattlesnakes, tarantulas,  and  other  reptiles. 
As  there  are  no  rocky  ledges,  no  thick  bushes,  or 
decayed  logs  or  stumps  in  which  these  animals  can 
burrow,  they  must  resort  to  the  earth ;  hence  the  vast 
number  of  holes  which  are  seen  in  all  such  barren  and 
desolate  regions.  Every  animal  here  named  I  have 
myself  seen,  at  various  times,  enter  or  make  its  exit  from 
subterranean  abodes.      After  some  difficulty  we  found 


100  HORSE-HEAD    CROSSING 

a  spot  near  the  river  which  afforded  tolerable  grazing 
for  the  animals,  where  we  stopped,  pitched  our  tents, 
and  formed  our  corral.  The  banks  of  the  river  being 
high  and  precipitous,  it  was  with  difficulty  that 
we  watered  our  animals.  One  of  the  horses,  in  his 
eagerness  to  reach  the  stream,  fell  over  the  bank,  and 
was  extricated  only  by  the  great  exertions  of  the 
party.  A  mule,  which  had  exhibited  symptoms  of 
illness  for  several  days,  gave  out  to-day  and  was  aban- 
doned. It  was  a  serious  loss  to  us,  for  we  had  already 
lost  four ;  and  although  the  weight  of  our  provisions 
was  daily  growing  less,  the  weakness  of  the  animals 
increased  still  faster,  from  their  long  journeys  and 
insufficiency  of  food.  The  mercury  stood  at  noon  to-day 
at  82°  Fahrenheit. 

November  1st.  Determined  to  make  an  early  start 
this  morning,  for  which  purpose  the  camp  was  called 
at  4  o'clock.  Got  breakfast  and  were  off  at  daylight. 
A  little  rain  fell  during  the  night.  The  wind  was  north  ; 
but  the  weather  was  warm,  and  our  fears  of  a  "  norther," 
so  much  dreaded  by  all  prairie  travellers,  subsided  with 
the  appearance  of  a  bright  sun. 

Our  march  to-day  has  been  through  a  region  as 
barren  and  desolate  as  that  of  yesterday.  Continued 
near  the  river,  avoiding  its  windings.  Noticed  large 
spots  covered  with  a  saline  efflorescence ;  in  fact,  on 
examination,  the  whole  earth  seemed  impregnated  with 
it.  The  water  of  the  Pecos,  which  here  is  quite  brack- 
ish, doubtless  derives  this  flavor  from  the  soil  through 
which  it  passes.  Patches  of  dry  grass  and  stunted 
mezquit  constitute  the  chief  vegetation.  Yuccas 
and  cacti   are   thinly  scattered  over    the  plain :   the 


TO   DELAWARE   CREEK.  101 

former,  sometimes  appearing  in  groups,  seemed  like 
bodies  of  men ;  and  many  were  ready  to  see  an  Indian 
in  every  resemblance  to  them  which  our  journey 
afforded.  Passed  the  carcasses  of  five  oxen  lying  about 
the  road ;  from  which  we  concluded  that  they  had 
belonged  to  some  emigrant  train,  and  had  dropped 
down  from  exhaustion,  and  perished  where  they  fell. 
Their  lank  bodies  were  dried  up  with  the  skins  still 
adhering  to  them,  showing  that  even  wolves  .do  not 
attempt  to  find  a  subsistence  on  this  desolate  plain.  The 
remains  of  wagons  were  also  seen  along  the  road,  and 
furnished  our  cook  with  fire-wood,  an  article  which  he 
had  had  much  difficulty  in  procuring  since  leaving  the 
Concho  River,  and  particularly  since  we  struck  the 
region  near  the  Pecos.  Small  brushwood  and  the 
roots  of  mezquit  bushes  had  been  our  resort  for  fire- 
wood for  several  days.  Perhaps  it  was  well  for  us  that 
we  had  no  fine  joints  of  meat  or  steaks  to  cook,  with 
such  fuel ;  but  to  fry  a  bit  of  pork,  to  boil  some  beans, 
and  make  coffee,  which  constituted  our  chief  cooking, 
a  little  dry  brush  answered  very  well. 

We  had  another  windfall  to-day  in  meeting  with 
two  oxen,  which  were  pursued  and  taken.  They 
proved  rather  lean ;  nevertheless  they  were  an  impor- 
tant addition  to  our  stock  of  provisions.  Took  only 
their  hind  quarters,  which  would  last  as  long  as  they 
could  be  preserved.  Meat  may  be  kept  in  this  region 
by  cutting  it  into  strips  and  drying  it  in  the  sun  ;  but 
we  had  not  time  to  do  this. 

Stopped  to  water,  and  to  our  surprise  found  a  beau- 
tiful fall  in  the  river,  eight  or  ten  feet  in  height. 
It  flowed  between  high  banks  of  clay,  resting  on  a 


102  HORSE-HEAD    CROSSING 

base  of  conglomerate,  over  which  it  clashed  with  a  life 
and  beauty  which  contrasted  pleasantly  with  its  usual 
dark  and  treacherous  flow.  The  banks  near  the  fall 
are  high  and  perpendicular,  and  expose  many  thin 
strata  of  various  brightly  colored  deposits  of  sand  and 
marl,  presenting  a  singularly  beautiful  ribbon-like 
appearance.  A  small  island  or  rock,  overgrown  with 
rushes,  divided  the  fall.  On  tasting  the  water,  it  was 
found  to  be  less  brackish  than  at  the  Crossing.  This 
fall  is  not  noticed  on  the  maps  of  the  country.  Passed 
a  stray  mule,  which,  looking  plump  and  strong,  I  felt 
desirous  to  transfer  to  our  wagons.  Two  or  three 
men  went  in  pursuit  of  him  with  lariats ;  but  he  out- 
stripped them  all,  and  disappeared  in  the  chapporal. 
At  four  o'clock,  stopped  on  the  bank  of  the  river, 
near  a  rapid,  where  we  found  the  water  accessible, 
and  excellent  grass  for  our  animals. 

Finding  our  stock  of  provisions  was  fast  diminish- 
ing, I  ordered  an  account  taken  of  them.  There 
proved  to  be  but  three  hundred  and  sixty  pounds  of 
hard  bread,  or  about  ten  pounds  for  each  man,  which 
was  accordingly  divided  in  this  proportion  among  all. 
With  the  usual  allowance  of  a  pound  a  day  for  each, 
there  was  bread  enough  for  ten  days.  As  we  could 
hardly  expect  to  reach  El  Paso  within  that  time,  each 
man  could  govern  himself  accordingly,  and  save  as 
much  as  possible  for  an  emergency.  But  scanty  as 
was  our  stock,  it  was  unfit  to  be  eaten,  being  com- 
pletely riddled  with  weevils.  Hundreds  of  these  insects 
were  found  in  a  single  biscuit.  To  remove  them  was 
out  of  the  question ;  and  there  was  no  alternative  but 
to  shut  the  eyes  and  munch  away.     Of  salt  pork  there 


TO   DELAWARE    CREEK.  •     103 

was  about  a  half  allowance  for  ten  days.     The  coffee 
and  sugar  was  all  gone. 

November  Id.  Our  route  kept  on  in  a  westerly 
course,  near  the  river,  which  we  occasionally  distin- 
guished on  our  right  by  the  rushes  and  other  plants 
peculiar  to  salt  marshes,  which  grew  upon  its  banks. 
The  same  barrenness  continues,  with  scarcely  a  living 
object.  A  few  blackbirds  and  sparrows  are  all  that 
have  been  seen.  Passed  five  more  dried  carcasses  of 
oxen  lying  by  the  road.  Fell  in  with  a  cow  and 
yearling  calf,  and  after  a  pretty  good  chase  succeeded 
in  lassoing  the  cow.  She  would  not,  however,  consent 
to  be  driven  with  the  train,  when  she  was  tied  behind 
a  wagon;  but  so  furious  did  she  become  at  being 
deprived  of  her  liberty,  that  it  was  found  necessary  to 
shoot  her.  The  calf  was  then  followed  a  mile  or  more, 
and  shared  the  same  fate.  Both  proved  very  fat,  and 
a  most  welcome  addition  to  our  supply  of  food  in  its 
diminished  state.  Passed  several  depressions  near  the 
river,  which  appeared  to  have  been  filled  with  water. 
A  white  efflorescence  on  their  surface  showed  the  extent 
of  the  saline  matter  with  which  the  soil  was  impreg- 
nated. Crossed  an  arroyo  or  dry  bed  of  a  stream, 
covered  with  the  salty  incrustations  before  alluded  to, 
which  we  took  to  be  the  "  Toyah  Creek  "  of  the  maps. 
At  four  o'clock,  encamped  on  the  margin  of  the  Pecos, 
about  two  miles  from  the  creek.  The  shrubbery 
to-day  exhibits  a  larger  growth  than  any  we  have 
seen  since  we  crossed  the  river. 

November  3  c?,  Sunday.  I  was  desirous  to  rest 
to-day ;  and  had  we  been  any  where  except  on  the 
banks  of  the  Pecos,  I  certainly  would  have  done  so. 


104  HORSE-HEAD    CROSSING 

But  a  due  regard  for  our  safety  rendered  it  necessary 
that  we  should  not  stop  until  beyond  its  waters  and 
the  miserable  barren  region  near  it.  Should  a  rain 
set  in,  it  would  make  the  roads  almost  impassable  for 
loaded  wagons,  so  tenacious  is  the  soil.  The  grass, 
too,  but  barely  sustained  life  in  our  worn-out  animals. 
We  saw  around  us  evidence  of  what  the  road  would 
be  in  wet  weather.  Some  teams  seemed  to  have 
passed  over  it  at  such  a  time,  leaving  ruts  six  inches 
deep  in  the  soft,  muddy  soil.  Every  day  we  noticed  the 
clouds  with  fear  and  trembling,  and  watched  each 
change  in  the  weather.  The  roads  are  now  hard  and 
smooth,  and  have  been  so  since  we  struck  the  river. 

Our  route  has  been  over  the  same  flat  and  desert 
plain  before  described.  Not  a  living  thing  has  crossed 
our  path,  beast,  bird,  or  reptile,  except  two  large 
white  swans,  which  were  doubtless  winging  their  way 
to  more  attractive  regions.  They  lit  on  a  marshy 
place,  which  I  endeavored  to  approach ;  but  even 
in  this  out  of  the  way  spot,  which  the  human  foot  sel- 
dom treads,  they  flew  at  my  approach.  Scattering 
patches  of  dried  grass,  with  low  chapporal,  and  an 
occasional  yucca,  constituted  the  vegetation  of  the 
twenty-two  miles  passed  over  to-day.  In  order  to 
find  a  good  spot  for  our  encampment,  two  or  three  of 
the  party  diverged  from  the  road,  and  succeeded  in 
discovering  a  little  nook  on  the  river's  bank,  where 
there  was  good  grass.  Several  hours  before  stopping, 
we  got  a  glimpse  of  the  Guadalupe  Mountains,  and  a 
range  of  hills  through  which  we  must  pass,  although 
more  than  100  miles  off  in  a  direct  line,  in  a  north-west- 
erly direction.     Mounts   Diavolo  and   Carrizo,  which 


TO   DELAWARE   CREEK.  105 

had  been  visible  to  the  westward,  seventy  or  eighty- 
miles  distant,  since  crossing  the.  Pecos,  to-day  were 
lost  to  our  view. 

Passed  the  carcasses  of  four  cattle  by  the  road 
side ;  and  in  another  place,  where  there  was  a  slight 
depression  in  the  plain,  and  where  water  had  at  some 
time  accumulated  after  rains,  there  lay  the  carcasses 
of  five  more,  which  had  doubtless  mired  in  endea- 
voring to  satiate  their  thirst.  Portions  of  wagons, 
boxes,  and  barrels  were  also  noticed  along  the  road. 

November  4:th.  Still  journeying  along  the  river. 
Barren  plains  continue,  with  fewer  mezquit  than 
before.  Dried  grass  and  weeds  prevail.  Many  car- 
casses and  skeletons  of  oxen,  and  several  skeletons  of 
mules,  marked  our  route  to-day,  as  well  as  the  remains 
of  broken  wagons.  As  the  prairie  did  not  furnish  us 
fuel  to  make  our  fires,  we  gathered  up  the  fragments 
of  the  wagons  and  carried  them  with  us  for  the  pur- 
pose. Noticed  along  the  road  recent  tracks  of  Indians, 
horses,  and  mules ;  or,  in  the  language  of  the  country, 
"  Indian  sign."  The  tracks  of  the  animals  showed 
that  they  were  unshod,  which  would  not  have  been 
the  case  if  it  had  been  an  American  party.  Next  we 
observed  prints  of  moccasins,  which  are  easily  distin- 
guished from  the  American  shoe,  or  from  the  sandal  or 
moccasin  of  the  Mexicans.  Then  the  freshness  of  the 
foot-prints  and  of  the  dung,  showed  that  the  party 
could  not  have  preceded  us  more  than  a  few  hours.  In 
this  belief  we  were  strengthened  by  seeing  large  fires 
some  fifteen  or  twenty  miles  off  on  the  prairie,  early  in 
the  evening. 

Much  sagacity  is  shown  by  experienced  hunters 


106  HORSE-HEAD    CROSSING 

and  frontier  men  in  detecting  "signs"  on  the  prairie, 
when  and  by  whom  made,  the  strength  of  the  parties, 
their  direction,  etc.,  whether  Indians,  Mexicans,  or 
Americans.  So  with  the  places  where  there  have 
been  encampments.  These  the  wary  traveller  on  the 
prairie  inspects  with  care,  to  see  whether  friend  or 
enemy  has  preceded  him.  If  Indians,  he  will  find 
poles  from  their  wigwams,  fragments  of  skins,  scraps 
of  leather  ties,  beads,  etc. ;  and  a  little  experience 
will  enable  him  to  distinguish  the  tribe,  whether 
Comanches,  Lipans,  or  Apaches.  The  principal  cha- 
racteristic, I  believe,  is  the  form  of  their  wigwams. 
One  sets  up  erect  poles,  another  bends  them  over  in 
a  circular  form,  and  the  third  gives  them  a  low  oval 
shape.  There  is  also  a  difference  in  their  moccasins, 
and  the  foot-prints  they  make.  I  know  not  the  precise 
form  of  the  Comanche  and  Lipan  moccasins;  but 
the  Apaches  assured  me  they  could  tell  the  foot- 
prints of  the  Comanches,  the  Mescaleros,  the  Yutas, 
the  Coyoteros,  or  the  Navahoes,  and  pointed  out  the 
distinctive  marks  of  several.  Different  tribes  of 
Indians  have  their  peculiar  fashions  as  well  as  civi- 
lized races,  which  are  chiefly  shown  in  their  modes  of 
dressing  their  hair  and  their  coverings  for  the  feet. 
American  emigrants  or  travellers  leave  many  marks  to 
indicate  their  nationality  and  character,  such  as  scraps 
of  newspapers,  bits  of  segars,  fragments  of  hard  bread, 
pieces  of  hempen  rope,  and  other  things.  Mexicans 
would  not  be  likely  to  have  either  of  the  articles 
named,  but  would  be  detected  by  the  remains  of 
cigarritos  (small  paper  segars),  pieces  of  raw  hide, 
which  they  use  instead  of  rope,  etc.     Or  if  they  left 


TO    DELAWARE    CREEK.  107 

any  portion  of  their  camp  equipage,  or  cooking  uten- 
sils, they  would  differ  from  those  of  Americans.  The 
remains  of  their  food,  too,  would  differ.  Tortillas, 
tamaules,  frijoles,  Chili  Colorado,  and  dried  beef  would 
appear ;  instead  of  hard  bread,  fried  pork,  beef-steak, 
etc.*  If  a  Mexican  wears  a  shoe,  it  will  be  very  dif- 
ferent in  form  from  an  American  one. 

The  extent  of  a  party  is  shown  by  the  number  of 
foot-prints.  This  cannot  be  told  while  it  is  in  motion, 
as  there  may  be  a  large  number  of  animals  driven  in  a 
herd  with  but  few  riders  ;  but  when  the  camp  fires  are 
examined,  the  number  of  persons  can  be  detected  with 
a  considerable  degree  of  certainty.  The  freshness  of 
the  foot-prints,  the  dung  of  the  animals,  and  other  signs 
show  how  recently  a  party  may  have  passed ;  and  there 
are  other  marks  by  which  its  rate  of  travelling  can  be 
ascertained. 

Many  are  complaining  to-day  of  illness,  from  indul- 
ging in  fresh  meat.  It  is  hard  to  restrain  travellers 
who  have  been  living  on  salt  pork,  and  but  a  scanty 
allowance  of  that,  when  a  superabundance  of  fine  fresh 
beef  and  veal  is  placed  before  them. 

I  have  omitted  to  mention  an  incident  that  occurred, 
one  of  those  which  help  to  make  up  the  chapter  of 
events,  and  show  the  difficulties  of  our  mode  of  travel- 
ling. Soon  after  we  retired,  there  was  a  cry  from  the 
guard  of  "  Turn  out  all  hands,  a  mule  in  the  river. "  The 
men  all  rushed  from  their  tents,  lanterns  were  lit,  and 

%  Tortillas  are  their  cakes  of  corn,  or  wheaten  flour.  Tamaules  are 
minced  meat,  rolled  up  in  corn  shucks,  and  baked  on  coals.  Frijoles, 
dark  Mexican  beans.       Chili  Colorado,  red  peppers. 


108  HORSE-HEAD    CROSSING 

ropes  taken  to  rescue  the  animal ;  for  we  could  not 
afford  to  lose  another.  It  appeared  that  in  grazing 
too  near  the  bank,  which  was  here  some  ten  or  fifteen 
feet  above  the  river,  and  very  precipitous,  he  had 
fallen  over.  Several  men  descended  by  the  aid  of 
ropes,  and  searched  along  the  bank ;  but  the  poor 
creature  could  not  be  found,  and  it  was  supposed 
that  he  had  been  swept  away  by  the  current.  When 
about  to  move  this  morning,  a  neighing  was  heard 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  which  proved  to 
proceed  from  our  lost  mule.  One  of  the  men  swam 
across  with  a  rope,  pursued  and  captured  him  and 
forced  him  over  the  steep  bank,  when  he  was  drawn 
across  the  river.  The  bank  was  then  levelled,  and, 
by  hard  lifting  and  pulling,  the  animal  was  raised  up 
and  brought  back  in  safety. 

Encamped  at  half-past  three  p.  m.  after  travelling 
hours ;  our  mules  coming  in  greatly  fatigued. 

November  5th.  Intended  making  an  early  start  this 
morning;  but  when  we  came  to  hitch  up  the  poor 
mules,  they  looked  so  lank  and  miserable,  that  we 
thought  it  best  to  turn  them  out  again  for  a  few  hours 
to  graze.  Again  we  pursued  our  course  along  the 
river  for  a  few  miles,  when  we  left  it  in  the  hope  that 
we  should  not  see  it  again  ;  but  we  were  doomed  to 
disappointment,  in  coming  plump  upon  it  an  hour  after. 
We  had  now  followed  its  dreary  and  monotonous  banks 
for  six  days,  and  longed  for  a  change  of  scene.  Even 
the  Jornada  of  sixty-five  miles  presented  novelties  which 
the  Pecos  had  not.  The  constant  fear  of  being  over- 
taken by  a  storm,  the  brackish  water,  and  that  always 
difficult  to  obtain,  the  miserable  grass,  and  the  deficiency 


TO    DELAWARE    CREEK.  109 

of  wood  helped  to  render  this  portion  of  our  journey 
most  disagreeable;  and  but  for  the  broken  wagons 
that  were  providentially  left  in  our  way,  we  could  not 
have  procured  wood  enough  to  cook  our  food.  The 
river  and  adjacent  country  here  present  the  same  aspect 
as  below.  In  width  it  now  varied  from  fifty  to  ninety 
feet,  with  steep  banks  of  clay  or  sand  from  twelve  to 
twenty  feet  in  height.  Its  rapidity  may  be  somewhat 
less  than  at  the  Horse-head  Crossing. 

On  stopping  to  water  our  animals  at  the  last  halt 
made  on  the  everlasting  Pecos,  one  of  our  Mexican  horses 
was  suffered  to  nibble  at  the  scanty  grass  on  the  river 
bank,  while  the  party  were  taking  a  lunch.  His  dangerous 
situation  was  observed  by  one  of  the  teamsters,  who  step- 
ped forward  to  lead  him  away.  Resisting  the  benevolent 
intention  thus  manifested  towards  him,  the  animal, 
as  a  matter  of  course,  determined  to  progress  back- 
wards ;  and  over  the  bank  he  went,  nearly  dragging 
the  man  after  him.  The  bank  was  here  full  twenty 
feet  high,  one  half  being  perpendicular,  and  the  other, 
formed  of  the  debris,  nearly  so.  We  all  rushed  to 
its  edge,  expecting  to  witness  the  last  struggle  of  the 
poor  beast,  when,  to  our  surprise,  we  saw  him  on  his 
feet  nearly  covered  with  water.  The  comical  look  of 
the  animal,  as  he  rolled  up  his  eyes  at  us,  and  the  pre- 
dicament he  had  placed  himself  in  by  his  stubbornness, 
brought  forth  a  hearty  laugh  from  all.  A  man  was  let 
down  by  a  rope,  who  succeeded  in  bringing  him  back 
to  the  camp  none  the  worse  for  his  fall  and  somerset. 

Leaving  the  Pecos  we  took  a  direction  a  little  north 
of  west  over  a  range  of  hills  composed  of  gravel  and 
marl.     The  road  pursued  a  winding  course  among  the 


110  HORSE-HEAD    CROSSING 

hills  and  across  deep  ravines.  At  one  place  we  stop- 
ped to  look  at  some  limestone  sinks  near  the  road.  The 
earth  and  stone  had  caved  in,  or  sunk,  in  spots  varying 
from  ten  to  thirty  feet  in  diameter.  The  ground  for 
Borne  distance  around  appeared  hollow  and  cavernous. 
The  country  since  leaving  the  river  was  well  covered 
with  grass,  but  entirely  destitute  of  trees  or  shrubs. 
At  4  o'clock  reached  Delaware  or  Sabine  Creek,  sixteen 
miles  from  the  Pecos,  and  pitched  our  tents  on  a  spot 
where  there  appeared  to  have  been  a  very  large 
encampment  a  few  months  before.  Besides  the  frag- 
ments, there  was  one  large  Pennsylvania  wagon  nearly 
complete,  numerous  ox-yokes,  boxes,  barrels,  etc.,  etc. 
These  were  collected  and  carried  to  our  camp  for  fire- 
wood ;  and  very  acceptable  they  proved,  for  the  banks 
of  the  creek  did  not  furnish  a  bit  of  wood  as  large  as 
one's  finger.  As  the  grass  was  abundant  here  and  of 
the  best  description,  with  excellent  water,  I  determined 
to  halt  to  recruit  the  animals,  and  gave  orders  accord- 
ingly. The  poor  creatures  were  much  in  need  of  rest,  • 
for  several  had  already  given  out  and  had  to  be  removed 
from  the  wagons.  Two  colonies  of  prairie  dogs  were 
seen  to-day  after  leaving  the  Pecos,  the  first  we  had 
noticed  since  leaving  the  great  Jornada  beyond  Castle 
Mountain. 

November  6th.  Was  aroused  in  the  night  by  the 
whistling  of  the  wind.  Feeling  a  great  change  in  the 
temperature,  I  looked  out  of  my  carriage  window,  and 
to  my  surprise  found  the  ground  covered  with  snow. 
There  was  no  sleep  after  this ;  and  as  soon  as  morning 
dawned,  I  got  up  to  inspect  the  condition  of  the  party 
and  the  animals,  and  to  see  what  could  be  done  for 


TO   DELAWARE    CREEK.  Ill 

their  comfort.  The  dreaded  Norther  I  had  so  much 
feared  when  near  the  Pecos,  had  now  come  upon  us 
with  all  its  fury  and  in  its  very  worst  shape,  accom- 
panied with  snow.  But  bad  as  Our  condition  was,  it 
might  have  been  worse.  We  had  escaped  the  inhospi- 
table region  of  the  Pecos,  where  the  water  was  unfit  to 
drink,  scarcely  any  grazing  was  to  be  had  for  our 
animals,  and  no  wood  wherewith  to  cook  our  food. 
Here  the  grass  was  excellent  and  abundant,  the  water 
was  pure,  and  the  calamities  of  others  furnished  us  with 
broken  wagons  and  other  articles  for  fire-wood.  But 
our  poor  animals  had  no  shelter  from  the  pitiless  storm, 
there  being  not  a  tree  to  break  the  force  of  the  keen 
blast  which  seemed  to  pierce  them  to  the  quick.  A  few 
isolated  bushes  grew  near  the  camp,  but  nothing  that 
afforded  a  covering.  During  the  day,  many  wandered 
off,  probably  to  seek  a  shelter ;  and  at  one  time,  ten 
men  were  gone  in  pursuit  of  them.  Some  of  the  horses 
had  strayed  seven  miles  before  they  were  taken. 

The  only  means  to  add  to  our  comfort  were  to  bank 
the  earth  around  the  tents  to  keep  out  the  snow  and 
the  cold  blasts ;  to  bring  our  overcoats  and  India-rub- 
ber garments  into  requisition ;  and  to  keep  up  as  large 
fires  as  the  broken  wagons  and  boxes  would  admit  of. 

Finding  it  very  hard  to  keep  warm  even  by  the 
fire,  with  the  cold  wind  and  snow  beating  on  my  back, 
I  laid  aside  my  heavy  blanket,  put  on  my  India-rubber 
cloak  and  long  boots,  and  took  my  double-barrelled  gun 
to  see  what  virtue  there  was  in  a  little  sport  by  way  of 
exercise.  The  result  proved  to  be  better  than  remain- 
ing still,  roasting  and  freezing  alternately  by  the  fire. 
The  excitement  and  exercise  restored  the  circulation, 


112  HORSE-HEAD    CROSSING 

and  the  satisfaction  of  procuring  several  brace  of 
ducks  amply  repaid  the  hardship  of  facing  the  storm. 
Removing  my  India-rubbers  I  again  wrapped  my 
blanket  around  me,  seated  myself  in  my  carriage 
with  Dr.  Webb,  and  there  spent  the  remainder  of  the 
long  day  in  reading  Erman's  Travels  in  Siberia,  a 
proper  book  for  the  occasion.  The  young  men  took  it 
very  calmly,  spending  the  time  at  the  camp  fires  or  in 
their  tents.     So  passed  the  day. 

November  ^ith.  In  camp,  on  Delaware  Creek. 
Passed  a  cold  and  sleepless  night.  The  sharp  wind 
found  its  way  through  the  openings  in  the  carriage, 
which  all  the  blankets  I  could  pile  on  would  not  keep 
out.  The  young  gentlemen  crowded  themselves  in 
their  tents,  and  lay  as  close  as  possible ;  while  the 
teamsters,  laborers,  etc.,  stowed  themselves  in  the 
wagons.  The  morning  was  sharp  and  cold ;  the  snow 
continued  to  fall,  and  the  wind  remained  at  the  north, 
though  blowing  less  than  the  previous  day. 

I  was  desirous  to  resume  our  march ;  but  the 
teamsters  and  others,  whose  experience  among  mules 
was  greater  than  mine,  thought  it  impracticable.  To 
do  so  they  said  would  result  in  our  discomfort  and 
perhaps  ruin:  for  the  animals  would  assuredly  give 
out  and  leave  us  much  worse  off  than  we  were  at  pre- 
sent. I  yielded  to  their  representations  and  determined 
to  remain  a  while  longer:  for  we  were  in  a  good 
encampment  with  grass  and  water  at  hand,  and  the 
flooring  of  our  tents  was  dry — a  consideration  of 
great  importance.  No  one  had  taken  cold  or  shown 
symptoms  of  illness.  Before  leaving  San  Antonio  my 
friends  told  me  that  at  this  season  of  the  year  we  could 


TO    DELAWARE    CREEK.  113 

hardly  expect  to  escape  the  Northers,  and  advised  me 
if  overtaken  by  one  not  to  move,  but  encamp  at  once, 
and  keep  quiet  until  it  had  passed.  But  in  determining 
to  remain  I  thought  it  most  prudent  to  send  a  small 
party  in  advance  to  El  Paso,  now  about  one  hundred 
and  sixty-five  miles  off,  for  assistance. 

I  ordered  another  inventory  to  be  made  of  our 
provisions,  and  found  nothing  remaining  but  a  limited 
supply  of  hard  bread  and  pork  ;  every  thing  else  was 
gone.  If  we  kept  on,  we  might  reach  El  Paso  by 
parching  the  few  remaining  bushels  of  corn  and  taking 
an  occasional  mule  steak  •  but  if  compelled  to  remain 
here  two  or  three  days  we  should  be  reduced  to  a  very 
short  allowance.  Messrs.  Thurber,  Moss,  and  Weems 
at  once  volunteered  their  services  to  go  to  El  Paso. 
No  time  was  lost  therefore  in  fitting  them  out.  They 
selected  three  of  the  hardiest  riding  animals ;  put 
up  four  days'  provisions,  which  they  put  in  bags 
and  hung  to  their  saddles ;  fastened  their  blankets 
behind  them ;  and  set  off  in  the  midst  of  the  storm, 
two  hours  after  it  was  determined  to  send  them.  One 
of  the  teamsters  named  Pratt,  a  very  useful  and 
energetic  man,  accompanied  them.  I  gave  them  the 
following  letter  to  Major  Van  Home,  commanding  at 
El  Paso : 


"Mexican  Boundary  Commission  in  Camp, 

"Delaware  Creek,  Nov.  7,  1850. 

"  Sir  :  I  reached  this  place  on  the  afternoon  of  the 
5th  instant  with  a  portion  of  the  United  States  Boundary 
Commission,  having  left  the  main  body  at  San  Antonio 
to  follow  immediately.     My  desire  being  to  reach  El 

VOL.  I. 8 


114      HORSE-HEAD    CROSSING   TO    DELAWARE    CREEK. 

Paso  as  early  as  possible  after  the  first  of  November, 
we  took  provisions  but  for  thirty  days. 

"I  now  find  myself  overtaken  by  a  Norther  and 
severe  snow-storm ;  my  animals  are  much  reduced  by 
fatigue,  and  there  is  a  probability  that  I  shall  fall  short 
of  provisions,  in  case  the  storm  should  continue. 
Under  these  circumstances  I  have  deemed  it  prudent 
for  the  safety  of  my  party  to  send  four  of  them  to 
El  Paso,  to  procure  aid  to  enable  me  to  reach  there  as 
soon  as  possible.  In  the  meantime  I  shall  advance  as 
soon  as  the  weather  will  permit,  and  hope  to  reach  the 
Guadalupe  Pass  in  season  to  meet  the  return  messenger. 
"  I  shall  be  glad  if  you  can  send  to  my  aid  the 
following,  viz. :  ten  mules,  to  be  returned,  in  good 
condition  ;  and  bread,  pork,  sugar,  and  coffee  sufficient 
for  my  party  for  five  days :  for  which  I  will  pay  you 
on  my  arrival. 

"  I  am,  very  respectfully, 

"  Your  obedient  servant, 
"JOHN  R.  BARTLETT, 
Commissioner. 
"  To  Major  J.  Van  Horne, 
Commanding, 

El  Paso  del  Norte,  Texas." 


DELAWARE  CREEK  TO  EL  PASO.         115 


CHAPTER  VI. 

DELAWARE  CREEK  TO  EL  PASO. 

Difficulty  of  proceeding — Set  out  with  a  small  party  in  advance — 
View  of  Guadalupe  Mountain — Boiling  Spring — Deceptive  clearness  of 
the  atmosphere — Guadalupe  Pass — Descent  to  the  plain — Meet  Mr. 
Coon's  train — Hospitality — Mr.  Thurber's  note — Take  leave  of  the 
train — Oornudos  del  Alamo — Thome's  Well — Ojos  del  Alamo — Waco 
Mountain  Pass — Waco  Tanks — Meet  Messrs.  Thurher  and  Weems  on 
their  return — Arrival  at  El  Paso — Itinerary  of  route — Remarks  on  the 
country  traversed — Its  adaptability  to  a  public  road. 

November  8th.  Canip  on  Delaware  Creek.  With 
great  delight  I  rose  from  my  carriage  bed  this  morning 
at  the  first  peep  of  day,  to  find  the  weather  had  mode- 
rated. Soon  after  the  sun  beamed  forth  in  all  his 
splendor,  and  with  it  the  hope  that  we  should  be  able 
to  resume  our  journey.  After  a  few  hours  delay  in 
packing  the  tents,  arranging  our  camp  equipage,  and 
drying  the  collars  of  the  mules,  the  pleasing  sound  was 
heard  from  the  teamsters  of  "All  ready!"  when  we 
left  camp,  and,  immediately  crossing  the  creek,  emerged 
on  the  more  elevated  bank  beyond.  The  dry  earth 
and  the  warm  sun  soon  absorbed  or  evaporated  the 
snow,  so  that  our  progress  was  but  little  impeded. 
But  we  had  not  proceeded  many  miles  before  the 
mules  showed  symptoms  of  fatigue  and  suffering  from 


116  DELAWAEE    CREEK 

the  effects  of  the  cold.  Several  gave  out  entirely, 
hung  their  heads,  and  sank  to  the  ground,  or  refused 
to  move  further.  These  were  necessarily  removed 
from  the  teams,  so  that  several  of  the  wagons  were 
reduced  to  two  feeble  mules.  As  my  carriage  mules 
were  in  better  condition,  I  had  got  some  distance  in 
advance,  when  word  was  brought  me  that  the  animals 
were  giving  out  so  fast  that  it  would  be  necessary  for 
us  to  encamp  at  the  first  place  where  good  grass  and 
water  could  be  found.  A  few  miles  further  brought 
us  again  to  Delaware  Creek,  where,  finding  good  grass 
as  well  as  fuel,  we  stopped  and  encamped.  Dr.  Webb 
and  myself  walked  the  entire  distance  to-day.  An 
examination  of  the  mules  soon  showed  that  in  their 
present  condition  our  progress  must  be  very  slow,  not 
exceeding  twelve  or  fifteen  miles  a  day ;  and  that  it 
would  be  absolutely  necessary  to  give  them  a  couple 
of  days'  rest  where  there  was  good  grazing.  This 
delay  would  destroy  all  my  plans  of  reaching  my  place 
of  destination  within  the  period  required,  and  exhaust 
our  provisions  before  the  supply  sent  for  could  arrive. 
I  determined,  therefore,  as  my  carriage  mules  were  in 
good  order,  to  push  on  myself.  With  this  view  I  made 
up  a  party  consisting  of  Dr.  Webb,  Messrs.  Murphy, 
Cremony,  Matthews,  Young,  and  Thompson;  these, 
with  my  carriage  driver  and  another,  made  eight 
persons,  a  party  I  believed  sufficiently  strong  to  go 
through  in  safety.  We  selected  good  animals,  and 
made  such  preparations  as  were  necessary  during  the 
afternoon  and  evening,  to  insure  an  early  start  in  the 
morning.  A  sack  of  our  remaining  corn  was  lashed  to 
the  axle-tree  of  my  carriage  for  the  mules.     Some  salt 


TO   EL   PASO.  117 

pork  was  cooked,  which,  with  hard  bread,  was  stowed 
inside,  while  the  unoccupied  space  inside  and  out  was 
filled  with  bedding.  A  tent  could  not  be  taken,  as 
the  carriage  was  already  too  heavily  burdened. 

November  9th.  Up  at  four  o'clock  ;  took  a  hearty 
breakfast,  and  was  ready  to  move  as  soon  as  there 
was  sufficient  light  to  see  the  road.  Started  at  a  lively 
pace,  intending  to  make  a  good  march.  The  road  was 
quite  tortuous,  winding  among  and  over  hills,  in  a 
direction  nearly  west,  towards  the  bold  head  of  the 
great  Guadalupe  Mountain,  which  had  been  before  us 
some  eight  or  ten  days.  This  is  a  most  remarkable 
landmark,  rising  as  it  does  far  above  all  other  objects, 
and  terminating  abruptly  about  three  thousand  feet 
above  the  surrounding  plain.  The  sierra  or  mountain 
range  which  ends  with  it,  comes  from  the  north- 
east. It  is  a  dark,  gloomy-looking  range,  with  bold 
and  forbidding  sides,  consisting  of  huge  piles  of  rocks, 
their  debris  heaped  far  above  the  surrounding  hills. 
As  it  approaches  its  termination  the  color  changes  to  a 
pure  white,  tinted  with  buff  or  light  orange,  presenting 
a  beautiful  contrast  with  other  portions  of  the  range, 
or  with  the  azure  blue  of  the  sky  beyond  ;  for  in  this 
elevated  region  the  heavens  have  a  remarkable  bril- 
liancy and  depth  of  color. 

The  low  hills  we  passed  are  woodless,  and  sparsely 
covered  with  grass.  Limestone  occasionally  protrudes 
from  the  hills,  while  the  soil  is  hard  and  gravelly,  with 
an  occasional  patch  of  sand.  Stopped  to  water  the 
animals  at  the  head  waters  of  Delaware  Creek,  probably 
Walnut  Creek,  about  fifteen  miles  from  camp,  when  we 
continued  our  course  towards  the  head  of  the  Guada- 


118  DELAWARE    CREEK 

lupe  Mountain,  reaching  a  boiling  spring  about  five 
o'clock.  There  are  here  three  fine  springs,  one  of 
which  tasted  strongly  of  sulphur;  the  second  seemed 
impregnated  with  salts  of  soda,  while  the  third 
was  very  pure.  Found  good  grazing  in  the  valley 
where  we  stopped,  with  a  little  grove  of  trees,  a  pretty 
place  to  have  spent  a  day  in,  had  circumstances 
rendered  it  proper ;  but  while  our  animals  were  in  a 
condition  to  move,  I  determined  to  press  them  to  their 
utmost.  Estimated  distance  travelled  to-day,  thirty- 
five  miles. 

The  Guadalupe  had  been  before  us  the  whole  day, 
and  we  all  expected  to  reach  it  within  a  couple  of 
hours  after  leaving  camp.  But  hour  after  hour  we 
drove  directly  towards  it,  without  seeming  to  approach 
nearer ;  and  finally,  after  journeying  ten  hours,  the 
mountain  seemed  to  be  as  distant  as  it  was  in  the 
morning.  Such  is  the  great  clearness  of  the  atmos- 
phere here,  that  one  unused  to  measuring  distances 
in  elevated  regions  is  greatly  deceived  in  his  cal- 
culations. When  this  mountain  was  first  discovered 
we  were  more  than  one  hundred  miles  off.  Even 
then  its  features  stood  out  boldly  against  the  blue 
sky ;  and  when  the  rays  of  the  morning  sun  were  shed 
upon  it,  it  exhibited  every  outline  of  its  rugged  sides 
with  as  much  distinctness  as  a  similar  object  would  in 
the  old  States  at  one  fifth  the  distance.  Often  have  I 
gazed  at  the  Katskill  Mountains  in  sailing  down  the 
Hudson ;  and  though  at  a  distance  of  but  twelve 
miles,  I  never  saw  them  as  distinctly,  as  the  Guada- 
lupe Mountain  appeared  sixty  miles  off. 

For  several  miles  before  reaching  the  springs  we 


TO    EL    PASO.  119 

had  in  vain  tried  to  pick  up  wood  enough  to  make  a 
fire ;  but  none  could  be  found,  not  even  roots  or  brush- 
wood. Still  the  good  fortune  which  had  attended  us 
in  our  journey  did  not  desert  us  here.  A  disabled 
wagon,  with  its  large  box,  lay  near  the  springs.  This 
not  only  furnished  us  with  fuel  for  a  fire,  but  the  box, 
which  was  whole,  served  as  a  sleeping-place  for  four 
of  the  party.  This  was  placed  on  one  side  of  the  fire, 
and  the  carriage  drawn  up  on  the  other.  As  we  were 
near  one  of  the  notorious  lurking-places  of  the  Apa- 
ches, a  strict  guard  was  kept  up,  and  relieved  every 
hour  during  the  night. 

November  10th.  Two  hours  before  day  my  car- 
riage driver  was  out  with  the  mules  to  give  them  an 
early  feed,  while  we  managed  to  make  a  pot  of  tea 
from  a  canister,  which  I  always  carried  with  me  for 
such  occasions.  This,  with  cold  pork  and  hard  bread, 
made  our  breakfast ;  but  meagre  as  it  was,  it  was 
taken  with  a  relish.  We  then  filled  our  leather  water 
tank,  and  were  on  our  journey  before  the  sun  peeped 
over  the  adjacent  hills  to  our  left.  No  sunrise  at  sea 
or  from  the  mountain's  summit  could  equal  in  gran- 
deur that  which  we  now  beheld,  when  the  first  rays 
struck  the  snow-clad  mountain,  which  reared  its  lofty 
head  before  us.  The  projecting  cliffs  of  white  and 
orange  stood  out  in  bold  relief  against  the  azure  sky, 
while  the  crevices  and  gorges,  filled  with  snow, 
showed  their  inequalities  with  a  wonderful  distinctness. 
At  the  same  time  the  beams  of  the  sun  playing  on  the 
snow  produced  the  most  brilliant '  and  ever-changing 
iris  hues.  No  painter's  art  could  reproduce,  or  colors 
imitate,  these  gorgeous  prismatic  tints. 


120  DELAWARE    CREEK 

Five  or  six  miles,  over  a  hilly  though  very  hard 
road,  brought  us  to  the  base  of  the  mountain,  where 
we  noticed  a  grove  of  live-oaks  and  pines,  with  water 
near  them ;  but  as  it  was  too  early  to  water  our  ani- 
mals, we  did  not  stop.  At  this  spring  a  train  was 
attacked  a  few  months  before  we  passed,  and  four 
men  killed.  As  we  now  began  to  descend,  I  got  out 
of  the  carriage,  preferring  to  go  on  foot.  I  could 
thus  the  more  readily  lock  and  unlock  the  wheels 
when  necessary.  The  road  here,  after  passing  through 
long  defiles,  winds  for  some  distance  along  the  side 
of  the  mountain.  Now  it  plunges  down  some  deep 
abyss,  and  then  it  suddenly  rises  again  upon  some 
little  castellated  spur,  so  that  one  almost  imagines 
himself  to  be  in  a  veritable  fortress.  Again  we  pass 
along  the  brink  of  a  deep  gorge,  whose  bottom, 
filled  with  trees,  is  concealed  from  our  view,  while  the 
evergreen  cedar  juts  forth  here  and  there  from  the 
chasms  in  its  sides.  Winding  and  turning  in  every 
direction,  we  followed  the  intricacies  of  the  Guada- 
lupe Pass  for  at  least  six  hours;  and  whenever  the 
prospect  opened  before  us,  there  stood  the  majestic 
bluff  in  all  its  grandeur,  solitary  and  alone.  In  one  place 
the  road  runs  along  the  mountain  on  a  bare  rocky 
shelf  not  wide  enough  for  two  wagons  to  pass,  and 
the  next  moment  passes  down  through  an  immense 
gorge,  walled  by  mountains  of  limestone,  regularly 
terraced.  As  we  were  descending  from  this  narrow 
ledge,  the  iron  bolt  which  held  the  tongue  of  the  car- 
riage broke  and  let  it  drop.  Nothing  but  iron  would 
do  to  repair  the  injury ;  and  after  trying  various 
expedients,    a    substitute   for   the    broken   bolt-  was 


TO    EL    PASO.  121 

found  in  the  bail  or  handle  of  the  tin  kettle  which 
held  our  provisions.  This,  being  doubled  and  driven 
through  the  hole  previously  filled  by  the  bolt,  kept  it 
in  its  place,  while  the  tongue  was  supported  by  cords. 
By  careful  driving,  and  relieving  the  weight  of  the 
carriage  by  alighting  when  going  over  bad  places, 
we  got  along  tolerably  well. 

I  regretted  that  we  were  not  able  to  spend  more 
time  in  this  interesting  Pass,  the  grandeur  of  which 
would,  under  any  other  circumstances,  have  induced 
us  to  linger ;  but  we  had  too  much  at  stake  to  waste  a 
single  hour.  Many  new  forms  of  cacti  were  seen 
here;  and  upon  emerging  from  it,  we  observed  in 
quantities  the  fouquiera  (I  know  no  other  name  for 
it)  covering  the  gravel  knolls.  This  singular  shrub 
throws  up  from  just  above  the  surface  of  the  ground 
numerous  simple  stems,  eight  or  ten  feet  high,  armed 
with  sharp  hooked  thorns. 

On  reaching  the  summit  of  the  line  of  hills,  which 
completely  surround  the  Guadalupe  range  on  the 
western  side,  we  looked  down  upon  a  broad  plain, 
stretching  out  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach.  The 
Sacramento  Mountains,  which  are  but  the  continuation 
of  the  Guadalupe  range,  extend  from  east  to  west  for 
a  distance  of  more  than  a  hundred  miles,  terminating, 
like  the  latter,  in  a  bold  bluff,  when  another  range 
seems  to  intersect  them  from  the  north.  Far  to  the 
north-west  we  could  see  the  Cornudos  del  Alamo  like 
two  great  mounds  rising  from  a  vast  plain,  while  to 
the  south-west  the  horizon  was  bounded  by  a  faint  blue 
outline  of  mountains,  with  jagged  tops.  The  plain 
appeared  level  from  the  height  at  which  we  viewed  it, 


12  'L  DELAWARE    CREEK 

and  was  interspersed  with  what  looked  like  silvery 
and  tranquil  lakes,  glittering  in  the  sun,  seeming,  as  it 
were,  to  tempt  the  weary  traveller  to  their  brink. 
Our  young  men  cried  out  "  Water!  "  delighted  with  the 
idea  of  again  enjoying  this  luxury  after  a  long  day's 
ride.  But  the  whole  turned  out  a  delusion;  what 
appeared  to  be  the  glassy  surface  of  a  lake  or  pond, 
being  nothing  but  the  saline  incrustations  of  a  dried 
up  lake.  The  vast  plain,  or  desert,  as  it  may  with 
more  propriety  be  called,  as  far  as  the  eye  could 
reach,  was  dotted  with  these  saline  depressions. 

Before  we  had  got  through  this  pass  we  came 
upon  another  broken  wagon,  and  among  its  iron  work 
were  so  fortunate  as  to  find  a  bolt  precisely  the  size 
of  the  one  we  had  broken.  The  wire  was  quickly 
knocked  out,  and  the  bolt  inserted  in  its  place ;  after 
which  the  driver  put  on  his  whip,  and  we  rolled  over 
the  hard  and  excellent  road  at  a  rapid  pace. 

The  summit  of  the  mountain  appears  to  be  covered 
with  heavy  pine  timber ;  but  its  rocky  sides  exhibit 
no  foliage,  except  in  the  deep  chasms  which  run  from 
it  in  every  direction.  At  its  base,  too,  we  noticed 
large  trees  of  pine,  oak,  cedar,  etc. 

We  had  now  ridden  the  entire  day  without  water 
for  our  animals,  not  discovering  a  spring  which  is 
noted  on  the  map  as  Ojo  del  Cuerjpo,  and  at  which  I 
had  proposed  stopping.  Our  leather  tank  was  empty, 
and  I  began  to  feel  anxious  on  our  own  account,  as  the 
next  water  laid  down  on  the  map  is  at  the  Cornudos  del 
Alamo,  thirty  miles  distant.  The  road  was  now  pretty 
good,  and  we  went  over  it  on  a  fast  trot.  On  the  left 
we  passed  a  range  of  hills  of  pure  white  sand,   the 


TO    EL   PASO.  123 

same  we  saw  when  the  plain  first  opened  to  us,  and 
which  we  supposed  to  be  water,  and  a  few  miles 
further  the  dry  bed  of  a  lake,  with  a  white  surface, 
appearing  also  like  water.  It  was  quite  rough  and 
hilly  here.  Clumps  of  bushes  grew  in  the  intervening 
valleys,  which  I  sent  parties. to  examine,  in  the  hope 
of  finding  water,  but  without  success. 

While  pondering  whether  to  push  on  or  encamp 
where  we  were,  without  water,  we  discovered  far  off 
in  the  plain,  directly  before  us,  what  appeared  to  be 
a  large  encampment.  Smoke  was  curling  up  from 
many  fires ;  and  we  descried  a  long  line  of  white 
objects.  Took  my  spy-glass,  and  discovered  the  white 
dots  to  be  so  many  wagons  stretching  over  the  plain ; 
all  which  assured  us  we  had  nothing  to  fear.  The 
pleasant  prospect  of  again  meeting  with  our  country- 
men quite  raised  our  drooping  spirits.  The  weary 
animals,  who  doubtless  smelt  the  water,  as  mules 
always  do,  from  a  great  distance,  seemed  to  rouse 
themselves  to  new  exertions.  A  rapid  drive  of  four 
miles  brought  us  to  the  encampment,  which  proved  to 
be  a  train  of  about  sixty  large  wagons,  with  govern- 
ment stores,  bound  for  El  Paso.  It  belonged  to  Mr. 
Coons,  and  left  Indianola,  on  the  coast,  in  April,  and 
San  Antonio  in  June  last.  After  sustaining  extensive 
losses  of  wagons  and  animals,  they  arrived  here  fifty- 
six  days  before  us,  and  were  forced  to  remain,  as 
there  was  not  water  between  this  place  and  El  Paso 
for  so  large  a  number  of  animals  as  they  had  with 
them.  The  distance  was  said  to  be  about  one  hun- 
dred miles.  Their  wagons  were  mostly  drawn  by 
oxen,  which  could  not  travel  more  than  fifteen  miles 


124  DELAWARE    CREEK 

a  day,  and  would  therefore  require  six  days  to  reach 
their  place  of  destination.  The  train  here  was  in 
charge  of  Mr.  Percy,  who,  after  waiting  several  weeks 
in  the  hope  that  there  would  be  rain,  had  sent  a  mes- 
senger to  the  commanding  officer  at  El  Paso,  inform- 
ing him  of  his  situation,  and  requesting  assistance. 
Parties  were  now  on  their  way  from  the  Rio  Grande, 
bringing  water  in  barrels,  which  were  to  be  deposited 
at  several  points  for  the  use  of  the  animals,  to  enable 
them  to  complete  their  journey. 

On  approaching  the  encampment  we  were  sur- 
rounded by  sixty  or  seventy  teamsters,  who,  ragged, 
dirty,  and  unshaven,  crowded  around  us;  for,  with 
the  exception  of  Mr.  Thurber  and  his  party,  who  had 
stopped  here  the  day  before,  they  had  seen  no  one 
from  the  "States"  since  their  departure  from  San 
Antonio  in  June.  They  had  had  a  long  and  painful 
journey  to  this  place,  and  suffered  much  for  the  want 
of  water.  Their  animals  had  given  out  in  many  places, 
which  had  caused  hundreds  to  be  left  behind;  and 
many  of  their  wagons  had  been  disabled  or  rendered 
useless  for  want  of  means  to  draw  them.  Besides 
draught  animals,  a  large  herd,  embracing  several  hun- 
dred beef  cattle,  had  been  driven  with  the  train ; 
and  among  these  there  had  been  great  mortality.  The 
stray  cattle  we  had  seen,  and  a  few  of  which  we  had 
secured,  were  doubtless  some  which  had  luckily  been 
left  near  a  spot  where  there  was  grass  and  water, 
which  enabled  them  to  recover  their  strength. 

Mr.  Percy,  the  gentleman  in  charge  of  the  wagons, 
gave  us  a  warm  reception,  and  kindly  offered  to  let  me 
have  the  provisions  I  was  so  desirous  to  procure  for  the 


TO    EL   PASO.  125 

relief  of  the  party  I  had  left  behind,  on  my  giving  a 
receipt  for  them  to  the  U.  S.  Quarter-master  on  my 
arrival  at  El  Paso.  Having  eaten  nothing  since  day- 
light, we  feasted  with  great  relish  on  our  cold  pork  and 
biscuit.  Our  generous  host  ordered  supper  for  us,  but 
we  were  too  hungry  to  wait ;  though  I  believe  most  of 
the  party  accepted  his  invitation,  and  did  full  justice  to 
a  second  meal  before  retiring  to  their  blankets.  Mr. 
Percy,  who  had  the  only  tent  in  his  party,  gave  places 
to  as  many  as  could  stow  themselves  within  it.  Esti- 
mated the  distance  travelled  to-day  to  be  thirty-eight 
miles. 

November  l\th.  In  camp  at  Salt  Lake,  near  Guada- 
lupe Mountains.  The  lake,  or  rather  pond,  near  which 
we  are  encamped,  is  a  small  body  of  water  covering 
three  or  four  acres,  surrounded  on  all  sides  by  an  open 
prairie  or  plain,  in  which  there  are  scattering  bushes, 
with  patches  of  pretty  good  grass :  no  trees  are  to  be 
seen,  nearer  than  the  base  of  the  mountain.  The  pond 
is  resorted  to  by  wild  ducks,  plover,  and  other  water- 
fowl, in  great  numbers  ;  but  the  continued  proximity  of 
so  large  a  body  of  men  as  Mr.  Percy's  party,  has  made 
them  less  plentiful  and  quite  shy.  Still  I  managed  to 
shoot  a  few  before  breakfast. 

The  following  note  left  here  by  Mr.  Thurber,  gives 
the  particulars  of  his  journey.  It  was  intended  to  be 
sent  to  the  spring  at  the  Guadalupe  Pass. 

Coon's  Camp,  near  Salt  Lake, 
November  9,  1850. 

"Sir:  After  leaving  you  at  the  camp  on  Dela- 
ware Creek,  we  made  the  best  progress  the  storm  would 
permit.     The  snow  balled  in  the  feet  of  our  animals  so 


126  DELAWARE    CREEK 

badly,  that  we  were  forced  to  halt  about  11  o'clock  at 
night.  We  bivouacked  in  the  snow  without  fire.  On 
the  morning  of  yesterday,  we  were  obliged  to  melt 
snow  in  order  to  obtain  water  for  our  breakfast.  We 
found  the  road  through  the  mountain,  particularly  in 
the  gorges,  much  obstructed  by  snow  of  such  an  adhe- 
sive nature,  that  our  animals  could  work  their  way  but 
slowly,  although  without  their  riders.  We  found  but 
little  snow  in  the  most  difficult  portions  of  the  pass. 
Pratt's  horse  became  so  completely  disabled,  that  we 
had  great  difficulty  in  urging  him  along,  and  have  been 
much  delayed  on  his  account.  We  did  not  succeed  in 
finding  the  "  Ojo  del  Cuerpo,"  which,  according  to 
Ford  and  Neighbors,  "breaks  up  in  the  plain;"  but 
we  were  obliged  to  encamp  without  water  for  our 
animals,  and  with  but  a  gill  for  each  of  ourselves. 
This  morning  we  started  very  early,  and  soon  came  in 
sight  of  an  encampment,  which,  on  reaching  it,  we  found 
to  be  Coon's  train,  which  left  San  Antonio  on  the  10th 
June,  with  government  supplies  for  El  Paso.  This  is 
the  train  whose  stray  cattle  and  broken  wagons  have 
so  frequently  furnished  us  with  food  and  fuel,  since 
crossing  the  Pecos.  We  were  received  with  great 
hospitality  by  Mr.  Percy,  who  is  in  command  in  the 
absence  of  Mr.  Coon. 

"  I  would  suggest  the  propriety  of  stopping  at  the 
spring,  at  the  base  of  the  mountain,  where  there  is 
good  grazing,  and  to  recruit  the  animals  before 
attempting  the  pass.  I  fear  we  shall  be  obliged  to 
leave  Mr.  Pratt  here,  as  his  horse  is  utterly  unable  to 
go  on. 

"  A  party  of  men  are  going  back  as  far  as  the  spring 


TO   EL   PASO.  127 

alluded  to  above,  to  herd  oxen.  I  shall  send  this  letter 
and  a  small  supply  of  sugar  and  coffee  by  them.  Mr. 
Scallen,  the  bearer  of  this,  will  direct  you  to  watering 
places  this  side  of  the  pass,  which  we  missed,  not 
knowing  where  to  find  them.  It  will  be  necessary  to 
fill  up  the  water  kegs  here.  The  water,  though  smell- 
ing strongly  of  sulphuretted  hydrogen,  is  not  unpala- 
table. All  kinds  of  provisions  are  very  high  and  scarce 
in  El  Paso.  Flour  is  $92  a  barrel ;  coffee,  sugar,  and 
pork,  50  cents  per  pound.  We  are  all  in  good  spirits, 
and  move  from  here  at  noon. 

"  Very  truly,  your  obedient  servant, 

"  George  Thurber. 

"  John  E.  Bartlett,  Esq. 
Commissioner." 

After  partaking  of  a  hearty  breakfast,  provided  for 
us  by  Mr.  Percy,  we  made  preparations  to  start,  deter- 
mined to  press  through,  believing  that  we  should  find 
water  enough  for  our  small  party  at  the  three  springs,  or 
watering  places,  between  us  and  the  Rio  Grande,  which 
was  yet  about  one  hundred  and  eight  miles  off.  But  we 
had  expectations  from  another  source  :  as  Mr.  Daguerre, 
who  had  just  arrived  from  El  Paso,  informed  me  that 
his  wagons  were  on  the  way  to  the  camp  bringing 
water  for  Mr.  Coon's  train,  which  they  were  depositing 
at  certain  points  on  the  road;  and  he  most  generously 
gave  me  permission  to  use  it,  if  we  found  none  at  the 
watering  places,  and  should  require  it  for  ourselves  or 
for  our  animals. 

While  making  our  preparations  to  start,  Mr.  Percy 
filled  our  kettle  with  some  excellent  boiled  beef,  bread, 


128  DELAWARE    CREEK 

coffee,  and  sugar, — an  acceptable  addition  to  our  stock 
of  pork  and  hard  bread,  which,  though  very  good, 
was  not  sufficient  to  carry  us  to  our  journey's  end. 
In  fact,  but  for  this  assistance,  we  must  have  come 
on  short  allowance  at  once. 

After  putting  up  a  barrel  of  pork,  with  a  quantity 
of  bread,  sugar,  coffee,  etc.,  which  our  host  undertook 
to  send  back  immediately  to  the  spring  at  the  foot 
of  the  mountain,  for  the  party  we  had  left  behind, 
we  took  leave  of  our  good  friends,  and  dashed  off  in 
fine  spirits  for  Thome's  Wells,  in  the  mountain,  called 
the  "  Cornudos  del  Alamo,"  or  Horns  of  the  Alamo, 
thirty-three  miles  distant,  which  I  hoped  to  reach 
before  dark.  The  road  was  most  monotonous  for  the 
first  twenty  miles ;  the  great  abundance  of  yuccas  and 
cacti  giving  a  strange  and  striking  air  to  the  vegeta- 
tion. We  saw  splendid  specimens  of  a  large  tree-like 
cactus  (  Opuntia  arborescens).  This  is  a  much  branched 
species,  with  clusters  of  yellow  fruit  at  the  ends  of  its 
long,  horrible,  spiny  arms.  Specimens  were  seen  from 
six  to  ten  feet  high,  and  twenty  to  thirty  feet  in  circum- 
ference. The  country  is  slightly  undulating,  and  not 
a  level  plain,  as  it  appeared  to  be  from  the  hills.  The 
soil  seemed  barren,  and  in  many  places  was  covered 
with  saline  incrustations.  Several  dog-towns  were 
passed.  At  noon,  saw  a  great  cloud  of  dust  rising  from 
the  plaiD  immediately  ahead  of  us  ;  which,  as  we  drew 
near,  was  found  to  proceed  from  ten  large  wagons  of 
ten  mules  each,  belonging  to  Mr.  Daguerre,  on  their 
way  from  El  Paso,  to  relieve  the  train  we  had  just  left. 
At  6  o'clock,  reached  the  Cornudos  del  Alamo,  towards 
which  we  had  been  journeying   since   our  start  this 


TO    EL    PASO.  129 

morning ;  and  being  unable  at  this  late  hour,  it  being 
now  dark,  to  find  the  wells  in  the  clefts  of  the  rocks, 
we  encamped  without  water.  This  wonderful  moun- 
tain, of  which  it  is  impossible  to  convey  any  adequate 
idea  by  description,  is  a  pile  of  red  granite  boulders 
of  gigantic  size,  thrown  up  abruptly  into  the  plain. 
The  boulders  are  mostly  of  an  oblong  shape,  with  their 
largest  diameter  vertical ;  they  are  rounded  and  often 
highly  polished.  The  interstices  between  the  rocks  form 
in  many  places  extensive  caverns.  On  the  summit  I 
noticed  two  projecting  piles,  or  masses,  which  rose 
many  feet  above  the  level  of  the  other  portions  in  a 
conical  form,  resembling  horns,  whence  I  suppose 
originated  the  name  "  Horns  of  the  Alamo" — the  moun- 
tain itself  being  known  as  the  Alamo.  After  building 
a  fire  near  a  rock  (for  wood  was  abundant  around  us), 
four  of  the  party  took  a  lantern  and  scrambled  about 
among  the  rocks  in  search  of  water.  It  seemed  a  bold 
and  hopeless  undertaking  for  tiny  man,  guided  by  the 
dim  light  of  a  candle,  to  be  probing  the  deep  recesses 
of  the  mountain,  and  clambering  over  these  gigantic 
boulders,  which  were  piled  up  to  the  height  of  four  or 
five  hundred  feet.  But,  when  urged  by  his  necessities, 
it  is  hard  to  say  what  he  cannot  accomplish.  Within  an 
hour,  one  of  the  party  was  so  fortunate  as  to  find  in  a 
cavity  of  a  rock  water  enough  to  fill  our  tea-kettle, 
which  had  collected  from  the  melting  of  the  snow  a 
few  days  before.  After  a  cup  of  warm  tea  and  a  hearty 
supper,  the  carriage  was  drawn  near  the  fire,  when  all 
bivouacked  around  it,  and  were  soon  lost  in  sleep. 

November  12th.  Being  spared  the  trouble  of  boiling 
coffee,  for  want  of  water  to  make  it  withal,  we  did  not 

VOL.  I. 9 


130  DELAWARE    CREEK 

wait  for  breakfast,  but  set  off  before  daylight.  Before 
quitting  the  mountain,  we  journeyed  along  it  for  some 
distance,  close  to  its  base.  We  thus  found  a  singular 
gorge,  or  glen,  which  led  some  fifty  feet  into  the 
mountain,  where  it  opened  to  the  sky.  Within  this 
inner  cavern-like  place  was  a  deep  hole,  which  appeared 
to  have  contained  water,  and  which  we  supposed  to 
be  the  "  Thome's  Well"  of  which  we  had  been  in 
search ;  but  at  this  time,  it  was  perfectly  dry.  Some 
large  trees  had  sprung  up  in  this  singular  place,  and 
the  rocky  walls  were  highly  polished,  as  if  by  the  hand 
of  man.  There  were  other  deep  holes  near  the 
entrance,  which  we  supposed  had  been  dug  by  Cali- 
fornia emigrants  in  search  for  water.  All  around  were 
indications  that  it  had  been  a  camping  place  for  many 
parties.  Near  the  entrance  alluded  to,  were  several 
carcasses  of  oxen,  which  had  perished  here  before  the 
well  was  duff. 

Resuming  our  journey  we  rode  ten  miles  to  the 
Ojos  del  Alamo,  or  Cotton- wood  Springs,  on  a  hard  and 
excellent  road.  Our  landmark  for  this  spring  was  a 
single  cotton-wood  tree,  about  five  hundred  feet  up  the 
side  of  a  mountain,  on  our  left.  As  the  mountain  was 
otherwise  bare  of  foliage,  save  a  few  shrubs,  the  tree 
was  easily  seen,  though  from  below  it  looked  more  like 
a  bush ;  still  its  light  yellowish  green  distinguished  it 
perfectly  from  every  thing  around.  Left  the  carriage  at 
the  base  of  the  mountain,  and  clambered  up  to  the 
springs,  of  which  there  are  seven.  The  water  was 
very  good,  though  but  little  remained.  Upon  the 
faces  of  the  rocks  near  were  rude  sculptures  and  paint- 
ings, made  by  the  Indians.     We  led  some  of  the  ani- 


TO    EL    PASO.  131 

mals  up  to  the  springs ;  and  others,  that  would  not 
make  the  ascent,  were  watered  from  the  kegs  which 
our  friends  had  deposited  at  the  base.  Found  a  note 
from  Mr.  Thurber  here,  stating  that  his  party  had  pre- 
ceded us  two  days. 

Turned  our  animals  out  to  graze,  as  the  grass  was 
very  good,  and  took  breakfast.  The  Hueco,  or  Waco 
Mountains,  our  next  landmark,  lay  before  us  here  at 
twenty-five  miles  distance,  and  for  them  we  now  set 
out ;  but  so  clear  was  the  atmosphere  that  they  did  not 
appear  more  than  eight  or  nine  miles  off.  The  road, 
which  led  over  a  rolling  prairie,  was  excellent.  Not  a 
tree  was  seen,  and  scarcely  a  bush  the  entire  distance. 
The  grass  was  poor  and  thin.  At  2  o'clock  reached 
the  mountain,  and  at  once  entered  the  pass.  Just  be- 
fore reaching  it,  the  road  divides,  one  branch  leading 
to  the  right,  the  other  to  the  left  of  the  mountain.  I 
was  advised  to  take  the  latter,  which  was  five  miles 
shorter  than  the  other,  as  my  carriage  could  be  easily 
lifted  over  a  very  steep  place  in  the  defile,  which  was 
impracticable  for  loaded  wagons.  The  latter  invaria- 
bly take  the  longer  route.  The  descent  was  gradual 
and  easy,  and  led  through  a  narrow  defile  along  the 
base  of  the  mountain,  which  lay  close  on  our  right. 
The  road  was  very  tortuous,  with  small  hills  and  deep 
ravines  to  cross,  though  unattended  with  difficulties, 
until,  after  a  long  descent,  we  were  obliged  to  follow  an 
arroyo,  or  stony  bed  of  a  water-course.  Here  the  way 
was  exceedingly  rough,  so  that  I  feared  every  moment 
to  see  the  carriage  upset  or  broken  in  pieces.  We 
were  finally  brought  to  a  stand,  where  the  road  or  path, 
if  entitled  to  either  appellation,  led  precipitately  over 


132 


DELAWARE    CREEK 


a  ledge  of  rocks  some  ten  or  twelve  feet.  How  any 
wheeled  vehicle  ever  got  through  here  it  was  difficult 
to  imagine.  After  an  examination  of  the  place,  it  was 
thought  most  prudent  to  take  out  the  mules,  which  were 
led  around  the  side  of  the  defile,  or  through  a  chasm 
in  the  rock.  We  then  took  two  ropes,  and  attached 
them  to  the  hind  axletree  of  the  carriage.  Wells,  the 
driver,  a  stout  and  athletic  man,  took  the  tongue  and 
guided  the  carriage  over  the  precipice,  while  we  let  it 
carefully  down  by  the  ropes.     In  this  way  it  was  got 


Waco  Mountain  Pass. 


over  m  safety,  and  deposited  on  the  gravelly  bed  of 
the  defile.  The  mules  were  now  hitched  up  againT 
and  we  continued  our  journey  along  the  same  sort  of 
road  for  about  a  mile.  This  was  an  exceedingly  grand 
and  picturesque  spot,  differing  from  any  thing  we  had 
seen  on  our  route.     On  both  sides  the  gray  limestone 


TO    EL    PASO.  133 

rocks  rose  perpendicular  like  walls.  From  the  top 
and  in  the  crevices  of  these,  grew  a  variety  of  shrubs. 
A  low  range  of  rounded  gravelly  hills,  covered  with 
grass,  but  destitute  of  trees,  bordered  the  defile  ;  while 
about  half  a  mile  or  less  beyond,  loomed  up  the  great 
mountain,  its  almost  perpendicular  sides  showing  a 
dark  brown  granite  from  the  base  to  its  very  summit. 
So  steep  is  the  mountain  that  it  cannot  be  ascended 
except  from  the  plain  above.  As  we  emerged  from 
the  narrow  gorge,  the  same  terraced  and  castellated 
rocks  which  we  noticed  at  Castle  Mountain  appeared 
again,  but  in  more  strange  and  picturesque  forms — now 
a  fortification,  and  again  some  ruined  town.  These 
terraced  hills  opened  into  a  plain  or  amphitheatre  about 
three  miles  across,  surrounded  by  hills  and  mountains,  ex- 
cept on  the  north.  Passing  them,  we  reached  the  Hueco 
Tanks,  and  stopped  beneath  a  huge  overhanging  rock. 
The  mountains  in  which  these  so-called  "  Tanks " 
are  found,  are  two  rocky  piles  of  a  similar  character  to 
the  Cornudos  del  Alamo  before  described.  The  rocks, 
however,  are  thrown  together  in  still  wilder  confusion, 
and  are  of  more  irregular  forms.  One  mass  extends 
about  a  mile  along  the  amphitheatre  above  mentioned, 
and  is  about  half  a  mile  in  breadth.  The  other,  situated 
to  the  south,  is  separated  by  a  narrow  pass  from  that 
described.  It,  too,  extends  about  a  mile  from  north  to 
south ;  but  in  other  respects  is  very  irregular,  consisting 
of  several  vast  heaps,  quite  disconnected.  Much  of 
this  is  granite  in  place,  while  gigantic  boulders  are 
piled  up  like  pebble  stones  at  its  sides  and  on  its  sum-' 
mit.  These  piles  are  from  one  hundred  to  one  hundred 
and  fifty  feet  in  height. 


134  DELAWARE    CREEK 

After  a  little  search  we  found  water  in  a  great  cav- 
ity or  natural  tank  in  the  rock  about  twenty  feet  above 
our  heads,  containing  about  fifty  barrels,  pure  and 
sweet.  This  tank  was  covered  by  a  huge  boulder, 
weighing  some  hundred  tons,  the  lower  surface  of 
which  was  but  four  or  five  feet  above  the  water. 
Searching  along  the  base  of  the  mountain  we  found 
another  cavity,  where  we  watered  our  animals.  There 
remained  yet  another  hour  before  dark ;  and  as  there 
was  no  grass  near,  I  thought  best  to  push  on  a  few 
miles  and  stop  wherever  grass  should  be  found. 

The  road  leads  between  the  great  rocky  masses 
described  above,  when  it  enters  a  plain  beyond.  We 
had  scarcely  passed  the  mountain  when  we  met  Messrs. 
Thurber  and  Weems,  who  were  returning  from  El  Paso, 
with  ten  mules  and  two  men  for  the  assistance  of  our 
train,  which  had  been  promptly  furnished  by'  Major 
Van  Home.  We  bivouacked  together,  after  learning 
that  we  should  find  no  grass  further  on.  It  was  poor 
here,  and  only  grew  in  tufts  about  the  roots  of  the 
mezquit  chapporal ;  but  with  the  hope  of  terminating 
our  journey  on  the  morrow,  we  could  rest  easy.  A 
supper  was  cooked  with  the  brushwood  of  the  mezquit ; 
and  the  evening  was  spent  in  asking  a  thousand  ques- 
tions of  our  friends  about  what  they  had  seen,  and  how 
civilized  people  again  appeared  to  them. 

November  13th.  Breakfasted  and  resumed  our 
journey  before  daylight,  having  twenty-five  miles  to 
make  before  its  close.  About  three  miles  from  the 
Hueco  Tanks  we  passed  a  range  of  hills,  when  a  broad 
plain  opened  upon  us  in  every  direction.  Here  we 
first  got  a  glimpse  of  Mexico,  in  a  range  of  mountains 


TO    EL    PASO.  135 

which  rises  ten  miles  in  the  rear  of  El  Paso.  North- 
east of  them  were  the  El  Paso  Mountains,  on  the  east- 
ern bank  of  the  river,  which  unite  with  the  Organ 
Mountains  or  "  Sierra  de  los  Organos,"  whose  pinna- 
cles and  jagged  summits  could  be  distinctly  seen  about 
sixty  miles  to  the  north-west.  To  the  north,  at  a  great 
distance,  Mount  Soledad  was  dimly  seen ;  while  at  the 
south  the  long  line  of  horizon  was  only  broken  by  low 
hills,  on  the  Mexican  side  of  the  river.  A  road  branched 
on  just  beyond  the  low  hills  we  had  passed,  leading  to 
the  town  of  Isleta,  in  a  southerly  direction.  Our 
course  now  lay  south-west,  over  a  sandy  and  desert' 
plain,  covered  with  low  mezquit  chapporal.  Grama 
grass  grew  in  tufts  or  little  patches  here  and  there ; 
which,  though  dry  and  apparently  without  sustenance, 
is  eagerly  eaten  by  mules.  The  country  was  exceed- 
ingly monotonous ;  and  our  tired  animals  could  scarcely 
drag  their  loads  through  the  deep  sand,  which  con- 
tinued the  whole  way  without  interruption.  We  kept 
rising  gradually  over  the  undulating  table  land  which 
borders  the  Rio  Grande,  until  at  length  we  reached 
its  highest  level.  Here  the  valley  of  that  long  looked- 
for  river  opened  upon  us.  A  line  of  foliage  of  the 
richest  green  with  occasional  patches  of  bright  yellow 
and  brown  marked  its  course.  The  first  autumnal 
tinge,  which  in  our  northern  forests  so  beautifully  indi- 
cates the  earliest  frost  and  reminds  us  of  the  coming 
winter,  is  here  likewise  apparent.  But  there  is  not 
that  diversity  of  hue  as  with  us, — no  rich  crimson,  scarlet 
and  purple  ;  which  is  easily  accounted  for  by  the  want 
of  variety  in  the  Mexican  forest.  Here  the  cotton- wood 
alone  is  found.     Soon  the  houses  were  seen  peeping 


136  DELAWARE    CREEK 

from  among  the  trees;  but  when  the  "stars  and 
stripes  "  were  discovered  curling  in  the  breeze,  a  thrill 
ran  through  our  veins  which  must  be  felt  by  those 
situated  as  we  were  to  be  understood.  I  had  often 
read  of  the  delight  with  which  mariners,  after  a  long 
absence,  greet  the  sight  of  their  national  flag  in  some 
distant  port ;  and  this  delight  I  now  experienced.  It 
seemed  like  a  glimpse  of  home,  and  reminded  us  that 
we  were  approaching  not  only  civilization,  but  coun- 
trymen and  friends.  We  now  descended  from  the 
plateau  to  the  valley  of  the  Rio  Grande,  after  which  a 
ride  of  half  an  hour  brought  us  to  the  military  post  at 
El  Paso  del  Norte.  Here  we  were  kindly  received  by 
the  Commandant,  Major  Van  Home,  who  assigned  such 
quarters  for  us  all  as  the  place  afforded. 

Our  journey  from  San  Antonio  had  taken  us  thirty- 
three  days,  six  of  which  we  were  detained  on  the 
way,  making  twenty-seven  travelling  days  in  all.  1 
make  my  estimates  from  our  rate  of  travelling,  and 
from  the  distances  on  the  map  of  Ford  and  Neighbors  ; 
but  adopt  the  measurements  made  by  Major  Bryan 
with  a  viameter.  Some  of  his  first  camps  differed  from 
mine,  though  our  trails  could  not  have  been  far  apart 
between  Fredericksburg  and  the  head  of  the  Concho 
River,  where  we  both  struck  the  Emigrant  Road,  which 
we  followed  to  the  Rio  Grande. 


Miles. 

rom  San  Antonio  to  Fredericksburg 

.     69-67 

c( 

Banon  Creek 

8-22 

a 

Theudgill's  Creek 

.     15-14 

u 

Llano  River 

15-28 

a 

Comanche  Creek 

.       8-65 

a 

Head  of  Honey  Creek     . 

9-54 

TO    EL   PASO. 


137 


From  San  Antonio  to  San  Saba  River 

"  Head  of  Camp  Creek 


South  Branch  of  Brady's  Creek 

Brady's  Creek 

Head  of  Brady's  Creek 

Kickapoo  Creek 

Lipan  Creek 

Antelope  Creek 

South  Concho   . 

Dove  Creek  . 

Good  Spring  Creek    . 

Lipan  Camp  Creek 

Green  Mounds  . 

Concho  River 

Crossing  of  Concho    . 

Head  Springs  of  Concho 

Castle  Mountain 

River  Pecos     . 

Falls  of  the  Pecos 

Delaware  Creek     .... 

Independence  Spring  (three  springs) 

Spring  at  foot  of  Guadalupe  Mountain 

Spring  Ojo  del  Cuerpo 

Cornudos  del  Alamo 

Ojos  del  Alamo 

Waco  Mountains   .... 

Waco  Tanks     .... 

Rio  Grande  at  El  Paso  (say)   . 


Miles. 
11-11 

4-85 

14-27 

15-18 

7-50 

13-73 

11-60 

11-20 

4-12 

9-02 

3-43 

5-35 

5-70 

7-02 

11-66 

18-03 

55-28 

13-00 

32-29 

94-78 

40-03 

5-54 

28-21 

28-15. 

9-14 

19-05 

6-42- 

28-00" 


The  distance  by  Major  Bryan's  table  from  San  An- 
tonio to  Isleta  on  the  Rio  Grande  is  638'02  miles.  It 
is  called  28  miles  from  the  Waco  Tanks  to  El  Paso, 
which  would  make  the  distance  from  San  Antonio  to 
that  place  635  miles.  The  distance  by  the  southern 
route,  followed  by  the  main  body  of  the  Commission,  is 
673  miles. 


138  DELAWARE    CREEK 

A  few  general  remarks  on  the  country  we  have 
passed  over  seem  proper  here.  From  Indianola  to 
San  Antonio  there  is  an  excellent  road,  with  wood, 
water,  and  grass  in  abundance,  except  between  India- 
nola and  Victoria,  where  there  is  but  little  wood.  Par- 
ties should  therefore  provide  themselves  with  fuel 
before  starting.  The  soil  here  is  admirably  adapted 
to  agriculture.  From  San  Antonio  to  Fredericksburg, 
the  road  is  very  stony  a  portion  of  the  way,  the 
remainder  good.  The  soil  is  excellent.  Wood,  water, 
and  grass  are  always  found  at  convenient  distances, 
and  in  abundance.  The  soil  continues  of  a  good 
quality  until  the  San  Saba  is  reached ;  from  that  river 
to  the  north  fork  of  Brady's  Creek  it  is  not  so  good. 
The  grass  is  generally  light  to  the  latter  place,  with 
less  wood  and  water,  though  enough  for  parties  travel- 
ling. We  now  begin  to  get  on  the  great  table-land 
of  Texas,  where  there  is  little  rain  and  a  poor  soil. 
Several  small  streams  emptying  into  the  Colorado  or 
the  Concho  here  intersect  the  road,  on  the  immediate 
banks  of  which  there  are  a  few  trees.  But  the  inter- 
mediate country  is  destitute  of  timber,  save  a  very  few 
small  oaks  or  mezquit.  The  grass  too  is  poor,  except 
near  the  water  courses.  On  leaving  the  head  waters 
of  the  Concho,  nature  assumes  a  new  aspect.  Here 
trees  and  shrubs  disappear,  except  the  thorny  chapporal 
of  the  deserts;  the  water  courses  all  cease,  nor  does 
any  stream  intervene  until  the  Rio  Grande  is  reached, 
350  miles  distant,  except  the  muddy  Pecos,  which, 
rising  in  the  Rocky  Mountains  near  Santa  Fe,  crosses 
the  great  desert  plain  west  of  the  Llano  Estacado,  or 
Staked  Plain.     From  the  Rio  Grande  to  the  waters  of 


TO    EL    PASO.  139 

the  Pacific,  pursuing  a  westerly  course  along  the  32d 
parallel,  near  El  Paso  del  Norte,  there  is  no  stream  of 
a  higher  grade  than  a  small  creek.  I  know  of  none 
but  the  San  Pedro  and  the  Santa  Cruz,  the  latter  but 
a  rivulet  losing  itself  in  the  sands  near  the  Gila, 
the  other  but  a  diminutive  stream  scarcely  reaching 
that  river.  At  the  head  waters  of  the  Concho, 
therefore,  begins  that  great  desert  region,  which,  with 
no  interruption  save  a  limited  valley  or  bottom  land 
along  the  Rio  Grande,  and  lesser  ones  near  the  small 
courses  mentioned,  extends  over  a  district  embracing 
sixteen  degrees  of  longitude,  or  about  a  thousand 
miles,  and  is  wholly  unfit  for  agriculture.  It  is  a  deso- 
late barren  waste,  which  can  never  be  rendered  useful 
for  man  or  beast,  save  for  a  public  highway.  It  is 
destitute  of  forests,  except  in  the  defiles  and  gorges  of 
the  higher  mountains  or  on  their  summits.  Along  the 
valley  of  the  Rio  Grande,  which  is  from  one  and  a  half 
to  two  miles  in  width,  there  grow  large  cotton  wood 
trees  and  a  few  mezquit ;  but  between  this  river  and 
the  north  fork  of  Brady's  Creek  there  is  no  timbered 
land. 

The  country  is  well  adapted  for  a  wagon  road,  and 
equally  so  for  a  railway,  as  all  desert  regions  are,  unless 
they  are  sandy.  From  Fredericksburg,  all  the  way  to 
the  Rio  Grande,  there  is  a  natural  road,  which  as  a 
whole  is  better  than  half  the  roads  in  the  United  States 
west  of  the  Mississippi.  Yery  little  has  been  done  to 
this  road  of  nearly  600  miles  to  render  it  what  it  is ; 
and  a  little  labor  where  the  streams  are  crossed,  with  a 
bridge  across  the  Pecos,  which  could  be  constructed 
with  great  ease  and  at  a  small  expense,  would  make  the 


140  DELAWARE    CREEK 

whole  of  it  equal  to  our  best  turnpikes.  Here  and 
there  I  would  recommend  a  slight  change  in  its  direc- 
tion ;  as  for  instance,  near  Kickapoo  Creek,  to  avoid  a 
rocky  ridge ;  and  some  improvements  might  be  made 
near  Fredericksburg :  but  these  are  trifles.  The  most 
important  consideration  is  water,  without  which  this 
route  never  can  be  made  available  as  a  great  public 
highway.  There  is  little  doubt  that  by  digging,  water 
may  be  found  on  the  desert  between  the  head  of  the 
Concho  and  the  Pecos.  At  the  depressions,  called 
Mustang  Ponds  and  Wild  China  Ponds,  where,  it  ap- 
pears, water  has  sometimes  been  seen,  wells  might 
easily  be  sunk  and  water  be  procured.  Two  watering 
places  in  this  Jornada  of  sixty-nine  miles  would  be 
quite  sufficient.  On  the  western  side  of  the  Guadalupe 
Mountain  there  should  be  another  watering  place ;  but 
it  is  evident  from  the  statements  made  by  the  party 
which  had  been  so  long  encamped  at  the  Salt  Pond, 
that  there  exists  several  springs  about  the  base  of  the 
mountain.  Next  come  the  Cornudos  del  Alamo  and 
the  Waco  Mountains ;  where  there  are  springs,  but 
which,  from  their  not  being  opened,  soon  dry  up  or 
disappear.  These,  being  at  proper  distances  for  daily 
journeys,  would  be  suitable  places  to  sink  wells,  or, 
which  would  be  better,  to  open  the  springs  already 
known. 

If  it  should  be  determined  to  make  a  great  high- 
way through  Texas  to  El  Paso,  and  thence  to  Califor- 
nia, south  of  the  Gila,  neither  of  the  present  routes  to 
El  Paso  should  be  adopted  until  a  more  complete  ex- 
ploration has  been  made.  I  was  told  at  El  Paso,  by 
Mexicans  who  had  traversed  the  district  east  of  that 


TO    EL   PASO.  141 

town,  that  water  could  be  found  in  the  mountains  that 
separate  El  Paso  from  the  Pecos,  between  the  routes 
now  taken.  Should  such  be  the  case,  and  no  impedi- 
ment exist,  at  least  fifty  miles  of  travel  might  be 
saved;  and  if  water  is  not  now  found,  it  may  as 
easily  be  obtained,  by  sinking  wells,  as  on  the  northern 
route.  The  whole  country,  after  the  table-land  north 
of  San  Antonio  is  reached,  is  well  adapted  to  a  wagon 
road  or  a  railway ;  and  I  doubt  whether  any  district 
of  the  same  extent  east  of  the  Mississippi  would  require 
fewer  embankments  and  excavations  than  across  the 
table-land  of  Texas. 


SECOND  DIVISION. 

EL  PASO  TO  THE  COPPEE  MINES. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

EVENTS    AT    EL   PASO. 

Losses  of  Animals — High  price  of  provisions  at  El  Paso — Excursion  up  the 
river — Entertainment  given  to  the  officers  of  the  Commission  by  the 
civil  authorities — The  Bishop  of  Durango — Pueblo  Indians — Meeting 
with  General  Conde,  and  commencement  of  the  labors  of  the  Joint  Com- 
mission— Arrival  and  disposition  of  the  main  body  of  the  United  States 
Commission — Arrival  of  ox-train,  and  death  of  U.  D.  Wakeman — 
Departure  of  military  escort  for  the  Copper  Mines — American  despo- 
radoes  in  New  Mexico — Death  of  E.  C.  Clarke — Trial  and  execution 
of  Wade,  Craig,  and  Butler — Trial  and  execution  of  Young — Dinner  and 
ball  given  under  difficulties— Excursion  to  the  Sierra  Waco — Indian 
pictures  at  the  Waco  Tanks — Initial  point  agreed  upon,  and  survey  in 
its  vicinity  commenced — Dep6t  established  at  the  Copper  Mines — Dr. 
Webb's  report  on  the  same. 

On  reaching  El  Paso,  I  feared  that  the  ten  mules 
sent  out  by  Major  Van  Home  to  my  assistance  would 
be  insufficient,  as  so  many  of  our  animals  had  suddenly 
given  out  when  I  left  the  train.  On  making  my  fears 
known  to  Mr.  Magoffin,  an  American  merchant  here,  he 
generously  ordered  four  of  his  own  men  to  take  ten  of 
his  best  mules  and  set  off  immediately  to  aid  the  train 
in  getting  in ;  and,  in  consequence,  it  arrived  in  safety 
five  days  after. 


144 


EVENTS    AT 


I  have  not  mentioned  the  loss  of  animals,  save 
on  two  or  three  occasions,  although  several  other 
instances  of  this  misfortune  occurred  to  us.  The  fine 
horse  which  was  bitten  by  a  rattlesnake  died  a  few 
days  after.  On  the  last  day,  two  horses  which  had 
been  led  for  several  days  lay  down,  and  refused  to  go 
further.  They  were  left  within  ten  miles  of  our 
journey's  end.  I  sent  a  man  back  immediately  on  my 
arrival  with  corn  and  water ;  but  he  was  too  late,  both 
were  already  dead.  But  though  the  losses  of  this  kind 
were  few  on  the  march,  they  were  great  after  we  got 
in.  There  were  no  sheds  or  barns  in  which  the  animals 
could  be  placed  to  protect  them  from  the  cold  winds 
which  prevailed  at  this  season  of  the  year ;  and  the 
grass  was  very  poor.  I  procured  corn  for  them  at 
once,  and  sent  them  to  a  grove  a  few  miles  above  the 
town,  where  they  would  be  better  protected  than  if 
running  at  large  over  the  open  plain.  But  about  a 
week  after  my  arrival  a  severe  norther  came  on, 
bringing  with  it  the  cold  blasts  from  the  snowy  moun- 
tains, which  had  such  an  effect  upon  the  poor  crea- 
tures, that  twelve  or  fourteen  mules  and  horses  perished. 

Provisions  of  all  kinds  were  exceedingly  high  at 
this  time :  flour,  thirty-two  dollars  a  barrel ;  pork, 
sugar,  and  coffee,  fifty  cents  a  pound ;  and  other  articles 
in  proportion.  Corn  too,  was  selling  at  eight  dollars 
a  fanega  of  two  and  five-eighths  bushels.  The  arrival 
of  my  party  rather  tended  to  increase  prices ;  for  the 
population  was  so  limited,  that  the  addition  of  forty 
men  and  sixty  animals,  with  a  knowledge  that  a  large 
train  with  the  main  body  of  the  Commission  and  its 
escort  would  soon  arrive,  led  the  owners  of  such  pro- 


EL    PASO.  145 

perty  to  keep  up  the  rates.  The  Government,  how- 
ever, had  given  me  authority,  in  cases  of  necessity,  to 
call  upon  the  United  States  Commissaries  of  Subsist- 
ence for  provisions ;  and  hence  the  immediate  wants 
of  my  party  were  provided  for  by  the  officers  of  this 
post.  Corn  and  fodder  for  the  animals,  however,  had 
to  be  purchased  at  the  market  prices. 

General  Garcia  Conde,  the  Mexican  Commissioner, 
had  not  yet  reached  El  Paso,  though  intelligence  had 
been  received  here  that  he  was  at  the  city  of  Chihua- 
hua ;  word  was  therefore  sent  to  him  at  once,  that  the 
United  States  Commission  had  arrived. 

In  order  to  make  myself  familiar  with  the  country 
in  the  vicinity  of  El  Paso  before  the  Commission 
should  enter  upon  its  duties,  I  made  an  excursion,  in 
which  I  was  accompanied  by  Major  Yan  Home  and 
several  gentlemen  of  my  party,  over  the  mountain 
ridge  which  crosses  the  Rio  Grande  a  few  miles  above 
the  town.  We  passed  up  on  the  Mexican  side  of  the 
river,  crossing  over  to  the  American  side  at  White's 
Ranch,  a  course  which  we  followed  in  returning.  About 
a  mile  above  the  town  is  a  fall  in  the  river,  where  a 
dam  has  been  constructed,  and  the  water  raised  about 
ten  feet,  for  the  purpose  of  irrigating  the  valley 
below.  There  are  two  grist  mills  here,  one  on  the 
Mexican,  the  other  on  the  American  side  of  the  river.. 
For  the  distance  of  eight  miles,  as  it  is  called,  above 
El  Paso,  there  is  no  bottom  land,  the  river  breaking 
its  way  through  the  mountains  the  whole  distance. 
The  range  on  the  eastern  side,  called  the  El  Paso 
Mountains,  rises  to  a  height  of  about  one  thousand  five 
hundred  feet.     It  is  a  continuation  of  the  Sierra  de  los 

VOL.  I. — 10 


146  EVENTS   AT 

Organos,  or  Organ  Mountains,  and  approaches  within 
two  miles  of  the  river,  where  it  drops  off  into  spurs 
of  about  two  hundred  feet  in  height.  These  hills  or 
spurs  cross  the  Rio  Grande,  and  unite  with  another 
range  eight  or  ten  miles  to  the  west.  It  is  through 
these  spurs  or  lesser  range  of  limestone  hills  that  the 
river  has  forced  its  way. 

November  9  th.  In  company  with  the  officers  of 
the  Boundary  Commission,  I  attended  to-day  a  public 
dinner  given  to  us  by  the  civil  authorities  of  El  Paso. 
The  officers  of  the  United  States  army,  stationed  oppo- 
site the  town,  were  among  the  guests,  as  well  as  the 
principal  citizens  of  the  place.  The  dinner  was  served 
up  in  true  Mexican  style,  with  a  great  variety  of 
dishes;  and,  with  the  exception  of  vegetables,  of 
which  there  is  a  great  deficiency  in  the  country,  the 
entertainment  would  have  been  creditable  even  in  our 
Atlantic  cities.  The  wine  drank  on  the  occasion  was 
Champagne,  claret,  and  vino  del  pais,  or  wine  of  the 
country.  The  latter  was  an  excellent  article,  the  best 
I  ever  found  at  El  Paso.  When  the  cloth  was  removed, 
toasts  were  drunk,  and  some  songs  sung.  The  best 
feeling  existed  throughout  the  evening,  and  the  affair 
terminated  to  the  satisfaction  of  all  present. 

November  23d  Accompanied  by  Major  Van  Home 
and  several  gentlemen  of  the  Commission,  I  went  to 
pay  my  respects  to  the  Bishop  of  Durango,  then  on 
his  return  from  a  visit  to  New  Mexico.  He  was  a 
venerable  man  of  about  seventy  years,  with  a  counte- 
nance exhibiting  great  benevolence  and  intelligence. 
I  found  him  affable  and  courteous  in  his  manner,  fond 
of  conversation,  and  manifesting  a  deep  interest  in  the 


EL   PASO.  147 

welfare  of  his  people  in  New  Mexico  and  the  northern 
states  of  Old  Mexico,  all  of  which  are  comprised  in 
his  diocese.  From  the  city  of  Durango,  where  he 
resides,  he  had  been  about  fifteen  hundred  miles, 
to  the  north,  visiting  his  churches  in  the  most  extreme 
points  of  New  Mexico.  He  was  accompanied  by  Dr. 
Rubio,  his  secretary.  In  his  journey  north  of  El  Paso, 
when  he  entered  the  territories  of  the  United  States, 
the  Bishop  received  every  attention  from  the  civil 
and  military  authorities,  and  was  furnished  with 
escorts  by  the  latter  through  such  portions  of  the 
country  as  could  not  be  traversed  in  safety  without. 
His  gratitude  for  this  kindness  was  warmly  expressed. 
He  made  particular  inquiries  about  the  United  States 
Boundary  Commission,  the  duties  intrusted  to  it,  the 
character  of  the  country  it  would  have  to  explore,  the 
Indian  tribes,  etc.,  etc. 

The  next  day  we  rode  over  to  El  Paso,  to  attend 
mass,  and  hear  a  discourse  from  the  Bishop.  His  con- 
gregation was  large  and  attentive.  Crowds  of  well 
dressed  persons  were  assembled  around  the  exterior 
of  the  church,  unable  to  gain  admission.  This  was  a 
fine  occasion  to  see  the  people,  as  there  was  a  general 
turn  out.  The  women  all  wore  dark  rebosos,  or  scarfs, 
around  their  heads  and  shoulders,  and  in  general  were 
gaily  dressed.  The  more  genteel  appeared  in  black. 
Much  attention  is  paid  to  costume,  and  the  senoritas 
fully  appreciate  the  effect  of  particular  colors  on  the 
complexion ;  hence,  one  seldom  sees  in  Mexico  those 
delicate  lilacs,  pinks,  and  sky-blues  which  are  so  much 
worn  by,  and  are  so  becoming  to,  the  fair  Anglo-Sax- 
on.    Bright  colors  are  mostly  worn,  which  set  off  the 


148  EVENTS   AT 

Mexican  brunettes  to  great  advantage.  After  church 
we  were  invited  by  Don  Guadalupe  Miranda  to  par- 
take of  refreshments  at  his  house.  Grapes,  apples, 
and  pears  were  served  up,  together  with  El  Paso  wine. 
The  grapes  were  as  fresh  and  plump  as  when  gathered. 
In  the  afternoon,  the  Bishop,  Dr.  Rubio,  and  Padre 
Ortiz,  accompanied  by  several  of  their  friends,  called 
on  me.  I  served  up  a  collation  of  such  things  as  nry 
commissariat  could  furnish ;  though  the  carte  was 
rather  limited,  as  the  train  which  contained  our  pro- 
visions had  not  yet  arrived. 

November  25th.  Crossed  the  river  on  horseback  to 
make  some  purchases  in  the  town ;  and  while  there, 
met  a  party  of  Pueblo  Indians,  who  were  just  entering. 
The  men  were  chiefly  dressed  after  the  manner  of  the 
lower  class  of  Mexicans.  They  wore  short  jackets, 
decorated  with  innumerable  bell-buttons,  and  dark 
pantaloons  with  similar  buttons,  open  at  the  outside 
from  the  hip  to  the  ankle,  with  large  white  trowsers 
beneath.  The  women  all  wore  short  black  dresses, 
reaching  just  below  the  knees,  with  a  thin  white  muslin 
mantle  thrown  over  their  shoulders.  A  bright  red 
silk  shawl  was  tied  around  their  waists,  and  they  had 
bunches  or  bows  of  gay  ribbons  in  their  hair.  All 
their  faces  were  painted  alike,  with  a  spot  of  vermilion 
on  each  cheek,  surrounded  by  a  border  of  small  white 
dots.  The  women  held  in  each  hand  a  large  turkey 
feather,  which  they  moved  up  and  down,  keeping  time 
with  their  music.  The  men  carried  flint  muskets,  and 
one  of  them  a  drum,  on  which  he  was  beating  con- 
stantly. All  joined  in  singing  a  monotonous  tune,  and, 
when  they  reached  the  church,  stopped  and  commenced 


EL   PASO.  149 

dancing.  They  formed  lines  similar  to  those  made 
for  a  contra  dance  by  us,  passing  through  a  variety  of 
figures  and  marchings.  From  the  perfect  regularity 
with  which  they  went  through  these  figures,  they  must 
have  followed  some  established  forms.  The  Indians 
belong  to  the  old  Piro  tribe,  and  dwell  in  the  same 
village  of  Sinecu  which  their  ancestors  occupied  two 
centuries  ago.  They  are  now  dwindled  to  about 
eighty  souls ;  and  but  few  of  these  are  pure  stock. 
Their  language  is  retained  by  them,  though  less  used 
than  the  Spanish.  Another  generation  will  probably 
extinguish  the  language ;  though  the  mixed  race  may 
long  occupy  their  present  ground,  and  retain  the 
manners  and  customs  of  their  forefathers. 

November  28tJi.  About  8  o'clock  in  the  evening, 
Captain  Barry  and  Mr.  C.  J.  Sheldon  arrived  from  our 
large  train,  which  they  left  about  two  hundred  miles 
behind,  having  been  sent  in  advance  to  procure  mules 
and  forage.  They  had,  like  ourselves,  experienced 
very  severe  weather ;  and  their  animals  were  so  much 
reduced,  that  it  had  been  feared  they  could  not  reach 
the  settlements.  They  also  informed  me  that  the  wag- 
ons and  carts  drawn  by  oxen,  being  unable  to  keep  up 
with  the  mule  train,  had  been  left  behind  some  weeks 
earlier,  with  all  the  provisions  not  necessary  to  bring 
the  party  with  the  mule  train  in.  I  regretted  exceed- 
ingly to  hear  this  news,  as  the  military  escort  under 
Colonel  Craig  was  with  Colonel  McClellan  and  the  mule 
train,  while  the  ox  train,  containing  much  valuable 
property  in  addition  to  the  provisions,  was  in  charge 
of  only  a  wagon-master  and  a  few  men.  Word  was 
sent  me  by  the  Commissary  that  it  would  be  necessary 


150  EVENTS   AT 

to  procure  at  once  some  provisions,  to  be  ready  on  the 
arrival  of  the  mule  train ;  as  the  officer  in  command  had 
not  taken  enough  to  bring  them  through,  and  he  had 
been  compelled  to  call  upon  Colonel  Craig  for  a  sup- 
ply already.  By  the  gentleman  alluded  to,  I  received 
a  mail  with  important  dispatches  from  the  government, 
apprising  me  that  Colonel  McClellan,  the  chief  astro- 
nomer of  the  Commission,  was  removed,  and  that  Colo- 
nel J.  D.  Graham  would  be  appointed  to  fill  his  place. 

I  made  arrangements  at  once,  with  the  United 
States  Commissary  of  Subsistence  at  El  Paso,  to  furnish 
provisions  for  the  expected  party,  which  were  placed 
at  San  Eleazario,  a  town  about  twenty-five  miles  below, 
where  quarters  could  be  procured  for  them  during 
the  cold  weather,  or  until  they  entered  the  field  for 
active  duty.  The  flour  being  of  a  very  fair  quality 
made  at  El  Paso,  I  contracted  for  a  supply,  at  ten  and 
a  half  cents  a  pound,  about  twenty  dollars  a  barrel. 
For  corn,  the  Quarter-master  was  compelled  to  pay 
six  dollars  and  a  half  a  fanega,  or  about  two  dollars  and 
a  half  a  bushel. 

December  1st.  General  Pedro  Garcia  Conde,  with 
the  other  officers  of  the  Mexican  Commission,  reached 
El  Paso  to-day. 

December  2d.  Received  a  note  this  morning  from 
General  Conde,  announcing  his  presence,  and  his  readi- 
ness to  carry  out  the  agreement  entered  into  by  the 
Joint  Commission  in  California,  on  the  15th  February 
last.  I  replied  immediately,  congratulating  him  on 
his  safe  arrival,  and  stated  that  I  would  do  myself  the 
honor  of  calling  upon  him  at  12  o'clock. 

At  the  appointed  time  I  crossed  the  river,  accom- 


EL    PASO.  151 

parried  by  Major  Van  Home,  Lieutenant  Wilkins,  Dr. 
Webb,  Secretary  of  the  Commission,  and  Mr.  J.  C. 
Cremony,  Interpreter.  We  met  General  Conde,  with 
his  officers  and  engineers;  also  Colonel  Langberg,  a 
Swedish  officer  in  the  Mexican  army,  who  was  then  in 
command  of  a  body  of  troops  just  arrived  from  Chi- 
huahua, for  the  protection  of  the  frontier  against  the 
Indians.  The  interview  was  an  agreeable  one,  the 
engineers  connected  with  the  Mexican  Commission 
being  gentlemen  of  education,  and  graduates  of  the 
Military  School  at  Chepultepec.  The  Interpreter  was 
Don  Felipe  de  Iturbide,  the  younger  son  of  the 
late  Emperor. 

I  expressed  a  desire  to  General  Conde  to  proceed 
to  business  as  soon  as  possible,  as  we  had  a  large 
number  of  engineers  and  other  scientific  men  in  our 
party,  who  were  anxious  to  enter  their  field  of  labor. 
The  General  acquiesced  in  my  wishes,  and  said  he 
would  meet  me  to-morrow  at  my  quarters. 

December  3d.  General  Conde,  with  his  son  Don 
Augustin  Conde,  who  acts  as  his  Secretary,  and  Don 
Felipe  de  Iturbide,  called  by  appointment  at  10  o'clock, 
A.  m.,  when  the  first  meeting  of  the  Joint  Commission  to 
run  and  mark  the  boundary  between  the  United  States 
and  the  Republic  of  Mexico,  under  the  treaty  of  Guada- 
lupe Hidalgo,  took  place.  Two  hours  and  a  half  were 
spent  at  this  first  session,  when  we  adjourned  to  meet  at 
the  quarters  of  General  Conde  the  following  day. 

The  meetings  of  the  Joint  Commission  were  held 
twice  a  week  after  this,  though  there  were  interruptions 
at  times  from  the  ice  in  the  river,  which  prevented 
parties   from   crossing.     Great   difficulties   were   pre- 


152  EVENTS    AT 

sented,  in  consequence  of  errors  in  the  map  to  which 
the  Commissioners  were  strictly  confined;  so  that  I 
feared  we  should  not  be  able  to  agree  upon  the 
southern  boundary  of  New  Mexico.  This  is  a  line 
connecting  the  Rio  del  Norte  with  the  Gila.  Accord- 
ing to  the  treaty  map  (which  is  Disturnell's  Map  of 
Mexico,  of  1847),  the  point  where  the  Rio  Grande  or 
Del  Norte,  strikes  the  southern  boundary  of  New 
Mexico,  is  in  latitude  32°  22'  north.  Thence  it  runs 
westward  three  degrees  to  107°  40'  longitude  west 
from  Greenwich. 

On  the  9th  of  December,  the  main  body  of  the 
Commission,  which  I  left  at  San  Antonio,  reached  San 
Eleazario,  and  went  into  quarters  at  that  place  and  at 
Socorro,  a  town  six  miles  north  of  it.  It  was  impossible 
to  find  quarters  for  all  at  either  place.  My  official  duties 
required  me  at  El  Paso,  where  about  a  dozen  officers 
and  laborers  were  quartered.  Quarter-master  Myer, 
with  the  mules,  wagons,  etc.,  and  Mr.  George  F. 
Bartlett,  Commissary,  with  the  subsistence  stores,  were 
established  at  Socorro,  while  Lieutenant  A.  W.  Whipple, 
who  (by  order  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior)  had 
been  appointed  Chief  Astronomer,  ad  interim,  had  set 
up  his  Astronomical  Observatory  at  San  Eleazario. 
The  officers,  mechanics,  laborers,  etc.,  were  divided 
between  the  two  places  where  their  services  were  most 
required. 

January  8th.  There  was  quite  an  excitement 
to-day,  in  consequence  of  a  theft  by  the  Indians  of 
forty  mules  belonging  to  Mr.  Magoffin,  while  they 
were  grazing  in  charge  of  four  men  on  the  plateau, 
three  miles  from  my  quarters  (then  at  Mr.  Magoffin's 


EL   PASO.  153 

house),  and  about  the  same  distance  from  the  military 
post.  A  party  of  the  Commission  immediately  volun- 
teered to  go  in  pursuit.  The  best  horses  to  be  had 
were  procured  as  soon  as  possible ;  and  each  man, 
taking  a  rifle,  a  six-shooter,  and  a  blanket,  was  in  the 
saddle  within  two  hours  after  the  news  of  the  robbery 
reached  us.  They  soon  fell  on  the  robbers'  trail,  which 
they  followed  for  some  distance  towards  the  Waco 
Mountain,  when  it  turned  north-west.  They  continued 
on  until  the  trail  struck  the  Santa  Fe  road,  when  they 
gave  up  the  pursuit  and  returned  the  next  day. 

January  9th.  The  ox  train  left  behind  by  Colonel 
McClellan  arrived  at  San  Eleazario  to-day,  having 
suffered  severe  hardships  on  the  route.  It  left  San 
Antonio,  as  I  have  before  stated,  with  the  main  body 
of  the  Commission,  on  the  14th  of  October,  and  had 
therefore  been  nearly  three  months  on  the  way.  On 
the  8th  of  December  a  sad  event  took  place,  which 
resulted  in  the  death  of  Mr.  U.  B.  Wakeman,  the 
wagon-master  in  charge  of  the  train.  The  circum- 
stances as  related  to  me  are  as  follows  :  With  the  train 
there  was  a  Captain  Dobbins,  formerly  of  the  United 
States  Army,  who  had  been  cashiered  for  some  mis- 
conduct. This  individual,  being  a  personal  friend  of 
Colonel  McClellan,  induced  the  latter  to  give  him 
employment  as  a  kind  of  guide  and  hunter  for  his  party  ; 
to  which  arrangement,  being  unacquainted  with  the 
man's  history  and  character,  I  consented.  On  leaving 
the  ox  train  behind,  the  Colonel  directed  Dobbins  to 
remain  with  it.  On  the  day  alluded  to,  Mr.  Wakeman 
was  occupied  in  hunting  up  the  oxen,  and  did  not 
return  till  late  at  night,  when  he  found  some  parties 


154  EVENTS   AT 

gambling.  He  ordered  it  to  be  stopped,  and  Dobbins 
refused  to  obey.  High  words  arose,  when  Dobbins 
rashed  from  his  tent  and  discharged  his  revolver  twice 
at  Mr.  Wakeman,  both  balls  taking  effect.  He  died  of 
his  wounds  ten  days  after. 

On  the  arrival  of  the  train,  Captain  Dobbins  surren- 
dered himself  to  the  authorities,  underwent  an  exami- 
nation, and  was  acquitted  on  the  testimony  of  some  of 
the  teamsters,  who  alleged  that  he  had  acted  in  self- 
defence.* 

January  Y%th.  Rode  to  Bona  Ana,  a  small  town 
on  the  eastern  branch  of  the  Rio  Grande,  where  we 
have  a  military  post,  under  the  command  of  Major 
Shepard.  The  distance,  which  is  56  miles,  was  made 
between  9  o'clock,  a.  m.,  and  6  o'clock,  p.  m.,  in  my 
carriage,  drawn  by  four  mules.  The  only  intermediate 
town  is  Las  Cruces,  eight  miles  from  Dona  Ana. 

As  Colonel  Craig  was  here  with  the  escort  of  the 
Commission,  which  he  was  about  to  march  to  the 
Copper  Mines  on  account  of  the  advantages  which  he 
believed  that  region  offered  as  a  camping-place,  I 
requested  Dr.  Webb,  Mr.  George  Thurber,  and  Mr. 
Cremony  to  avail  themselves  of  the  protection  of  the 
escort,  and  examine  that  district  of  country,  and  the 
old  town  there,  as  to  their  capabilities  with  reference 
to  water,  wood,  grass,  buildings,  etc.  I  transferred 
my  carriage  to  them,  understanding  that  a  good  road 

*  I  derive  my  information  from  documents  sent  to  me,  which  are 
printed  in  Senate  Document  No.  119,  32d  Congress,  1st  session, 
pages  496,  497,  and  498.  The  particulars  of  the  examination  which 
took  place  at  San  Eleazario,  were  never  furnished  me,  and  I  only  know 
from  hearsay  the'  grounds  on  which  Captain  Dobbins  was  acquitted. 


EL   PASO.  155 

would  be  found  most  of  the  way.  In  addition  to  these, 
a  train  of  twenty  large  wagons,  belonging  to  S.  Hart, 
Esq.,  loaded  with  corn  and  provisions  for  the  escort,  was 
going  at  the  same  time,  and  would  open  a  road  wher- 
ever it  was  necessary.  On  the  16th,  I  set  out  on  my 
return  to  El  Paso,  and  arrived  there  the  following  day. 

During  my  absence,  the  Indians  made  another 
descent  upon  the  inclosure  near  Mr.  Magoffin's  house 
in  which  he  kept  his  mules,  and  stole  thirty.  Several 
men  were  sleeping  in  the  wagons  within  the  corral  at 
the  same  time ;  yet  so  quietly  was  the  robbery  com- 
mitted, that  the  loss  was  not  discovered  till  morning. 

When  the  Boundary  Commission  landed  on  the 
shores  of  Texas  in  August,  1850,  it  was  necessary  to 
employ  about  fifty  teamsters,  and  many  laborers,  cooks, 
etc. ;  and  the  Quarter-master,  whose  duty  it  was  to 
engage  the  former,  was  obliged  to  take  such  as  offered 
themselves,  giving  the  preference,  of  course,  to  such  as 
could  produce  testimonials  of  good  character.  He 
found  many  who  had  been  in  the  government  employ, 
who  had  good  testimonials ;  but  there  were  others  who 
possessed  no  such  credentials.  Hence  several  men 
who  afterwards  turned  out  to  be  worthless  characters 
obtained  menial  places  in  the  Commission.  On  the 
arrival  of  the  several  parties  at  El  Paso  and  San  Elea- 
zario,  it  was  necessary  to  discharge  a  large  number, 
chiefly  of  the  teamsters ;  and  such  as  were  found  to  be 
of  bad  habits  or  vicious  disposition  were  paid  off  and 
discharged.  There  were  also  many  very  good  men, 
who,  having  families  at  San  Antonio,  engaged  only  for 
the  trip,  and  who,  on  being  paid  off,  returned  imme- 
diately to  that  place. 


156  EVENTS   AT 

Other  trains  which  had  preceded  us,  and  some  that 
arrived  about  the  same  time  that  we  did  from  New 
Mexico,  including  emigrant  trains  bound  for  California, 
were  disbanded  here,  leaving  numbers  of  the  outcasts 
of  society  referred  to,  with  little  means  of  support. 
But  means  or  money  were  not  of  much  consequence  to 
these  people  :  for  their  habits  of  gambling  were  such, 
that  those  who  had  money  soon  got  rid  of  it. 

The  discharging  of  so  many  worthless  and  vagabond 
men  at  Socorro,  where  the  trains  usually  made  it  their 
rendezvous,  threw  upon  the  peaceful  inhabitants  of  that 
place  a  set  of  ruffians,  who,  by  daily  increase  of 
numbers,  had  become  so  formidable,  that  the  life  of  no 
one  was  considered  safe  beyond  the  walls  of  his  own 
house.  And  even  within  them,  there  was  no  security  ; 
for  several  of  these  men  had  actually  forced  themselves 
upon  the  occupants,  and  compelled  them  to  give  them 
a  home.  Unused  to  such  interlopers,  and  unable  to ' 
obtain  redress,  several  Mexican  families  abandoned 
their  dwellings,  and  sought  refuge  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  river,  or  removed  to  other  settlements. 

The  first  check  given  to  this  band  of  gamblers, 
horse  thieves,  and  murderers,  was  the  arrival  of  the 
United  States  Boundary  Commission  at  Socorro.  The 
presence  of  a  body  of  well  armed,  well  disposed,  and 
spirited  young  men,  tended  to  make  these  ruffians  more 
circumspect  for  a  time  ;  but  as  the  former  were  grad- 
ually drafted  off,  to  enter  upon  the  duties  connected 
with  the  Survey,  the  latter  became  more  overbearing 
and  insolent  in  their  conduct.  Houses  were  opened  for 
the  indulgence  of  every  wicked  passion ;  and  each  mid- 
night hour  heralded  new  violent  and  often  bloody  scenes 


EL    PASO.  157 

for  the  fast  filling  record  of  crime.  The  peaceable 
Mexicans  hastened  to  pack  their  little  store  of  worldly 
wealth,  and,  with  their  wives  and  children,  fled  from 
the  rapidly  depopulating  village.  Every  new  outrage 
escaping  the  notice  of  those  in  authority  gave  addi- 
tional boldness  to  the  desperate  gang  surrounding  us. 
None  dared  stir  from  home  without  being  doubly 
armed,  and  prepared  to  use  their  weapons  at  a 
moment's  warning  ;  for  the  turning  of  a  corner  might 
bring  one  to  the  muzzles  of  a  dozen  pistols. 

After  several  murders  had  been  committed,  and 
horror  and  dismay  filled  the  breasts  of  the  orderly 
part  of  the  community,  it  was  resolved  to  ask  for 
assistance  from  the  military  post  at  San  Eleazario, 
six  miles  distant.  A  note  was  written  by  the  Quarter- 
master and  the  engineers,  giving  a  history  of  what 
had  occurred,  and  representing  the  alarming  condition 
of  things  at  the  time.  The  messenger  returned  with 
an  answer  from  the  commanding  officer,  declining  to 
furnish  any  assistance,  on  the  ground  that  the  applica- 
tion should  first  be  made  to  the  civil  authorities.* 

In  the  evening,  a  dancing  party  was  given  in  the 
place,  an  almost  nightly  amusement  in  all  Mexican  and 

*  I  am  indebted  to  a  gentleman  of  high  standing  connected 
with  the  Commission  for  the  particulars  of  the  death  of  Mr.  Clarke, 
and  the  trial  and  execution  of  his  murderers.  He  was  stationed  at 
Socorro  when  the  events  transpired,  and  was  often  brought  in  contact 
with  the  principal  actors  in  them.  He  attended  the  trial  of  all,  and 
took  down  the  confession  of  Young,  the  man  last  executed.  From 
others  equally  conspicuous,  and  who  were  also  residents  there  at  the 
time,  I  bave  received  similar  accounts.  I  do  not  think,  therefore,  there 
is  any  exaggeration  in  the  narrative,  but  believe  that  what  is  stated  is 
strictly  true. 


158  EVENTS   AT 

frontier  towns,  which,  as  usual,  was  attended  by  quite 
a  mixed  company.  As  these  dancing  parties,  called 
"  fandangos,"  are  open  to  all,  the  vagabonds  prowling 
about  at  the  time  were  numerously  represented  on  the 
occasion  referred  to,  and  made  themselves  conspicu- 
ous by  their  conduct.  Pistols  were  fired  over  the 
heads  of  the  females,  who,  in  their  alarm,  attempted  to 
escape  from  the  room ;  but  this  was  prevented  by 
ruffians  stationed  at  the  door.  By  this  time  there  was 
a  great  excitement  within,  and  several  desperadoes 
commenced  using  their  bowie-knives.  Mr.  Edward  C. 
Clarke,  the  Assistant  Quarter-master  of  the  Commission, 
who  was  present  on  the  occasion,  was  the  first  person 
upon  whom  the  ruffians  attempted  to  satiate  their 
thirst  for  blood.  Four  attacked  him  with  their  knives, 
and  he  fell  near  the  door  dreadfully  wounded.  He 
was  immediately  taken  to  the  quarters  of  Dr.  Bigelow, 
the  surgeon  of  the  Commission,  who,  on  examination, 
found  he  had  received  nine  or  ten  deep  wounds, 
inflicted  with  bowie-knives,  in  his  breast  and  abdo- 
men. Another  man  named  Gates  was  also  wounded 
by  a  pistol-shot  in  the  leg.  Dr.  Bigelow  at  once  pro- 
nounced the  wounds  of  Mr.  Clarke  mortal,  and  he 
died  the  following  morning. 

When  the  startling  announcement  was  made,  that 
an  officer  of  the  Commission  had  been  foully  murdered 
by  the  wretches  whose  lawlessness  had  before  gone 
too  long  unchecked,  the  question  arose,  what  was  to 
be  done?  Aid  from  the  military  had  been  refused. 
The  alcalde  of  the  village,  a  weak  and  sickly  imbecile, 
had  transferred  his  authority  to  another  even  more 
timid  and  less  reliable  than  himself;  yet  this  person 


EL   PASO.  159 

was  invested  with  the  powers  of  a  justice  of  the  peace, 
by  authority  of  a  commission  from  the  State  of  Texas, 
and  constituted  the  entire  civil  authority  at  Socorro. 

In  this  alarming  condition  of  affairs,  the  members 
of  the  Boundary  Commission  present  were  compelled 
to  move  in  the  matter,  and  resolve  upon  some  plan  to 
protect  not  only  their  own  lives  and  property,  but 
also  those  of  the  trembling  and  dismayed  population 
about  them.  Messengers  were  immediately  sent  to 
San  Eleazario,  for  assistance  from  the  main  body  of  the 
Commission,  there  engaged  in  various  duties.  The 
call  was  promptly  responded  to  ;  and  in  about  three 
hours  a  party  of  Mexicans  and  Americans  were  col- 
lected together.  They  hastily  armed  themselves,  and, 
joined  by  members  of  the  Commission,  proceeded  at 
once  to  Socorro,  where  many  of  the  citizens  were 
already  assembled  awaiting  them.  The  force  was  now 
divided  into  several  parties,  and  a  systematic  search 
at  once  commenced  to  ferret  out  the  murderers. 
Every  house  was  examined,  and  eight  or  nine  persons 
arrested ;  but  a  man  named  Young,  who  had  been 
most  conspicuous  in  the  affray,  was  not  to  be  found, 
having,  it  was  said,  escaped  from  the  village  in  the 
morning.  The  prisoners  were  immediately  conducted 
by  an  armed  guard  to  the  house  of  Justice  Berthold, 
where  a  court  was  instituted  to  suit  the  emergencies 
of  the  case.  Juries  were  summoned  and  sworn,  a  pro- 
secuting attorney  named,  and  counsel  for  the  defence 
offered  to  the  prisoners,  which  they  declined,  treating 
the  offer  as  a  jest,  and  making  vulgar  and  obscene 
remarks  upon  their  position.  Nevertheless,  an  indivi- 
dual tendered  his  services  for  the  defence,  and  occa- 


160  EVENTS   AT 

sionally  cross-questioned  the  witnesses.  The  prisoners 
were  evidently  under  the  impression  that  nothing 
would  be  done,  believing  that,  by  the  mutual  under- 
standing between  them,  they  could  easily  swear  them- 
selves out  of  the  difficulty.  The  examinations  were 
conducted  with  propriety,  and  the  prisoners  made  to 
keep  silence  by  the  resolute  demeanor  of  the  citizens 
present. 

In  selecting  the  jury,  six  were  taken  from  the 
Mexican  citizens  of  Socorro,  and  six  from  the  Boun- 
dary Commission,  as  there  were  no  other  Americans 
in  the  place.  The  presiding  magistrate,  Justice,  Ber- 
thold,  was  a  highly  respectable  citizen,  long  resident 
there,  of  French  origin. 

It  is  doubtful  whether  in  the  whole  history  of  trial 
by  jury  a  more  remarkable  scene  than  the  one  here 
presented  was  ever  exhibited.  The  trial  took  place 
in  one  of  the  adobe  or  mud-built  houses  peculiar  to  the 
country,  which  was  dimly  lighted  from  a  single  small 
window.  Scarcely  an  individual  was  present  who  had 
not  the  appearance  and  garb  of  men  who  spend  their 
lives  on  the  frontier,  far  from  civilization  and  its  soften- 
ing influences.  Surrounded  as  we  had  been,  and  now 
were,  by  hostile  Indians,  and  constantly  mingling  with 
half  civilized  and  renegade  men,  it  was  necessary  to  go 
constantly  armed.  No  one  ventured  half  a  mile  from 
home  without  first  putting  on  his  pistols ;  and  many 
carried  them  constantly  about  them,  even  when  within 
their  own  domicils.  But,  on  the  present  occasion,  cir- 
cumstances rendered  it  necessary  for  safety,  as  well  as 
for  the  purpose  of  warning  the  desperate  gang  who 
were  now  about  to   have  their  deserts,  that  all  should 


EL   PASO.  161 

be  doubly  armed.  In  the  court  room,  therefore,  where 
one  of  the  most  solemn  scenes  of  human  experience 
was  enacting,  all  were  armed  save  the  prisoners. 
There  sat  the  judge,  with  a  pistol  lying  on  the  table 
before  him ;  the  clerks  and  attorneys  wore  revolvers 
at  their  sides;  and  the  jurors  were  either  armed  with 
similar  weapons,  or  carried  with  them  the  unerring 
rifle.  The  members  of  the  Commission  and  citizens, 
who  were  either  guarding  the  prisoners  or  protecting 
the  court,  carried  by  their  sides  a  revolver,  a  rifle,  or 
a  fowling-piece,  thus  presenting  a  scene  more  charac- 
teristic of  feudal  times  than  of  the  nineteenth  century. 
The  fair  but  sunburnt  complexion  of  the  American 
portion  of  the  jury,  with  their  weapons  resting  against 
their  shoulders,  and  pipes  in  their  mouths,  presented 
a  striking  contrast  to  the  swarthy  features  of  the 
Mexicans,  muffled  in  checkered  serapes,  holding  their 
broad-brimmed  glazed  hats  in  their  hands,  and  delicate 
cigarritos  in  their  lips.  The  reckless,  unconcerned 
appearance  of  the  prisoners,  whose  unshaven  faces  and 
dishevelled  hair  gave  them  the  appearance  of  Italian 
bandits  rather  than  of  Americans  or  Englishmen; 
the  grave  and  determined  bearing  of  the  bench ;  the 
varied  costume  and  expression  of  the  spectators  and 
members  of  the  Commission,  clad  in  serapes,  blankets, 
or  overcoats,  with  their  different  weapons,  and  gene- 
rally with  long  beards,  made  altogether  one  of  the  most 
remarkable  groups  which  ever  graced  a  court  room. 

Two  days  were  occupied  in  the  examination  and 
trial :  for  one  immediately  followed  the  other.  In  the 
mean  time,  a  military  guard  of  ten  men  had  been 
promptly  sent  to   our  aid  by  Major  Van   Home,   the 

VOL.  I. 1  1 


162  EVENTS    AT 

commanding  officer  at  El  Paso,  on  my  requisition :  so 
that  the  open  threats  which  had  been  made  by  the 
friends  of  the  prisoners  during  the  first  day  of  the  trial, 
were  no  longer  heard ;  for  they  now  saw  that  the 
strong  arm  of  the  law  would  triumph. 

The  second  day,  a  member  of  the  Commission  who 
manifested  a  deep  interest  in  the  prisoners,  was  re- 
quested by  one  of  them  to  act  as  his  counsel ;  but  his 
efforts  to  prove  an  alibi,  to  impeach  the  testimony  of 
some  of  the  witnesses,  and  to  establish  the  previous  good 
character  of  the  defendant,  proved  utterly  futile.  The 
prisoners  were  then  heard  in  their  own  defence ;  but 
they  could  advance  nothing  beyond  the  mere  assertion 
of  their  innocence.  At  the  close  of  the  testimony,  an 
attempt  was  made  by  one  of  the  friends  of  the  prison- 
ers to  postpone  the  trial,  for  the  purpose,  as  he  stated, 
of  obtaining  counsel  and  evidence  from  El  Paso.  But 
the  court  had  been  apprised  of  the  existence  of  a  plot 
for  attempting  a  rescue  that  night,  and  accordingly 
the  request  was  refused. 

The  evidence  being  closed,  a  few  remarks  were 
now  made  by  the  prosecuting  attorney,  followed  by 
the  charge  of  the  Judge,  when  the  case  was  given  to 
the  Jury.  In  a  short  time  they  returned  into  court 
with  a  verdict  of  guilty,  against  William  Craig,  Marcus 
Butler,  and  John  Wade;  upon  whom  the  Judge  then 
pronounced  sentence  of  death. 

The  prisoners  were  now  escorted  to  the  little  plaza 
or  open  square  in  front  of  the  village  church  ;  where 
the  priest  met  them,  to  give  such  consolation  as  his 
holy  office  would  afford.  But  their  conduct,  notwith- 
standing the  desire  on  the  part  of  all  to  afford  them 


EL    PASO.  163 

every  comfort  their  position  was  susceptible  of,  con- 
tinued reckless  and  indifferent,  even  to  the  last  moment. 
Butler  alone  was  affected.  He  wept  bitterly,  and 
excited  much  sympathy  by  his  youthful  appearance, 
being  but  21  years  of  age.  His  companions  begged 
him  "  not  to  cry,  as  he  could  die  but  once !  " 

The  sun  was  setting  when  they  arrived  at  the  place 
of  execution.  The  assembled  spectators  formed  a 
guard  around  a  small  alamo,  or  poplar  tree,  which  had 
been  selected  for  the  gallows.  It  was  fast  growing 
dark,  and  the  busy  movements  of  a  large  number  of 
the  associates  of  the  condemned,  dividing  and  collect- 
ing again  in  small  bodies  at  different  points  around 
and  outside  of  the  party,  and  then  approaching  nearer 
to  the  centre,  proved  that  an  attack  was  meditated,  if 
the  slightest  opportunity  should  be  given.  But  the 
sentence  of  the  law  was  carried  into  effect. 

The  entire  proceedings  were  intensely  interesting, 
and  the  scene  of  a  character  which  none  present  desired 
ever  again  to  witness.  The  calm  but  determined 
citizens  on  the  one  side,  and  the  daring  companions 
of  the  condemned  wretches  on  the  other,  remained 
throughout  keenly  on  the  watch:  the  first  for  the 
protection  of  life,  and  the  support  of  good  order  in  the 
community,  the  other  with  the  malicious  eyes  of  dis- 
appointed and  infuriated  demons,  who,  to  rescue  their 
companions,  would  have  been  willing  to  sacrifice  a 
hundred  additional  lives.  * 

All  three  of  the  criminals  had  been  connected  with 
the  Boundary  Commission.  Wade  was  an  Englishman, 
and  had  driven  one  of  the  teams  in  my  small  party. 
He  was  found  to  be  a  desperate  villain,  and  I  took  the 


164  EVENTS   AT 

first  opportunity  to  discharge  him  on  my  arrival  at  El 
Paso.  Craig  was  a  cook  in  the  main  body  of  the  Com- 
mission, and  a  Scotchman  by  birth.  Butler  was  an 
American.  He  joined  the  train  under  Col.  McClellan, 
after  it  had  left  San  Antonio,  in  some  menial  capacity, 
and  was  discharged  on  arriving  at  Socorro.  He  was 
accused  of  having  murdered  a  Mexican  near  Eagle 
Pass,  and  was  fleeing  when  he  met  the  train  of  the 
Commission. 

Socorro  now  resumed  its  previous  quiet  and  good 
order ;  for  the  authorities  had  directed  all  persons  who 
were  unconnected  with  the  Commission,  and  were 
without  any  employment,  to  leave  the  place  within 
twenty -four  hours.  This,  however,  was  hardly  neces- 
sary :  for  the  guilty  and  vagabond  throng  had  already 
begun  to  depart,  and  before  the  close  of  another  day 
all  had  left.  But  there  was  one  other,  and  he  the 
principal  actor  in  all  the  scenes  I  have  related,  who 
was  yet  to  be  apprehended  and  made  to  pay  the 
penalty  of  his  great  crimes,  before  the  demands  of 
justice  were  answered. 

Four  hundred  dollars  were  subscribed  by  the 
members  of  the  Commission,  and  offered  as  a  reward 
for  the  apprehension  of  Alexander  Young,  the  ring- 
leader of  the  gang  of  desperadoes,  and  his  delivery  at 
Socorro.  Volunteer  parties  set  out  in  all  directions, 
tempted  by  the  prospect  of  gaining  the  large  sum 
offered,  and  at  length  word  was  brought  that  he  had 
been  arrested  at  Guadalupe.  Thus  another  unpleasant 
duty  immediately  presented  itself;  but  it  was  impossible 
to  avoid  it. 

The  prisoner  arrived  in  the  evening,  and  was  placed 


EL    PASO.  165 

in  confinement,  well  chained  and  guarded.  During 
the  night,  he  was  visited  in  jail.  It  was  observed  that 
the  careless,  dogged  look  had  left  his  eye,  and  was 
replaced  by  a  supplicating  glance  that  told  plainly  of 
a  change  within.  He  was  anxious  to  know  if  either  of 
the  three  who  had  been  executed  had  made  a  confes- 
sion, and  said  he  had  given  up  all  hopes  of  life.  Being 
asked  if  he  wished  to  write  to  any  one,  he  answered 
that  he  would  like  to  have  a  letter  written  to  his 
mother,  who  had  not  heard  from  him  for  six  years  past. 
The  letter  was  written,  and  the  prisoner  appeared  much 
affected.  He  confessed  the  truth  of  the  charges  against 
him,  criminating  clearly,  and  to  a  still  greater  extent, 
the  three  who  were  hung  first,  besides  many  others. 

At  10  o'clock  the  following  morning,  February 
12th,  the  court  again  met,  and  a  jury  was  empanelled. 
At  the  opening  of  the  court,  a  letter  of  the  prisoner, 
containing  his  confession,  was  read  publicly,  then 
signed  by  himself,  and  witnessed  by  certain  members 
of  the  court  and  other  individuals  present. 

With  the  testimony  already  before  the  court,  the 
jury  could  have  brought  in  an  immediate  verdict :  but 
it  was  deemed  advisable  to  present  other  evidence,  to 
show  still  further  the  unmistakable  guilt  of  every  one 
who  had  been  punished;  especially  as  one  or  two 
persons,  who  passed  ■  for  honest  and  honorable  men, 
were  interested  in  upholding  the  character  of  their 
associates.  The  prisoner  was  found  guilty,  and  sen- 
tenced to  be  hanged.  At  4  o'clock,  p.  m.,  of  the  same 
day,  he  was  taken  to  the  church ;  where,  with  penitent 
lips,  and  on  bended  knees,  he  made  his  final  confession, 
received  the  blessing  of  the  priest,   and  from  thence 


166  EVENTS    AT 

was  taken  to  the  spot  where  he  was  to  be  executed. 
His  last  request  for  himself  was  that  he  might  be 
buried  as  respectably  as  the  circumstances  of  his  case 
would  admit.  While  standing  under  the  tree,  with 
the  rope  around  his  neck,  he  begged  to  be  allowed 
to  say  a  few  words  to  those  around.  He  exhorted 
those  both  younger  and  older  than  himself,  to  take 
warning  from  his  example.  They  could  see  what 
gambling,  swearing,  drinking,  and  an  ungovernable 
temper,  with  evil  associates,  had  brought  him  to.  He 
had  run  away  from  home  at  the  age  of  fourteen, 
and  would  never  see  that  home  again.  With  other 
remarks  of  like  character,  he  concluded.  At  half  past 
4  o'clock,  p.  m.,  the  law  was  carried  into  effect,  using 
the  same  tree  where  the  three  others  were  executed. 
Young  was  a  native  of  one  of  the  western  States.  He 
had  been  several  years  on  the  Mexican  frontier,  and 
was  well  known  in  Texas  as  a  most  desperate  character. 

The  well-merited  punishment  of  these  four  men 
was  highly  applauded  and  justified  by  both  the  civil 
and  military  authorities  of  the  frontier.  Such  an 
example  had  been  needed  for  some  time.  The  vicinity 
was  now  rid  of  gangs  of  worthless  desperadoes ;  and 
as  a  Mexican  citizen  of  the  peaceable  old  town  of 
Socorro  remarked,  "  We  can  now  sit  in  the  evening  at 
the  doors  of  our  houses,  and  not  be  obliged,  as  before, 
to  retire  »with  the  sunlight,  fix  bolts  and  bars,  and 
huddle  into  corners  with  fear  and  trembling." 

February  22d.  In  return  for  the  civilities  extended 
to  me  and  the  officers  of  the  Commission  by  the  autho- 
rities of  El  Paso,  I  gave  a  dinner  to  the  Mexican  Com- 
mission and  the  public  authorities,  which  came  off  y ester- 


EL    PASO.  167 

day  5  several  officers  of  the  United  States  army  stationed 
here  were  also  among  the  guests.  In  the  evening,  I 
invited  the  principal  citizens  of  the  town  to  a  ball 
and  supper,  and  was  honored  by  the  attendance  of 
about  fifty  ladies.  Mr.  Magoffin,  whose  house,  in 
which  I  had  my  quarters,  was  the  most  spacious  on  the 
river,  threw  the  whole  open  for  the  occasion,  giving 
me  thereby  ample  accommodations  for  the  large  party 
which  had  assembled.  But  as  the  greater  portion  of 
the  company  lived  on  the  opposite  bank  of  the  river, 
it  was  no  easy  matter  to  get  them  together.  I  there- 
fore sent  my  carriage,  and  others  that  were  kindly 
furnished  me,  for  my  guests  ;  and  as  it  was  between 
three  and  four  miles  from  my  quarters  to  El  Paso, 
including  the  fording  of  the  Rio  Grande,  it  was  neces- 
sary to  begin  fetching  them  at  the  unfashionable  hour 
of  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  The  river  had  to  be 
forded  by  daylight,  in  consequence  of  the  frequent 
changes  in  the  channel  and  the  bars.* 

I  was  quite  at  a  loss  for  furniture  and  fittings  for 
my    entertainment.      Chairs   were    borrowed    of    the 

*  Accidents  often  happened  in  fording  the  river  at  night.  But  a 
short  time  previous  a  party  of  Americans,  with  ladies,  in  attempting  to 
cross  when  it  was  quite  dark,  missed  their  way,  and  nearly  perished. 
Their  carriage  remained  more  than  an  hour  filled  with  water  in  the 
middle  of  the  river.  They  could  not  land  except  at  the  regular  fording 
place,  as  the  banks  were  steep :  and  they  were  only  rescued  by  making 
themselves  heard  by  people  near  the  shore.  I  once  got  into  a  similar 
dilemma  myself.  I  and  my  companions  had  to  get  out  of  the  carriage 
windows  and  stand  upon  the  tops  of  the  wheels,  while  the  driver  was 
sent  for  assistance.  Several  Mexicans  came,  and,  taking  one  on  each 
of  their  backs,  carried  us  safely  on  shore,  though  a  little  the  worse  for 
our  immersion. 


168  EVENTS   AT 

neighbors  far  and  near ;  but  even  with  these  I  had  not 
half  seats  enough  for  the  company.  This,  however, 
proved  no  great  inconvenience ;  for  the  Mexican  ladies, 
preferring  to  sit  a  la  Turk,  formed  a  double  row 
around  the  dancing  room.  The  senoras  occupied  the 
trunks,  chairs,  and  settees,  and  the  senoritas  the 
carpet  in  front.  My  friends  in  the  vicinity  kindly 
furnished  me  with  tables,  lamps,  dishes,  and  such  other 
necessaries  as  the  occasion  required.  To  light  the 
large  hall  properly  most  tried  my  ingenuity ;  but  this 
difficulty  was  overcome  by  means  of  a  new-fashioned 
chandelier  improvised  by  one  of  our  gentlemen  for 
the  occasion.  Sockets  for  the  candles  were  first 
required ;  and  these  were  constructed  out  of  the  tin 
boxes  in  which  sardines  had  been  preserved.  Next, 
a  hoop  from  a  pork  barrel  was  divested  of  its  bark, 
and  wrapped  around  with  binding  of  a  bright  scarlet 
hue,  which  had  been  brought  out  to  decorate  the 
heads  of  the  fair  Apaches  and  Comanches,  as  well  as 
the  tails  and  manes  of  their  animals.  Into  this  hoop 
or  frame  the  tin  sockets  were  fixed,  and  the  whole 
supported  by  several  loops  of  the  same  elegant  mate- 
rial fastened  to  a  common  centre.  Such  was  the  style 
and  origin  of  our  chandeliers,  with  their  dozen  burners 
each ;  four  of  which,  suspended  from  the  ceiling,  shed 
such  a  ray  of  light  upon  the  festal  hall,  as  ren- 
dered the  charms  of  the  fair  senoritas  doubly  capti- 
vating. The  evening  passed  off  pleasantly;  and  all 
danger  of  crossing  the  river  was  obviated  by  the  com- 
pany remaining  till  eight  o'clock  the  following  morning. 
After  treating  all  to  a  cup  of  coffee,  the  carriages  and 
other  vehicles  were  ordered  up,  and  the  company 
conducted  safelv  to  their  homes. 


EL    PASO.  169 

March  8th.  Major  Shepard,  commanding  at  Dona 
Ana,  gave  me  information  to-day  that  seven  soldiers 
belonging  to  Colonel  Craig's  command,  had  deserted 
from  our  escort  at  the  Copper  Mines,  and  wished  me 
to  aid  him  in  having  them  arrested  and  brought  back. 
With  this  view,  I  rode  over  immediately  to  the  quar- 
ters of  General  Conde,  at  El  Paso,  accompanied  by 
Major  Van  Home,  to  ask  his  co-operation.  The  Gene- 
ral agreed  to  send  a  courier  at  once  to  the  military 
commandant  at  Chihuahua,  three  hundred  and  twenty 
miles  distant,  requesting  him  to  take  such  measures  as 
would  lead  to  the  capture  and  restoration  of  the 
deserters,  if  they  should  be  seen  at  any  of  the  military 
posts  on  the  frontier. 

March  28th.  Made  up  a  little  party  of  nine  per- 
sons, besides  a  cook  and  servant,  for  an  excursion  to 
the  Sierra  Waco,  about  thirty  miles  distant,  the  last, 
stopping  place  on  our  journey  from  San  Antonio.  It 
was  so  interesting  a  spot,  and  our  stop  there  was  so 
short,  that  I  determined  at  the  time  to  take  an  opportu- 
nity to  revisit  it,  in  order  to  make  a  more  thorough  ex- 
amination. We  left  at  eight  o'clock,  a.  m.,  with  my 
carriage  and  one  wagon  for  camp  equipage,  cooking 
utensils,  and  provisions,  all  the  gentlemen  going  on 
horseback  or  on  mules.  After  a  very  tedious  ride  over 
a  sandy  road,  we  reached  the  tanks  at  four  in  the 
afternoon,  and  encamped  near  a  natural  cavern  in  the 
rocks,  where  we  found  excellent  water.  As  this  was 
a  favorite  place  of  resort  for  the  Apaches,  we  did 
not  feel  safe  until  we  had  climbed  the  rocks  which 
overhung  our  place  of  encampment,  and  searched  for 
"  Indian  sign."     We  found  many   traces  of  visitors, 


170  EVENTS   AT 

such  as  the  marks  of  mules,  on  the  very  summit  of  the 
rock,  but  none  recent.  A  party  had  evidently  been 
there  some  time  before  us,  which,  for  concealment, 
had  taken  their  animals  to  the  top  of  the  rock  in  pre- 
ference to  leaving  them  below. 

March  29th.  The  night  had  been  cold,  but  to-day 
it  was  quite  warm.  Rambled  over  the  great  rocky 
mass  to  see  what  could  be  found  of  interest.  Discov- 
ered several  pools  or  tanks  of  clear  and  beautiful  water, 
where  it  had  collected  from  rains,  or  the  melting  of 
snows.  The  formation  here  is  granite  in  place,  rising 
from  100  to  150  feet  above  the  surrounding  plain,  and 
covered  with  huge  boulders  piled  up  in  every  imagi- 
nary form.  Along  the  sides  and  base  these  great 
boulders  also  lie ;  whence  the  inference  seems  natural 
that  this  rocky  mass  existed  before  the  mountains  in 
the  vicinity  were  heaved  up,  as  there  are  no  boulders 
on  the  adjacent  hills.  As  might  be  supposed  in  such 
a  heap  of  gigantic  boulders,  there  are  many  cavern-like 
recesses  which  seem  to  have  been  the  abode  of  Indians. 
In  many  places,  too,  the  rock  projects  or  overhangs  ; 
and  in  others  frightful  chasms,  as  though  rent  asunder 
by  some  violent  concussion,  appear  :  all  of  which  seem 
to  have  been  known  to  the  Indians,  and  in  some  in- 
stances long  used  by  them  as  places  of  habitation.  At 
one  portion  of  the  southern  mass,  nearly  half  a  mile 
from  the  road,  there  is  an  overhanging  rock  extending 
for  some  distance,  the  whole  surface  of  which  is  covered 
with  rude  paintings  and  sculptures,  representing  men, 
animals,  birds,  snakes,  and  fantastic  figures.  The 
colors  used  are  black,  red,  white,  and  a  brownish 
yellow.      The  sculptures  are  mere  peckings  with  a 


EL   PASO. 


171 


sharp  instrument,  just  below  the  surface  of  the  rock. 
On  the  shelving  portion  of  the  place  in  question  are 
several  circular  holes  in  the  solid  granite  from  twelve 
to  fifteen  inches  deep,  which  the  Indians  have  made 
and  used  as  mortars  for  pounding  their  corn  in  ;  similar 
ones  being  found  all  over  the  country  where  the  abo- 
rigines have  had  their  habitations.  There  were  other 
places  where  they  had  sharpened  or  ground  down  their 
arrows  and  spears.  The  accompanying  engravings 
show  the  character  of  the  figures,  and  the  taste  of  the 
designers.  Hundreds  of  similar  ones  are  painted  on 
the  rocks  at  this  place ;  some  of  them,  evidently  of  great 


jlPllIIlllllI 


age,  had  been  partly  defaced  to  make  room  for  more 
recent  devices. 

The  overhanging  rock  beneath  which  we  encamped 
seemed  to  have  been  a  favorite  place  of  resort  for  the 
Indians,  as  it  is  at  the  present  day  for  all  passing  trav- 
ellers.    The  recess  formed  by  this  rock  is  about  fifteen 


172 


EVENTS    AT 


feet  in  length,  by  ten  in  width.  Its  entire  surface  is 
covered  with  paintings,  one  laid  on  over  the  other ;  so 
that  it  is  difficult  to  make  out  those  which  belong  to 


the  aborigines.  I  copied  a  portion  of  these  figures, 
about  which  there  can  be  no  doubt  as  to  the  origin. 
They  represent  Indians  with  shields  and  bows,  painted 


with  a  brownish  earth ;  horses  with  their  riders ; 
uncouth  looking  animals ;  and  a  huge  rattlesnake. 
Similar  devices  cover  the  rock  in  every  part,  but  are 
much  defaced.     Over  these  are  figures  of  late  travel- 


EL    PASO. 


173 


lers  and  emigrants;  who  have  taken  this  means  to 
immortalize  their  names,  and  let  posterit)r  know  that 
they  were  on  their  way  to  California.  Near  this  over- 
hanging rock  is  the  largest  and  finest  tank  or  pool  of 
water  to  be  found  about  here.  It  is  only  reached  by 
clambering  on  the  hands  and  knees  fifteen  or  twenty 


feet  up  a  steep  rock.  Over  it  projects  a  gigantic 
boulder,  which,  resting  on  or  wedged  between  other 
rocks,  leaves  a  space  of  about  four  feet  above  the  sur- 
face of  the  water.  On  the  under  side  of  this  boulder 
are  fantastic  designs  in  red  paint,  which  could  only 


have  been  made  by  persons  lying  on  their  backs  in 
this  cool  and  sheltered  spot.      One  of  these,  a  singular 


174  EVENTS    AT 

geometric  figure,  I  copied  while  resting  in  the  same 
position  secluded  from  the  burning  sun. 

In  a  deep  cleft  in  the  rock,  on  the  south  side  of  the 
road  which  we  followed  for  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet 
into  the  interior,  were  many  bones  of  wild  beasts. 
Near  this  the  hills  expand,  forming  an  amphitheatre, 
which  is  celebrated  from  its  being  the  place  where  the 
Apaches  used  formerly  to  hold  their  councils,  and  the 
scene  of  a  contest  between  them  and  the  Mexicans. 
The  Indians  had  been  committing  some  depredations 
and  murders  in  the  settlements,  and,  being  pursued, 
were  traced  to  the  Waco  Mountains.  A  party' set  off 
from  El  Paso,  and  surprised  them  in  the  narrow  space 
or  amphitheatre  alluded  to.  The  besieged  retreated 
as  far  as  possible ;  and  finding  no  chance  to  escape, 
they  built  a  wall  across  the  entrance,  which  is  about 
one  hundred  feet  from  one  perpendicular  mass  of  rock 
to  the  other.  Here  they  were  kept  several  days,  when 
they  were  finally  overcome,  and  all,  to  the  number  of 
a  hundred  and  fifty,  put  to  death. 

In  the  afternoon  we  walked  about  two  miles  to  the 
centre  of  the  plain,  which  is  bounded  on  the  west  by 
the  great  Waco  Mountain,  to  some  singular  piles  of 
rocks,  which  attracted  our  attention  when  passing 
through  here  in  November,  but  were  too  far  off  the 
road  for  us  to  examine  them  at  the  time.  At  the 
distance  of  half  a  mile,  they  appear  like  the  ruined 
walls  of  some  great  edifice  ;  and  when  first  discovered, 
all  exclaimed,  "Ruins!"  On  reaching  them,  we  found 
them  to  be  upheaved  masses  of  reddish  granite, 
blackened  by  the  weather,  so  as  to  present,  in  their 
detached  position  in  the  plain,  a  strong  resemblance 


EL    PASO.  175 

to  ruined  buildings.  There  were  three  groups  of  these 
singular  rocks,  a  few  rods  apart,  entirely  disconnected, 
yet  of  the  same  general  character.  Their  sides  were 
perpendicular,  like  walls ;  their  height  about  sixty  feet. 
In  the  crevices  at  their  base,  and  on  their  summits, 
grew  a  few  bushes,  which  added  to  their  picturesque 
appearance.  But  the  most  singular  feature  about  them 
was,  that  many  portions  of  their  exterior  surface  were 
as  smooth  and  as  highly  polished  as  though  they  had 
been  submitted  to  some  artificial  process.  It  was 
probably  the  effect  of  exposure  for  ages  to  the  weather. 
A  similar  appearance  was  observed  at  Thome's  Wells,  in 
the  Cornudos  del  Alamo,  described  on  our  journey  from 
San  Antonio.  I  took  a  sketch  of  these  curious  rocks, 
which  will  convey  a  better  idea  of  their  appearance. 

March  30^.  Accompanied  by  a  party  of  six,  well 
armed  and  mounted  on  horses  and  mules,  I  left  camp 
early  in  the  morning  to  visit  the  great  Waco  Mountain. 
The  mountain  was  about  five  miles  distant,  and  the 
route  lay  through  the  very  pass  which  we  traversed 
on  a  former  occasion.  Stopped  at  the  place  where 
we  let  the  carriage  down  by  ropes,  of  which  I 
took  a  sketch.  It  was  one  of  the  most  grand  and  pic- 
turesque scenes  I  had  witnessed  on  our  journey  up. 
There  was  much  more  vegetation  here  now,  and  Mr. 
Thurber  made  many  additions  to  his  collection  of 
plants.  It  is  in  the  beds  of  these  mountain  torrents  or 
ravines,  that  the  flora  presents  the  greatest  variety. 
Although  the  plants  found  here  are  adapted  by  their 
nature  to  these  parched  and  desert  regions,  they  nev- 
ertheless appear  to  seek  the  more  secluded  spots, 
which  afford  them  a  little  protection  from  the  scorching 


176  EVENTS    AT 

sun.  Very  few  birds  were  descried.  On  reaching  the 
great  plain  east  of  the  mountain,  we  found  several 
flocks  of  quails,  of  a  different  kind  from  those  seen 
near  the  Rio  Grande.  These  latter  were  all  gray,  like 
the  northern  quail ;  while  those  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  mountain  are  the  blue  or  California  quail,  with  a 
top-knot  on  its  head.  Got  a  few  as  specimens.  As 
there  was  time  enough  to  ascend  to  the  top  of  the 
mountain,  which  is  accessible  from  the  east,  we  went 
around  and  struck  the  road  which  passes  on  the 
opposite  side.  This  is  the  route  taken  by  wagons.  It 
is  four  or  five  miles  longer;  and  although  very  hilly 
and  tortuous,  the  narrow  defile  and  perpendicular 
descent  of  the  opposite  route  is  avoided.  Yet  I  would 
prefer  the  latter,  even  for  loaded  wagons,  if  the  rock 
at  the  place  referred  to  was  cut  away,  a  labor  easily 
accomplished.  After  making  a  circuit  of  the  mountain, 
and  collecting  some  specimens  of  insects,  reptiles,  and 
plants,  we  reached  our  camp  under  the  rock  at  4 
o'clock,  p.  m.,  well  pleased  with  our  little  jaunt.  The 
following  day  we  returned  to  El  Paso. 

This  was  the  only  excursion  I  made  from  El  Paso 
during  the  winter  I  was  detained  there,  except  visits 
on  business  to  Dona  Ana,  Socorro,  and  San  Eleazario, 
The  Commission  was  as  actively  occupied  as  circum- 
stances would  permit.  Lieutenant  Whipple  established 
an  astronomical  observatory  at  San  Eleazario  in  Decem- 
ber, and  in  February  at  Frontera,  a  rancho  belonging 
to  Mr.  White,  on  the  banks  of  the  river,  about  eight 
miles  above  El  Paso.  This  was  intended  for  the  perma- 
nent astronomical  observatory  and  station,  until  the 
completion  of  the  survey  on  this  portion  of  the  line. 


EI    PASO.  177 

As  soon  as  the  initial  point  of  the  boundary  line, 
where  the  Rio  Grande  intersects  the  southern  boundary 
of  New  Mexico,  had  been  agreed  upon  by  the  Joint 
Commission,  Lieutenant  Whipple  entered  upon  his 
duties  as  Chief  Astronomer,  to  determine  the  position 
of  the  point  on  the  Earth's  surface,  taking  with  him 
such  assistants  from  the  engineers  and  surveyors,  etc., 
as  he  required.  A  second  party,  first  under  J.  H. 
Prioleau,  Esq.,  and  subsequently  under  Thomas  Thomp- 
son, Esq.,  entered  the  field  in  January,  1851,  and 
commenced  the  survey  of  the  Rio  Grande  at  San 
Eleazario,  which  they  continued  up  to  the  initial  point 
at  32°  22'  north  latitude.  I  also  set  a  small  party  at 
work  to  make  a  survey  of  the  town  of  El  Paso  and 
district  adjacent,  including  the  mountains,  the  pass, 
etc.,  embraced  in  a  circuit  of  ten  miles.  These  were 
all  the  parties  I  could  place  upon  the  survey,  until  the 
arrival  of  the  chief  astronomer,  Brevet  Lieutenant 
Colonel  J.  D.  Graham,  who  had  been  appointed  to  that 
place  in  October  last,  but  had  not  yet  arrived.  Conse- 
quently a  large  number  of  the  engineers,  with  their 
assistants,  could  not  be  occupied ;  and  this  I  greatly 
regretted,  as  the  best  season  for  field  operations  was 
now  passing  away. 

I  had  given  employment,  for  a  few  weeks,  to  John; 
Bull,  Esq.,  one  of  the  first  assistant  engineers,  with  his 
party,  in  making  a  reconnoissance  of  the  country 
between  the  Rio  Grande  and  the  Gila,  via  the  Copper 
Mines  of  New  Mexico,  a  district  over  part  of  which 
the  boundary  would  run.  Mr.  Bull  explored  a  new 
and  more  direct  route  from  Dona  Ana  to  the  Copper 
Mines  than  that  usually  travelled ;  and  examined  the' 
VOL.  i. — 12 


178  EVENTS   AT 

country  between  them  and  the  Gila,  as  well  as  that 
between  them  and  the  Mexican  frontier  post  of  Janos, 
about  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  to  the  south,  in  the 
State  of  Chihuahua. 

As  it  was  necessary,  in  carrying  the  survey  west- 
ward, to  establish  depots  of  provisions  at  accessible 
points,  I  sent  Dr.  Webb  to  the  Copper  Mines,  as  I  have 
before  stated,  to  see  what  its  advantages  were,  with  a 
view,  too,  of  making  it  the  head-quarters  of  the  Com- 
mission during  the  progress  of  the  survey  in  that 
quarter.  After  an  absence  of  three  weeks,  that  gen- 
tleman returned  and  made  so  favorable  a  report,  that  I 
instructed  Quarter-master  Myer  to  remove  thither  with 
the  wagons,  mules,  camp  equipage,  etc.,  not  needed 
by  the  parties  in  the  field.  I  also  instructed  Mr. 
Henry  Jacobs,  acting  Commissary,  to  deposit  there  at 
the  same  time  all  the  subsistence  and  other  stores  in 
his  department.  I  annex  a  brief  extract  from  Dr. 
Webb's  report: — 

','  The  result  at  which  I  have  arrived  is,  that  the 
Copper  Mines  are  preferable  to  any  other  spot  in  this 
section  for  the  establishment  of  a  depot  of  provisions 
and  other  stores,  and  for  the  location  of  the  head- 
quarters of  the  Boundary  Commission ;  being  nearer 
the  region  which  must  be  the  field  of  labor  the  ensuing 
season ;  and  as  both  property  and  person  will  be  as 
secure  and  free  from  predatory  attacks  there  as  they 
can  be  elsewhere,  provided  a  suitable  military  guard 
is  furnished  for  their  protection. 

■ '  The  essentials  of  a  good  situation  for  the  pur- 
poses had  in  contemplation  present  themselves  at  Santa 
Rita  (the  proper  name  of  the  copper  mine  region),  in 


EL    PASO.  179 

greater  number  than  can  be  found  combined  in  any 
other  spot  within  proper  limits,  of  which  we  have  cog- 
nizance. We  find  there  a  fine,  airy,  salubrious  spot 
for  dwellings,  with  some  adobe  houses  (abandoned 
at  the  breaking  up  of  the  settlement  on  a  threatened 
excursion  of  the  Indians,  in  the  fall  of  1838),  which, 
with  little  labor  can  be  made  tenantable ;  good  tim- 
ber, within  a  few  miles,  for  building  and  other  pur- 
poses, as  also  limestone  and  other  useful  materials  for 
similar  objects  ;  a  great  plenty  of  wood  near  at  hand 
for  fuel ;  abundance  of  excellent  grass  for  the  animals, 
which  will  materially  lessen  the  expense  now  neces- 
sarily incurred  by  furnishing  them  with  grain ;  and  a 
running  stream,  affording  a  supply  of  pure,  fresh  water, 
so  essential  to  the  comfort  of  both  man  and  beast. 
The  garrison,  or  fortress,  that  was  erected  for  the  pro- 
tection of  the  former  inhabitants  of  this  place,  is  of 
ample  dimensions  to  accommodate  all  the  troops  that 
will  probably  at  any  one  time  be  stationed  there,  and 
can,  without  much  difficulty,  be  put  in  good  condition 
for  the  purpose ;  indeed,  Colonel  Craig  is  now  actively 
engaged  in  directing  its  reparation. 

'.-  In  addition,  though  secondary  to  these,  I  would 
observe,  that  the  soil  is  good  for  agricultural  and  hor- 
ticultural purposes ;  as  is  indicated  by  the  remaining 
vestiges  of  the  garden  plats  once  cultivated,  as  well  as 
by  the  rank,  luxuriant  growth  of  the  peach-trees,  still 
in  bearing  condition :  and  it  is  said  that  wild  game, 
bears,  deer,  turkeys,  etc.,  abound  in  the  vicinity. 

"  The  botanist,  there  is  every  reason  for  supposing, 
will,  in  that  quarter,  find  a  large  and  almost  unex- 
plored field,   a   suitable   examination   of  which   will 


180  EVENTS    AT 

undoubtedly  amply  repay  him  for  all  the  time  and 
labor  devoted  to  its  examination;  and  the  collection 
of  specimens  I  made,  even  on  this  flying  trip,  con- 
vinces me  that,  by  proper  explorations  and  well 
directed  research,  a  geologist  might  make  discoveries, 
and  with  the  industry  and  perseverance  that  a  true 
love  of  the  science  will  inspire,  might  make  collec- 
tions, both  geological  and  mineralogical,  that  will 
prove  of  interest  at  home  and  abroad,  and  be  of  per- 
manent value  to  the  country. 

"In  conclusion,  I  would  suggest,  if  the  decision  be 
to  remove  to  the  Copper  Mines,  it  is  important  to  have 
the  provisions,  etc.,  sent  forward  with  as  little  delay 
as  possible,  inasmuch  as  it  will  be  necessary  to  cross 
the  Rio  del  Norte  at  San  Diego ;  and  this  stream  is  lia- 
ble to  be  so  greatly  and  so  suddenly  swollen  in  the 
spring,  that  a  very  little  delay  might  render  it  ex- 
tremely difficult  and  dangerous,  if  not  impracticable, 
to  ford  it  with  the  teams,  and  thus  make  it  necessary 
to  build  boats  for  the  transportation  of  the  property 
to  the  opposite  side  of  the  stream." 

I  remained  at  El  Paso  until  the  19th  of  April, 
unable  to  place  any  other  parties  on  the  line,  greatly 
to  the  injury  of  the  Commission  and  the  interests  of 
the  Government.  The  whole  astronomical  force  in 
the  Commission  was  with  the  acting  chief  astronomer, 
Lieutenant  Whipple ;  and  I  did  not  feel  justified  in 
sending  parties  to  make  the  survey  of  either  the  Rio 
Grande,  towards  its  mouth,  or  the  Gila,  until  the  chief 
astronomer,  Colonel  Graham,  should  arrive,  with  the 
other  officers  of  the  topographical  corps,  which  had 
been    detailed   for    duty    on   the    Commission.      Six 


EL   PASO.  181 

months  had  now  elapsed  since  his  appointment,  and  I 
had  received  no  letters  to  explain  the  cause  of  this, 
delay. 

The  astronomers  of  the  two  Commissions  having 
determined  the  position  of  the  initial  point  on  the  Rio 
Grande,  as  before  stated,  I  departed  for  the  place  on 
the  19th  of  April,  for  the  purpose  of  signing  the  docu- 
ments necessary  to  establish  that  point,  and  of  attend- 
ing to  such  ceremonies  as  the  importance  of  the  event 
seemed  to  demand ;  after  which  I  intended  to  proceed 
at  once  to  the  new  head-quarters  of  the  Commission, 
at  Santa  Rita  del  Cobre,  or  the  Copper  Mines. 


182  EL    PASO    AND 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

EL    PASO    AND    VALLEY    OF    THE    RIO    GRANDE. 

Early  colonization  of  Mexico — Position  of  El  Paso — Mode  of  irrigation — Ag- 
ricultural productions — Vegetables — Fruits — Extensive  culture  of  the 
grape — Wine — Brandy — The  Eio  Grande — Deficiency  of  water — Uncer- 
tainty of  crops — Houses — How  built — Oriental  style  preserved — Pri- 
mitive mode  of  life — Flour  mills — Degeneracy  of  people — Dress — Set- 
tlement on  the  American  side — Coon's  Rancho — MagoflBnsville — Socorro 
— San  Eleazario — Mountain  chains — Plants — Current  and  sinuosity  of 
the  Rio  Grande. 

In  a  work  like  the  present,  which  professes  to  be  a 
"  personal  narrative,"  it  can  hardly  be  expected  that 
much  space  should  be  devoted  to  an  historical  or  geo- 
graphical description  of  the  countries  visited.  Such 
digressions  are  important  only  as  illustrations  of  the 
narrative,  and  must  necessarily  be  limited.  It  was  my 
intention  to  devote  a  chapter  to  these  subjects,  so  far 
as  they  relate  to  New  Mexico  ;  but  after  looking  over 
my  materials,  I  find  them  so  ample  respecting  the 
discovery  and  colonization  of  this  country  and  the 
almost  unexplored  region  between  it  and  California, 
that  the  subject  would  fill  half  a  volume  if  I  gave  it 
the  attention  it  really  deserved.  There  is  no  portion 
of  the  early  history  of  this  continent,  whether  it  be  that 


VALLEY    OF    THE    RIO    GRANDE.  183 

of  the  first  establishment  of  the  pilgrims  in  New  Eng- 
land, the  labors  of  the  zealous  Catholics  in  Canada,  or 
the  planting  of  the  colonies  in  Virginia,  that  can  vie 
with  the  extraordinary  adventures  and  sufferings  of 
the  pioneers  who  first  traversed  the  broad  prairies  and 
deserts  of  the  central  portions  of  our  continent.  Long- 
before  the  consecration  of  Plymouth  Kock,  the  religion 
of  Christ  had  been  made  known  to  the  Indians  of 
New  Mexico ;  the  country  of  the  buffalo  was  visited  ; 
the  Rocky  Mountains  were  scaled;  and  the  Gila  and 
Colorado  Rivers,  which  in  our  day  are  attracting  so 
much  interest  as  novelties,  were  passed  again  and 
again  by  the  persevering  and  energetic  Spaniard. 
The  broad  continent,  too,  to  cross  which,  with  all  the 
advantages  we  possess,  requires  a  whole  season,  was 
traversed  from  ocean  to  ocean  before  Raleigh,  Or  Smith, 
or  the  Pilgrim  Fathers  had  touched  our  shores.  The 
topic  is  too  prolific  to  be  crowded  into  a  journal  of 
travels ;  and  requires  much  study,  and  a  careful  examina- 
tion of  the  numerous  Spanish  manuscripts  and  early 
books  in  which  the  remarkable  adventures  alluded  to 
are  related. 

The  geography  of  New  Mexico,  and  of  the  other 
countries  visited  by  the  Boundary  Commission,  is  also 
a  subject  of  deep  interest,  and  requires  more  space 
than  can  possibly  be  given  to  it  at  this  time.  I  shall 
therefore  say  no  more  than  is  necessary  to  make  the 
reader  familiar  with  the  prominent  features  of  the  par- 
ticular region  over  which  he  follows  us,  and  of  the 
towns  and  villages  through  which  we  pass.  With 
this  understanding,  I  shall  give  a  brief  account  of  El 
Paso,  and  the  adjacent  district. 


184  EL    PASO    AND 

The  town  of  El  Paso  del  Norte  is  situated  on  the 
western  bank  of  the  Rio  Grande,  otherwise  known  as 
the  Rio  Bravo  del  Norte,  in  the  north-eastern  corner 
of  the  State  of  Chihuahua.  It  is  compactly  built  for 
the  space  of  half  a  mile  near  the  plaza ;  and  from  there  it 
extends  from  five  to  ten  miles  along  the  rich  bottom 
lands  of  the  river,  each  house  being  surrounded  by 
orchards,  vineyards,  and  cultivated  fields.  The  valley 
or  bottom  land  is  here  from  one  to  two  miles  in  width. 
There  were  regular  missionaries  here  before  the  year 
1600,  who  traced  the  valley  far  to  the  north ;  the  pre- 
cise date  of  their  permanent  establishment  is  not 
known,  though  I  think  it  may  with  some  certainty  be 
placed  in  1585.  At  the  time  of  the  advent  of  the 
Spaniards,  the  Piro  Indians,  who  occupied  the  valley 
extending  as  far  north  as  Taos,  had  a  village  called 
Sinecu,  which  still  exists  within  the  space  now  al- 
lotted to  the  town  ;  and  it  is  quite  probable  that  from 
a  missionary  establishment  here,  arose  the  present 
town  of  El  Paso.  Its  name  is  not  owing  to  its  being 
the  pass  of  the  river ;  for  that  is  fordable  at  all  points, 
by  levelling  its  muddy  banks,  except  where  its  current 
is  deepened  by  being  contracted  within  a  very  narrow 
space.  Between  two  and  three  miles  above  the  plaza, 
where  the  river  forces  its  way  through  the  mountains, 
there  is  a  dam,  the  object  of  which  is  to  raise  the  water 
and  divert  it  into  the  aceqmas,  or  irrigating  canals, 
which  conduct  it  through  the  bottom  lands  on  both 
sides  of  the  river.  The  principal  of  these  canals,  called 
the  acequia  madre,  is  about  fifteen  feet  wide ;  from  it 
smaller  ones  branch  off  in  every  direction. 

As  may  readily  be  supposed,  with  a  rich  alluvial 


VALLEY    OF    THE    RIO    GRANDE.  185 

soil,  and  water  at  command,  the  productiveness  of 
this  valley  is  great.  The  chief  cereals  cultivated  are 
wheat  and  maize.  Oats  were  first  planted  the  season 
I  was  here,  and  the  experiment  was  highly  successful ; 
the  yield  being  greater  than  east  of  the  Mississippi. 
Potatoes  do  not  succeed  in  the  El  Paso  valley.  Many 
attempts  have  been  made  to  naturalize  them  by  early 
and  late  planting,  as  well  as  varying  the  quality  of 
water  ;  but  all  have  proved  unavailing.  It  is  true  I 
have  seen  very  good  potatoes  raised  farther  north,  in 
the  vicinity  of  Santa  Fe ;  but  the  failures  have  been  so 
numerous  that  they  cannot  be  said  to  succeed.  Onions 
and  pumpkins  are  raised  to  a  great  extent,  the  former 
yielding  enormously.  Other  vegetables  are  but  little 
cultivated  ;  which  I  think  is  more  owing  to  the  want  of 
attention  than  to  any  fault  of  the  soil  or  climate.  The 
fruits  are  grapes,  apples,  pears,  quinces,  peaches,  and 
apricots.  The  quinces  are  quite  equal  to  our  own  ; 
but  the  peaches  lack  the  delicious  flavor  of  the  nor- 
thern fruit,  and  the  apples  and  pears  are  decidedly 
inferior.  The  grape  is  the  most  extensively  cultivated 
of  all  fruits.  It  resembles  the  Hamburgh  grape, 
though  not  quite  as  large,  and  is  said  to  have  been 
brought  from  Spain.  There  are  both  white  and  pur- 
ple varieties.  Large  vineyards  of  this  delicious  fruit 
are  seen  within  the  town  and  the  district  adjacent  to- 
El  Paso.  The  vine  is  never  staked  or  trailed.  It  is 
trimmed  close  in  the  fall ;  and  in  the  spring  it  throws 
out  its  shoots  from  the  very  stump,  near  which  hangs 
the  fruit.  Each  vine  is  kept  separate,  and  the  earth 
around  freed  from  weeds.  Careful  cultivators  cover 
the  vines  during  the  winter  with  straw.      With  the 


186  EL    PASO    AND 

first  opening  of  spring  the  vineyards  are  irrigated,  or 
rather  inundated ;  for  the  water  is  suffered  to  flow 
over  them,  and  there  to  remain  until  the  ground  is 
thoroughly  saturated.  This  is  generally  all  the  water 
they  get.  In  July,  the  grapes  come  to  maturity,  and 
last  full  three  months.  As  may  be  supposed  from  the 
abundance  of  this  fruit,  it  is  exceedingly  cheap,  and 
forms  a  large  portion  of  the  food  of  the  inhabitants 
during  the  season. 

In  order  to  extract  the  juice  of  the  grapes,  they 
are  thrown  into  large  vats,  and  trodden  by  the  naked 
feet  of  men  ;  after  which  they  are  put  into  bags  or 
sacks  of  raw  ox-hide  and  pressed.  The  wine  of  El 
Paso  enjoys  a  higher  reputation  in  certain  parts  of  the 
United  States  than  it  deserves.  I  have  drank  little 
ithat  was  above  mediocrity ;  and  it  served  me  as  it 
does  most  others  who  are  not  used  to  it,  causing  a 
•severe  headache.  But  I  have  no  doubt  that  with  pro- 
ber attention  a  superior  quality  of  wine  may  be  pro- 
duced here ;  and  such  is  the  opinion  of  those  familiar 
with  grape  countries,  who  have  tasted  the  El  Paso 
wine.  Brandy,  or  aguardiente,  is  also  made  from  the 
grape.  It  is  of  a  light  color,  and  is  known  in  New  Mex- 
ico as  "  Pass  Whiskey.'1  Both  the  wine  and  brandy 
are  transported  to  various  parts  of  New  Mexico  and 
Chihuahua  ;  and  some  even  finds  its  way  to  Durango. 

The  Eio  Grande  valley  near  El  Paso,  and  generally 
in  other  places,  is  thickly  timbered  with  cotton-wood. 
The  trees  sometimes  grow  to  a  large  size.  Mezquit  is 
found  on  the  borders  between  the  plateau  and  the  val- 
ley ;  on  the  plateau  itself  it  appears  in  a  shrubby  state. 
Gotton-wood  and  the  roots  of  the  mezquit  constitute 
.the  fuel  of  Ahe  country. 


VALLEY    OF    THE    RIO    GRANDE.  187 

The  river  near  the  town  varies  in  width  from  300 
to  600  feet.  It  is  muddy  and  sluggish  except  during 
freshets.  In  no  place,  between  its'source  above  Santa 
Fe  and  its  mouth,  is  it  spanned  by  a  single  bridge.  It 
is  easily  forded  at  El  Paso,  and  probably  for  two  thirds 
its  length,  the  greatest  depth  of  the  water  where  it  is 
crossed  being  only  from  two  to  three  feet.  Still,  there 
are  places,  even  near  El  Paso,  where  it  is  much  deeper. 
The  ford  changes  more  or  less  every  season.  In  some 
places  there  are  quicksands ;  in  which  wagons  sink  so 
deep,  that  they  are  extricated  with  the  greatest  diffi- 
culty, and  are  sometimes  lost.  The  freshets  that  take 
place  are  owing  to  the  melting  of  the  snows  in  the 
Rocky  Mountains.  These  are  not  of  yearly  occur- 
rence; for  during  the  summers  of  1851  and  '52,  there 
were  none.  The  river  not  only  did  not  swell  or  over- 
flow its  banks,  but  in  the  former  year  it  became  quite 
dry  near  El  Paso,  all  the  water  being  transferred  to 
the  acequias. 

A  mistaken  idea  prevails  in  regard  to  the  great 
advantage  of  artificial  irrigation  over  that  of  natural 
rains.  It  is  true  that  where  the  cultivator  can  depend 
upon  an  ample  supply  of  water  at  all  seasons  in  the 
irrigating  canals,  he  possesses  an  advantage  over  him 
who  relies  exclusively  on  nature.  But  the  misfortune 
is,  that  when  water  is  most  needed,  the  supply  is  the 
scantiest.  In  February  and  March  there  is  always 
enough  for  the  first  irrigation.  In  April  and  May  the 
quantity  is  much  diminished ;  and  if  the  rise,  expected 
to  take  place  the  middle  of  May,  fails,  there  is  not 
enough  to  irrigate  properly  all  the  fields  prepared  for 
it.     The  consequence  is,  a  partial  failure  of  the  crop. 


188  EL   PASO    AND 

In  1851  many  large  tracts  of  land  near  El  Paso,  which 
were  planted  in  the  spring,  and  through  which  irrigat- 
ing canals  were  dug  at  a  great  cost,  produced  nothing ; 
and  I  was  told  by  a  gentleman  at  San  Eleazario, 
twenty-five  miles  below  El  Paso,  that  the  summer  of 
1852  was  the  first  one  in  five  years  when  there  had 
been  sufficient  to  irrigate  all  the  lands  of  that  vicinity 
which  had  been  put  under  cultivation.  The  value  of 
lands  dependent  on  artificial  irrigation  is  much  lessen- 
ed when  this  fact  is  known. 

Much  has  been  said  of  the  great  value  of  the  Me- 
silla  valley  on  the  Mexican  bank,  some  thirty  or  forty 
miles  above  El  Paso.  We  have  a  similar  valley  on  our 
side  of  the  Rio  Grande,  as  well  situated  and  equally 
productive.  We  have  besides  more  than  two  thousand 
miles  of  this  river  bottom,  between  the  source  of  the 
Rio  Grande  and  its  mouth.  Where  the  hills  and 
mountains  approach  close  to  the  stream,  there  is  of 
course  little  or  no  bottom  land ;  while  at  other  places, 
it  varies  from  a  hundred  yards  to  four  miles  in  width. 
But  of  this  fertile  land  not  one  tenth  part  can  ever  be 
regularly  and  successfully  cultivated,  owing  to  the  un- 
certainty of  the  supply  of  water.  The  Rio  Grande  re- 
ceives no  tributary  for  more  than  four  hundred  miles, 
reckoning  above  and  below  El  Paso ;  and  if  there 
is  now  found  to  be  not  water  enough  even  for  the 
limited  district  near  that  town,  what  is  to  be  done 
with  the  vast  tract  along  the  river  below  in  a  time  of 
scarcity  ? 

The  houses  at  El  Paso  are  all  of  one  story,  and 
built  of  adobe,  i.  e.  the  mud  of  the  valley  formed  into 
bricks  from  twelve  to  eighteen  inches  long,  and  four 


VALLEY    OF    THE    RIO    GEA.NDE. 


189 


inches  thick,  and  baked  in  the  sun.  This  material, 
with  slight  repairs,  will  endure  for  centuries.  Some- 
times chopped  straw  and  gravel  are  mixed  with  it, 
which  greatly  improves  its  quality.  The  houses  of  the 
better  classes  are  large,  and  built  in  the  form  of  a  hollow 
square.  The  walls  are  from  two  to  three  feet  in  thick- 
ness, and  have  but  few  openings.  When  plastered 
and  whitewashed  they  look  very  neat,  and  make  com- 
fortable dwellings.  All  the  floors  are  laid  with  mud, 
concrete,  or  brick.  Such  a  thing  as  a  wooden  floor  is 
unknown  in  the  country.  This  mode  of  building,  as 
well  as  the  material,  is  precisely  that  adopted  by  the 


Jill* 

HIS     #§p 


Chnrch  and  Plaza,  El  Paso. 


ancient  Assyrians,  and  practised  at  the  present  day  on 
the  banks  of  the  Euphrates  and  the  Nile.     From  the 


190  EL    PASO    AND 

East  the  style  was  introduced  into  Spain  by  the  Moors, 
and  by  the  Spaniards  was  taken  to  Mexico.  Moorish 
capitals  and  ornaments  are  still  visible  both  in  the  fine 
dwelling  and  the  humble  cottage  in  northern  Mexico. 
There  is  a  venerable  looking  church  here,  constructed 
of  adobe,  which  the  cura,  Ramon  Ortiz,  informed  me 
had  been  built  more  than  two  hundred  years. 

Window  glass  is  not  used  here.  The  ordinary 
dwellings  of  the  poorer  class  have  no  windows.  The 
larger  ones  are  entered  by  a  large  gateway,  and  have 
a  few  barred  openings  on  the  street.  The  other  three 
sides  present  externally  an  unbroken  and  prison-like 
appearance.  To  all  other  parts  of  the  house  the  light 
is  admitted  through  windows  or  doors  opening  on 
the  inner  area.  As  the  period  is  short  during  which 
the  weather  requires  the  houses  to  be  closed,  the  occu- 
pants make  them  sufficiently  warm  by  covering  the 
opening  with  muslin  or  white  cotton.  Fires  are  but 
little  used,  except  for  cooking ;  and  although  it  is  cold 
enough  at  times,  the  people  manage  to  get  along 
somehow  through  the  winter  without  them. 

Until  the  advent  of  the  Americans  after  the  Texan 
annexation  and  the  Mexican  war,  the  Pasenos  were  a 
most  primitive  people.  There  was  no  town  of  any  note 
nearer  than  Chihuahua,  in  Mexico,  three  hundred  miles 
distant,  and  San  Antonio,  on  the  eastern  side,  six 
hundred  and  seventy  miles  off.  Hence  they  saw  few 
strangers,  and  enjoyed  few  of  the  luxuries  of  their 
civilized  brethren.  A  metate  stone  on  which  to  grind 
their  corn  and  wheat,  and  a  few  articles  of  coarse 
pottery,  constituted  the  utensils  of  the  poorer  classes 
for  eating,  drinking,  and  cooking.     At  present   they 


VALLEY    OF    THE    RIO    GRANDE.  191 

obtain  every  thing  that  can  be  transported  thither 
by  wagons,  though,  of  course,  at  a  greatly  enhanced 
cost.  The  price  of  labor  too  has  doubled,  and  in 
some  cases  quadrupled.  Day  laborers  (Mexican) 
receive  five  reals  (sixty-two  and  a  half  cents),  and  find 
themselves.  Mechanics,  who  are  chiefly  Americans, 
command  very  high  wages.  Carpenters  and  black- 
smiths earn  three  dollars  a  day,  and  when  they  take 
jobs,  much  more.  Corn  (maize),  in  the  winter  of 
1850-51,  brought  from  seven  to  eight  dollars  a  fanega 
of  two  bushels  and  five  eighths,  although  the  following 
year  it  fell  to  five  dollars. 

There  are  now  two  flour  mills  at  the  falls  near  El 
Paso ;  one  on  the  Mexican  side,  belonging  to  Ponce  de 
Leon,  and  one  on  the  American  side,  belonging  to 
Mr.  E.  Hart.  The  latter  is  a  fine  establishment,  and 
now  supplies  the  United  States  troops  here  with 
flour.  In  1850-51  flour  was  selling  here  from  ten  to 
twelve  and  a  half  cents  per  pound. 

There  are  a  few  respectable  old  Spanish  families  at 
El  Paso,  Avho  possess  much  intelligence,  as  well  as  that 
elegance  and  dignity  of  manner  which  characterized 
their  ancestors.  Among  these  may  be  found  many 
names  which  are  illustrious  in  Spanish  history  and 
literature.  But  there  is  no  great  middle  class,  as  in 
the  United  States  and  England.  A  vast  gulf  inter- 
venes between  these  Castilians  and  the  masses,  who 
are  a  mixed  breed,  possessing  none  of  the  virtues  of 
their  European  ancestors,  but  all  their  vices,  with  those 
of  the  aborigines  superadded.  The  Indian  physiogno- 
my is  indelibly  stamped  upon  them ;  and  it  requires 
little  sagacity  to   discriminate  between  the  pure  and 


192  EL    PASO    AND 

the  mixed  race.     The  latter  are  generally  very  dark, 
though  some  are  seen  of  fairer  complexion. 

The  upper  class  dress  as  we  do.  Among  the 
inferior  classes,  the  men  wear  a  short  jacket  with 
large  white  cotton  drawers,  over  which  are  drawn  pan- 
taloons, open  at  the  outer  side,  from  the  hip  down. 
Along  this  are  rows  of  gilt  buttons  and  other  orna- 
ments. Around  the  waist  a  red  silk  sash  is  generally 
worn.  The  whole  is  covered  with  a  serape  or  blanket 
in  cold  weather.  All  the  women  wear  the  reboso — a 
scarf  thrown  over  the  head  and  around  the  shoulders : 
it  is  made  of  silk  or  cotton,  and  costs  from  one  to. 
thirty  dollars.  The  most  respectable  ladies  generally 
appear  in  the  street  in  black,  but  at  evening  par- 
ties the  richest  and  most  gaudy  articles  are  worn. 
Smoking  is  indulged  in  by  all  classes,  and  by  both 
sexes.  It  is  not  considered  proper,  however,  for 
young  gentlemen  or  ladies  to  smoke  before  their 
parents.  I  noticed  the  same  respect  shown  by  all 
at  an  entertainment  when  the  Bishop  of  Durango 
was  present.  After  dinner  cigars  were  brought  in. 
Every  gentleman  helped  himself,  and  retired  to 
another  room  to  smoke,  leaving  his  reverence  and 
myself  alone. 

El  Paso,  on  the  Mexican  side  of  the  river,  which  I 
have  been  describing,  contains  about  five  thousand 
inhabitants ;  but  the  number  would  be  much  increased 
by  including  the  many  ranchos  and  haciendas  below 
the  town,  which  properly  appertain  to  it.  On  the 
American  side  there  are  but  few  houses ;  and  these 
may  be  divided  into  three  groups  or  settlements.  The 
first  is  Coons'  Rancho.   This  was  the  first  settlement,  and 


VALLEY    OF    THE    RIO    GRANDE.  193 

was  the  military  post  for  about  three  years,  under  the 
command  of  Major  Van  Home.  Many  of  the  build- 
ings are  now  unoccupied. 

About  one  and  a  half  miles  below  is  the  principal 
village,  which  was  established  by  James  W.  Magoffin, 
Esq.,  a  gentleman  from  Missouri,  and  one  of  the  oldest 
American  settlers  in  the  country.  This  place  is  called 
Magoffinsville,  and  was  the  head-quarters  of  the  Boun- 
dary Commission  while  in  the  country.  Its  enterpris- 
ing proprietor  has  erected  around  a  large  open  square 
some  of  the  best  buildings  in  the  country,  which  are 
now  occupied  as  stores  and  warehouses.  This  is  an 
admirable  situation  for  a  town,  and  will,  no  doubt,  be 
the  centre  of  the  American  settlements  at  El  Paso.* 
An  acequia  now  runs  through  the  square,  and  the  land 
around  is  of  the  finest  quality.  A  mile  further  east  is  a 
large  rancho  belonging  to  Mr.  Stevenson,  around  which 
is  a  cluster  of  smaller  dwellings. 

About  ten  miles  below  El  Paso  is  an  island  some 
twenty  miles  in  length ;  it  is  one  of  the  most  fertile 
spots  in  the  whole  valley,  and  has  been  cultivated 
since  the  first  settlement  of  the  country.  On  this 
island,  which  belongs  to  the  United  States,  are  the  towns 
of  Isleta,  Socorro,  and  San  Eleazario,  chiefly  inhabited 
by  Mexicans.  Of  these  San  Eleazario  is  the  larger,  and 
was  the  old  Presidio  or  military  post  on  the  frontier. 
It  contains  many  respectable  Spanish  families,  and  some 
few  Americans.     It   is   now  the  seat  of  the  county 

*  The  exact  position  of  the  centre  of  this  plaza  or  square,  as  deter- 
mined by  Lieut.  Whipple,  is  31°  46'  05",  5  north  latitude,  and  1°  5' 
24//  longitude  west  from  Greenwich.  The  distance  due  south  to  the 
centre  of  the  channel  of  the  Rio  Grande  is  2,226  feet. 

VOL.  I. 13 


194 


EL    PASO    AND 


courts.  The  church  and  presidio  are  in  a  ruined  state  ; 
they  were,  nevertheless,  occupied  by  our  troops  for  a 
couple  of  years  after  the  Mexican  war. 


Presidio  of  San  Eleazario. 


North  of  the  town,  after  leaving  Mr.  Hart's  mill 
and  rancho,  which  are  near  the  dam,  the  first  building  is 
White's  Rancho  or  Frontera,  eight  miles  above.  There 
is  no  valley  or  bottom  land  in  all  this  distance,  as  the 
mountain  chain  here  crosses  the  river.  Frontera  was 
used  as  an  astronomical  observatory  by  the  Commis- 
sion during  its  operations  in  this  district.  Soon  after 
we  gave  it  up  it  was  destroyed  by  the  Apaches.  It 
has  nothing  as  a  position  to  recommend  it.  Above 
this  point  the  valley  remains  in  its  natural  state. 
Some  lands  were  ploughed  and  sown  in  1851  ;  but  the 


VALLEY    OF    THE    RIO    GRANDE.  195 

water  failed,  and  with  it  the  crops.  At  Fort  Fillmore, 
about  forty  miles  above  El  Paso,  is  the  next  settle- 
ment. Between  this  and  Frontera  there  is  a  broad 
alluvial  bottom  of  great  richness,  unsurpassed  by  the 
Mesilla  valley  opposite,  or  any  portion  of  the  valley 
of  the  Rio  Grande. 

The  mountain  chain  through  which  the  river  has 
here  worked  a  passage,  is  but  a  spur  of  a  higher 
range,  which,  about  two  miles  east  of  the  river,  rises 
to  the  height  of  1,500  feet.  This  range  extends  in  a 
northerly  direction,  but  is  not  continuous.  About 
twenty  miles  to  the  north,  it  gradually  drops  off", . 
leaving  a  passage  of  several  miles,  when  it  again  rises 
to  a  greater  height,  into  the  Sierra  de  los  Organos,  or 
Organ  Mountains,  so  named  from  their  numerous  pina- 
cles,  which,  at  a  distance,  resemble  the  pipes  of  an 
organ.  Both  the  Spaniards  and  the  aborigines  dis- 
play a  much  better  taste  in  the  appellations  given  by 
them  to  mountains,  and  other  objects  of  natural 
scenery,  than  is  usually  exhibited  by  our  people. 
Their  names  are  significant  of  the  appearance  which 
the  mountain  assumes,  while  ours  are  christened  after 
some  military  officer  or  politician,  who  may  have 
made  a  little  noise  in  his  day,  but  may  have  never 
been  near  the  locality  which  bears  his  name.  The 
portion  near  El  Paso  is  without  timber ;  but  the 
Organ  range,  which  abounds  in  deep  gorges  and 
ravines,  is  covered  with  heavy  pine  forests  to  its  very 
summit.  The  valleys,  too,  and  the  rounded  hills, 
which  are  composed  of  the  debris,  present  many 
groves  of  oaks.  On  the  opposite  side  of  the  river, 
arising  from  the  spurs  or  lesser  chain,  which  connect 


196       EL    PASO    AND   VALLEY    OF    THE    RIO    GRANDE. 

it  with  the  range  on  the  eastern  side,  is  another  ele- 
vated chain,  much  broken  and  very  rugged.  This  is 
without  timber  and  quite  barren. 

Cactaceous  plants  abound  on  these  mountain  sides, 
and  on  the  spurs  leading  from  them.  The  yucca, 
Spanish  bayonet,  mezquit,  larrea,  and  the  various 
plants  peculiar  to  desert  regions,  and  the  great  pla- 
teau are  found  here.  The  lower  spurs  and  intervening 
valleys  are,  in  many  places,  covered  with  grama  grass. 
The  bottom  lands  are  not  grassy,  as  many  suppose,  but 
are  entirely  bare,  save  in  isolated  spots ;  hence  it 
is  necessary  to  drive  mules  and  cattle  to  these  hills 
and  valleys  to  feed.  There  are,  however,  some  por- 
tions of  the  higher  valley  above  Frontera  where  graz- 
ing is  to  be  found. 

The  height  of  the  valley  at  El  Paso  was  found 
to  be  3,800  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  At 
Dona  Ana,  sixty  miles  above,  on  the  river  bottom, 
4,060  feet.  At  Albuquerque,  about  two  hundred  and 
fifty  miles  above  El  Paso,  Dr.  Wislizenus  found  the 
elevation  to  be  about  one  thousand  feet  higher ;  and 
supposing  the  circuitous  course  of  the  river  through 
this  distance  to  amount  to  four  hundred  miles,  the  fall 
of  its  water  would  be  on  an  average  two  and  a  half 
feet  per  mile.  But  the  sinuosities  bear  a  greater  pro- 
portion than  this  to  the  distance ;  for,  in  a  direct  line 
of  about  thirty  miles  from  El  Paso  to  the  initial  point, 
surveyed  by  Mr.  Radziminski,  Principal  Assistant  Sur- 
veyor of  the  Commission,  the  river  was  found  to 
measure  a  fraction  less  than  ninety  miles. 


EL    PASO    TO    THE    COPPER    MINES.  197 


CHAPTER  IX. 

EL    PASO    TO    THE    COPPER    MINES. 

Observations  on  the  Eio  Grande,  from  El  Paso  to  Dona  Ana — Establish- 
ment of  the  Initial  Point,  and  ceremonies  connected  therewith — 
Description  of  Dona  Ana — Mesilla — Eoute  to  Santa  Barbara — Visit  to 
ruins — Mirage — Route  to  the  River  Mimbres — Luxuriant  vegetation  on 
its  banks — "  Giant  of  the  Mimbres  " — Ojo  Caliente — A  broken  arm — 
Arrival  at  the  Copper  Mines — Description  and  history  of  the  Mines — 
Value  of  the  timber  in  the  vicinity — Abundance  of  game — Scarcity  of 
vegetables — Visit  to  Sonora  projected. 

April  19,  1851.  The  members  of  the  Commission  not 
on  duty,  the  Quarter-master  and  the  Commissary,  with 
all  that  appertained  to  their  departments,  had  already 
taken  their  departure  and  established  themselves  at 
the  Copper  Mines.  Having  made  my  arrangements  to 
move  this  morning,  I  took  leave  of  my  friends  with 
many  regrets.  I  had  now  been  at  El  Paso  five  months, 
and  departed  with  the  intention  of  reaching  the  shores 
of  the  Pacific  before  my  return.  A  wild  and  barren 
region  lay  before  us,  destitute  of  inhabitants  save  hos- 
tile bands  of  Indians  which  roamed  over  the  deserts  or 
hid  themselves  in  the  fastnesses  of  the  mountains ;  where 
water  was  exceedingly  scarce,  where  there  was  but  lit- 
tle sustenance  for  our  animals,  and  where  we  could 
expect  no  assistance  in  case  our  provisions  fell  short. 


198  EL    PASO 

Yet,  with  these  prospects  before  us,  I  had  every  reason 
to  believe,  if  the  officers  we  were  waiting  for  should 
soon  present  themselves,  that  by  letting  the  surveying 
parties  at  once  take  the  field  in  various  sections  of  the 
work,  we  should  be  able  to  complete  the  survey  of  the 
line  which  constitutes  the  southern  boundary  of  New 
Mexico,  as  well  as  of  the  River  Gila  to  its  junction 
with  the  Colorado,  and  return  to  El  Paso  before  win- 
ter set  in. 

Our  first  stop  was  for  an  hour  or  two,  at  the  astro- 
nomical observatory  at  Frontera;  soon  after  leaving 
which,  one  of  my  mules  was  attacked  with  colic, 
probably  from  eating  green  grass.  This  delayed  us 
for  some  time.  Various  inward  remedies  were  resorted 
to,  without  apparent  effect,  when  the  poor  creature 
was  rolled  and  pounded  by  the  ■  merciless  teamsters, 
until  I  thought  there  was  no  life  in  him  ;  nevertheless, 
this  rude  treatment  seemed  to  answer :  for  at  length 
we  were  enabled  to  drive  him  along.  We  continued 
our  journey,  and  encamped  in  the  Alamos,  or  cotton 
woods,  twenty-eight  miles  from  El  Paso.  After  leaving 
that  town,  the  road  winds  over  a  wild,  rugged,  and 
hilly  country,  for  nearly  eight  miles.  These  hills  are 
the  spurs  of  the  mountain  ranges,  through  which  the 
Rio  Grande  forces  its  passage.  They  consist  chiefly  of 
limestone,  which  often  appears  above  the  surface,  or 
projects  from  the  hill  sides.  Many  organic  remains 
are  here  found.  There  is  no  bottom  land  for  the  entire 
distance ;  nor  is  there  sufficient  space  by  the  river's 
bank  even  for  a  road  or  mule  path :  consequently  the 
way  is  very  difficult  and  tortuous  until  the  hills  are 
passed.     The  bottom  land   does  not  appear  for  some 


TO    THE    COPPER    MINES.  199 

distance  beyond  the  observatory  or,  White's  Rancho. 
The  only  vegetation  on  this  barren  district,  is  the 
mezquit  chapporal,  the  larrea  Mexicana,  wild  sage, 
yucca,  and  Spanish  bayonet.  In  some  places,  are 
patches  of  grama  grass.  On  the  immediate  banks  of 
the  river,  are  cotton-wood  trees,  but  none  elsewhere. 
All  Americans  who  visit  this  district,  express  their 
surprise  that  the  Mexicans,  when  they  came  out  to 
intercept  the  march  of  the  American  army,  under 
Colonel  Doniphan,  did  not  fortify  this  pass,  and  make 
a  stand  here,  instead  of  facing  our  troops  on  the  open 
plain  at  Bracito,  a  few  miles  beyond. 

A  large  piece  of  bottom  land  has  just  been  ploughed 
up  and  put  under  cultivation,  by  Mr.  Magoffin,  about 
twelve  miles  above  Frontera,  the  only  cultivated  spot 
between  El  Paso  and  Cruces,  a  distance  of  nearly  fifty 
miles.  The  first  step  to  be  taken  in  bringing  these 
lands  under  cultivation,  is  to  dig  a  large  ditch  from 
the  river  some  distance  above,  and  bring  the  water 
through  the  land.  This  is  always  kept  full,  and  to 
make  it  available,  the  surface  of  the  water  should  be 
a,bove  the  level  of  the  ground,  and  supported  by 
embankments.  When  it  is  required  for  irrigating 
purposes,  the  bank  is  opened,  and  the  water  suffered 
to  overflow  the  land.  The  necessary  canals  were  here 
dug,  the  ground  ploughed,  and  the  seed  put  in  ;  but 
unfortunately  (as  I  afterward  heard),  the  river  did 
not  rise,  the  canals  and  ditches  remained  dry,  no  rain 
fell,  and  the  whole  crop  failed.  The  place  was  then 
abandoned.  Such  is  the  uncertainty  of  crops  in  the^ 
Rio  Grande  Valley. 


200  EL    PASO 

April  20th.  Moved  from  camp  at  7  o'clock,  and 
continued  our  journey  along  the  bottom.  Whenever 
we  approached  the  river,  there  were  more  trees,  fine 
groves  of  large  cotton-wood,  with  occasional  mezquit 
marking  the  valley.  The  road  is  excellent,  and  con- 
tinues so  without  any  repairs,  except  after  rains,  when 
it  becomes  almost  impassible.  At  such  times,  wagons 
pursue  a  course  lying  at  a  distance  from  the  bottom, 
and  over  the  edge  of  the  gravelly  plateau,  which  is 
never  affected  by  rains.  The  soil  of  the  whole  valley 
or  bottom  of  the  Rio  Grande,  is  not  surpassed  for 
fertility,  in  the  world.  One  thing  alone  is  lacking  to 
render  it  at  all  times  productive,  namely,  water.  For 
the  want  of  this,  a  large  portion  of  this  rich  bottom  is 
■destitute  of  grass,  and  has  but  little  shrubbery. 

Passed  the  small  town  of  Cruces,  a  recently  estab- 
lished place,  eight  miles  from  Dona  Ana,  soon  after, 
where  we  soon  arrived.  As  the  train  was  still  several 
miles  behind,  I  accepted  the  invitation  of  Captain 
Buford  of  the  Dragoons,  to  take  up  my  quarters  with 
him. 

April  23d  Crossed  the  Rio  Grande  to  the  camp 
of  Mr.  Salazar,  the  Astronomer  of  the  Mexican  Com- 
mission, to  learn  if  General  Conde  had  arrived.  After- 
wards rode  to  the  neighboring  hills,  across  which  the 
line  would  pass,  with  the  view  of  selecting  a  conspicu- 
ous spot  for  a  monument.  The  bank  near  the  river 
not  being  sufficiently  elevated,  I  determined  to  place 
a  small  monument  with  inscriptions  there,  and  to  erect 
a  large  pyramidal  one  on  a  lofty  conical-shaped  hill, 
which  itself  .appeared  like  an  artificial  structure  at  a 


TO    THE    COPPER   MINES.  201 

distance.  The  line  passed  directly  over  this,  and  a 
monument  upon  it  would  be  seen  for  a  great  distance 
in  every  direction. 

April  2<Lth.  The  day  having  arrived  upon  which 
it  was  agreed  that  the  Initial  Point,  where  the  southern 
boundary  of  New  Mexico  intersects  the  Rio  Grande, 
should  be  established,  the  documents  signed,  and  the 
point  marked,  it  seems  proper  that  I  should  briefly 
relate  the  history  of  this  important  portion  of  my  duties 
as  Commissioner  under  the  5th  Article  of  the  Treaty  of 
Guadalupe  Hidalgo. 

Under  the  date  of  December  3d,  1850, 1  spoke  of 
the  meetings  of  the  Joint  Commission,  and  of  the 
difficulties  that  lay  in  the  way  of  a  speedy  agreement 
as  to  the  boundary  between  the  Rio  Grande  and  the 
Gila,  in  consequence  of  two  gross  errors  in  the  map  to 
which  the  Commissioners  were  confined  by  the  treaty. 
It  was  discovered  that  the  Rio  Grande  was  laid  down 
on  this  map,  more  than  two  degrees  too  far  to  the 
eastward — the  river,  where  it  is  intersected  by  the 
southern  boundary  of  New  Mexico,  being  really  in 
106°  40'  west  longitude,  instead  of  104°  40'.  The 
other  error  was  in  the  position  of  the  town  of  El  Paso, 
which  appears  on  this  map  to  be  but  seven  or  eight 
minutes  below  the  3 2d  parallel,  while  its  actual  distance 
is  thirty  minutes  further  south.  After  several  meetings, 
involving  much  discussion,  the  Joint  Commission  agreed 
to  fix  the  Initial  Point  on  the  Rio  Grande  at  the  latitude 
given  by  the  map,  without  any  reference  to  its  distance 
from  El  Paso ;  and  to  extend  it  westward  from  that 
point  three  degrees,  without  reference  to  where  the 
line  so  prolonged  should  terminate.     This  being  agreed 


202  EL    PASO 

upon,  the  acting  Chief  Astronomer,  Lieutenant  A.  W. 
Whipple,  on  the  part  of  the  United  States,  and  Don 
Jose  Salazar,  the  Chief  Astronomer  on  the  part  of 
Mexico,  were  directed  to  "measure,  according  to 
Disturn  ell's  Map,  edition  of  1847,  the  distance  between 
latitude  32°  and  the  point  where  the  Rio  Grande  strikes 
the  Southern  Boundary  of  New  Mexico  ;  and  also  the 
length  of  the  Southern  Boundary  line  of  New  Mexico 
from  that  point  to  its  extreme  western  termination," 
and  to  report  the  result  of  their  examinations  to  the 
Commissioners  at  the  earliest  period  practicable. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  Commission  held  on  the  25th 
day  of  December,  the  following  report  was  presented : 

"  In  accordance  with  resolutions  passed  on  the  20th 
instant,  at  an  official  meeting  of  the  United  States  and 
Mexican  Boundary  Commissioners,  we,  the  under- 
signed, have  this  day  met  for  the  purpose  therein 
indicated. 

"  With  a  certified  copy  of  the  Treaty  Map  before 
us,  we  proceeded  to  make  a  scale  of  minutes  of  latitude, 
by  dividing  into  120  equal  parts,  the  length  of  that 
portion  of  a  meridian  laid  down  upon  the  map  between 
the  parallels  of  32°  and  34°  of  north  latitude. 

"  In  a  similar  manner  we  found  a  scale  of  minutes 
of  longitude  for  that  degree  of  latitude,  which  passes 
through  points  of  the  Southern  Boundary  of  New 
Mexico,  as  indicated  upon  the  same  map. 

"  Then  measuring  the  distance  from  the  point 
where  the  middle  of  the  Rio  Grande  strikes  the 
Southern  Boundary  of  New  Mexico,  south  to  the 
parallel  of  latitude  marked  32°,  and  applying  it  to  our 
scale  of  minutes  of  latitude,  we  found  the  length  equal 


TO    THE    COPPER   MINES.  203 

to  22'  of  arc.  This  reduced  by  Francceur's  tables,  is 
equal  to  40,659  metres  =  25£  English  miles  =  2192 
Geographical  miles. 

"  Finally,  taking  the  distance  from  the  point  afore- 
said to  the  extreme  Western  limit  of  the  Southern 
Boundary  of  New  Mexico,  and  applying  this  distance 
to  our  scale  of  minutes  of  arc  in  longitude,  we  found  it 
to  be  3° ;  which  in  this  latitude,  according  to  tables 
of  Francoeur  is  equal  to  2822202  metres  =  17528 
English  miles  =  15414  Geographical  miles. 

' '  Therefore,  according  to  this  determination,  the 
point  where  the  middle  of  the  Rio  Grande  strikes  the 
Southern  Boundary  of  New  Mexico,  is  22'  of  arc  north 
of  the  parallel  of  latitude  marked  32°  upon  the  map. 
From  the  same  point  thence  the  Southern  Boundary 
of  New  Mexico  extends  3°  to  its  Western  termina- 
tion. 

"Signed,  A.  W.  WHIPPLE, 

"  Lieut.  U.  S.  Topographical  Engineers, 
JOSE  SALAZAR 
Y  Larregui. 

'•< Paso  del  Norte,  December  23d,  1850." 

The  Astronomers  were  now  directed  to  determine 
the  point  referred  to  by  astronomical  observation ;  and 
as  soon  as  the  weather  permitted,  they  entered  on  the 
performance  of  their  duties.  On  the  10th  of  April, 
Lieut.  Whipple  informed  me  that  Mr.  Salazar  and  him- 
self had  agreed  upon  a  point  on  the  Rio  Grande,  the 
result  of  nearly  five  hundred  observations  on  eleven 
stars,  which  they  recommended  to  the  Joint  Commis- 


204  EL    PASO 

sion,  to  be  adopted  as  the  boundary  point,  at  32°  22' 
north  latitude. 

The  Joint  Commission  therefore  met  at  the  place 
referred  to,  to  • '  establish  the  point  where  (according 
to  the  fifth  Article  of  the  Treaty),  in  the  Boundary 
between  the  two  Republics,  the  Rio  Bravo  or  Grande, 
strikes  the  Southern  Boundary  of  New  Mexico."  At 
this  time  the  Surveyor,  Mr.  A.  B.  Gray,  had  not  arrived, 
although  fourteen  months  since  the  time  of  the 
adjournment  in  California,  and  five  months  after  the 
time  agreed  upon  for  the  meeting  at  El  Paso.  I  then 
proposed  to  General  Conde  the  Mexican  Commissioner, 
that  Lieutenant  Whipple  should  officiate,  as  Principal 
Surveyor  until  the  arrival  of  Mr.  Gray.  To  this  ar- 
rangement General  Conde  signified  his  assent ;  where- 
upon I  addressed  the  following  note  to  Lieutenant 
Whipple,  whose  camp  was  then  near  mine. 

"  In  Camp,  near  the  Initial  Point, 
April  23,  1851. 

"  Dear  Sir  :  The  fifth  Article  of  the  Treaty  of  Gua- 
dalupe Hidalgo,  requires  that  the  two  Governments 
shall  each  appoint  a  Commissioner  and  a  Surveyor,  to 
run  and  mark  the  boundary  line  between  the  two  Re- 
publics. 

"  The  Surveyor  in  behalf  of  the  United  States  has 
not  arrived  ;  and  having  received  no  advice  from  him, 
it  is  impossible  to  conjecture  when  he  will  be  here. 
The  present  is  the  most  propitious  period  of  the  year 
for  field  duty  ;  every  thing  is  in  readiness  for  continu- 
ing the  operations  connected  with  the  survey,  and  the 
Mexican  Commissioner  is  urgent  to  have  the  business 
proceeded  with. 


TO   THE    COPPER   MINES.  205 

"  Under  these  circumstances,  being  unwilling  that 
any  blame  should  attach  to  the  United  States,  by  a  de- 
lay in  the  proceedings  of  the  Joint  Commission,  I  have 
thought  proper,  by  and  with  the  consent  of  the  Mex- 
ican Commissioner,  to  designate  you  to  act  as  Surveyor 
during  the  temporary  absence  of  A.  B-.  Gray,  Esq. 
You  are  therefore  requested  to  be  present  at  the  spot 
fixed  upon  for  the  Initial  Point,  to  take  part  in  the 
ceremonies  as  acting  Surveyor. 

"  I  am  very  respectfully, 

"  Your  obedient  servant, 

"  JOHN  R.  BARTLETT, 

"  Commissioner  U.  S.  Mexican  Boundary  Survey.™ 
"  To  Lieut.  A.  W.  Whipple,  Topog.  Engineers, 

"  Acting  Chief  Astronomer,  U.  S.  B.  Com'n. 

"  In  Camp,  near  Initial  Point,  New  Mexico." 


Lieutenant  Whipple  immediately  complied  with 
my  request,  and  the  Commission  proceeded  to  the 
place  which  had  been  designated  by  the  Astronomers 
as  the  Initial  Point  on  the  Rio  Grande,  escorted  by 
Captain  Buford  of  the  1st  Dragoons,  with  his  com- 
pany. 

We  found  General  Conde  with  the  Mexican  Com- 
mission, the  civil  authorities  of  El  Paso,  and  a  body  of 
Lancers  already  on  the  ground  awaiting  our  arrival. 
The  Joint  Commission  then  held  a  meeting  to  agree 
upon  the  order  of  ceremonies  to  be  observed  on  the 
occasion ;  after  which  we  assembled  around  the  spot 
which  was  to   be   marked,  where   a   post   had   been 


206  EL   PASO 

planted,  and  a  small  excavation  made.  The  document, 
of  which  the  following  is  a  copy,  confirmatory  of  these 
proceedings,  was  read  aloud  in  English  and  in  Spanish, 
by  the  Secretaries,  after  which  it  was  signed  by  the 
Commissioners  and  Surveyors  of  the  two  Commissions, 
and  witnessed  by  the  Secretaries  and  other  individuals 
who  had  been  invited  to  be  present  for  the  purpose. 
It  was  then  placed  in  a  bottle,  with  a  list  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Commission,  and  a  fragment  of  the  Wash- 
ington Monument,  and  was  sealed  up  and  deposited  at 
the  place  designated. 

COPY  OF  DOCUMENT. 

"Be  it  remembered,  that  on  the  twenty-fourth  day 
of  April,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord,  one  thousand  eight 
hundred  and  fifty-one,  the  Commissioners  and  Survey- 
ors, on  behalf  of  the  United  States  and  of  Mexico, 
named  to  run  the  Boundary  Line  between  the  two  Re- 
publics in  conformity  with  the  Treaty  of  Peace,  dated 
at  the  city  of  Guadalupe  Hidalgo,  on  the  second  day  of 
February,  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  forty-eight, 
and  exchanged  at  the  city  of  Queretaro,  on  the  thirteenth 
day  of  May  of  the  same  year,  being  fully  satisfied  with 
the  operations  made,  and  the  results  obtained,  by  the 
Chief  Astronomers  of  the  two  Commissions,  do  estab- 
lish this  point,  on  the  right  bank  of  the  River  Bravo, 
or  Grande  del  Norte,  in  32°  22'  north  latitude,  which 
in  accordance  with  the  provisions  of  the  fifth  Article  of 
said  Treaty,  is  '  the  point  where  it  [the  said  river 
Bravo  or  Grande  del  Norte]  strikes  the  Southern 
Boundary  of  New  Mexico  ' 


TO    THE    COPPER   MINES.  207 

"  Be  it  likewise  remembered  that  the  distance 
from  this  point  to  the  centre  of  the  bed  where  now 
actually  runs  the  River,  in  the  direction  of  the  same 
parallel,  is  (219m  4)  two  hundred  and  nineteen  metres, 
and  four  tenths,  following  the  line  east  from  said 
point. 

"  For  the  greater  solemnity  of  this  act,  appear  as 
witnesses,  on  the  part  of  the  United  States,  Captain 
Abraham  Buford,  of  the  First  Dragoons,  and  Colonel 
Charles  A.  Hoppin,  Aid-de-Camp  to  His  Excellency 
James  L.  Calhoun,  Governor  of  New  Mexico :  And  on 
the  part  of  Mexico,  Mr.  B.  Juan  Jose  Sanchez,  Politi- 
cal Chief  of  the  Canton  of  Bravos,  in  the  State  of  Chi- 
huahua, as  first  authority  of  that  place. 

"Written  in  duplicate,  in  English  and  Spanish,  and 
sealed,  at  the  point  established,  on  the  day  of  the 
month  and  year  aforesaid. 

"Pedro  Garcia  Conde,  Commissioner. 

"  John  Russell  Bartlett,  Commissioner. 

"  Jose  Salazar  Y  Larregui,  Surveyor. 

"A.  W.  Whipple,  Tojpog.  Engr.  Surveyor 
and  Astronomer.'''' 

"  Signed  in  presence  of 

"  Thomas  H.  Webb,  Secretary. 

"  Juan  Jose  Sanchez. 

"Francisco  Jimenez,  Secretary. 

"  A.  Buford,  Bvt.  Capt.  1st  Dragoons. 

"Charles  A.  Hoppin,  Aid-de-Camp  to  Governor  Calhoun  of  New 
Mexico? 

Immediately  after  the  Initial  Point  had  thus  been 
established,  a  plan  was  submitted  by  the  Chief  Astro- 
nomers and  Surveyors  of  the  two  Commissions  to  carry 


208  EL    PASO 

on  the  work  and  mark  the  line.  This  was  accepted  ; 
parties  were  at  once  organized,  and  the  survey  was 
commenced  two  days  after. 

I  have  thought  it  proper,  in  this  my  personal  nar- 
rative, to  relate  briefly  the  principal  events  which  con- 
stituted the  main  objects  of  the  Commission,  and,  in 
so  doing,  to  give  the  particulars  connected  with  the 
establishment  of  the  initial  point  on  the  Rio  Grande 
and  the  southern  boundary  of  New  Mexico.  In  so 
doing  I  have  spoken  merely  of  the  mode  of  determin- 
ing this  boundary,  without,  in  any  manner,  going  into 
the  argument  as  to  its  conformity  with  the  treaty.  My 
readers  can  be  the  judges  of  this.  My  defence  of  the 
point  and  line  established,  with  the  argument  of  Mr. 
Gray  in  opposition  to  them,  was  presented  to  the  Hon. 
Alexander  H.  H.  Stuart,  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  on 
the  7th  of  February,  1853,  on  my  return  from  the  Sur- 
vey, and  ordered  by  the  Senate  to  be  printed.  This 
forms  Senate  Executive  Document  No.  41.  32d  Con- 
gress, 2d  Session. 

After  the  establishment  of  this  important  point,  I 
immediately  made  known  the  particulars  connected 
with  it  to  the  Honorable  Secretary  of  the  Interior. 
(See  my  despatch,  No.  15,  Senate  Document  No.  119. 
3 2d  Congress,  1st  Session,  p.  406,  which  I  append.)* 

*  (J.  R.  Bartlett  to  Mr.  Secretary  Stuart.) 

Mexican  Boundary  Commission, 

San  Rita  del  Cobre  New  Mexico, 
[No.  15.]  May  10th,  1851. 

Sir  :  In  my  last  dispatch,  bearing  date  the  14th  ultimo,  I  had  the 
honor  of  advising  you  of  the  movements  of  Acting  Chief  Astronomer 


TO   THE    COPPER   MINES.  209 

In  order  to  snow  the  views  of  the  government  with 
respect  to  my  proceedings,  particularly  with  reference 
to  the  appointment  of  Lieutenant  Whipple  as  Surveyor 


Lieutenant  A.  W.  Whipple,  preliminary  to  the  establishment  of  the 
initial  point  of  the  boundary  line  on  the  Rio  Grande. 

The  Chief  Astronomers  of  the  two  Commissions  having  mutually 
agreed  upon  and  advised  the  Commissioners  of  the  spot  where,  according 
to  the  results  of  their  united  observations,  the  point  should  be  fixed,  the 
joint  Commission  met  at  the  place  on  the  24th  ultimo,  for  the  purpose 
of  examining  and  ratifying  the  proceedings  of  said  astronomers,  should 
they  be  satisfied  with  regard  to  their  accuracy. 

According  to  the  treaty  of  Guadalupe  Hidalgo,  the  presence  of  the 
Chief  Surveyors  is  required  on  this  occasion.    The  absence  of  Mr.  A.  B. 
Gray  placed  me  in  a  very  delicate  position,  which  was  rendered  still 
more  perplexing  by  the  fact  that  the  same  treaty  distinctly  declares  that 
the  Chief  Surveyor  (no  less  than  the  Commissioner)  shall  be  appointed 
by  the  government ;  and  no  provisions  are  made  for  contingencies  like 
the  present  one ;  nor  have  I  been  clothed  with  power  to  appoint  an 
individual  to  act  temporarily  as  Surveyor.     The  difficulty  was  stated  to 
the  Mexican  Commissioner,  who,  in  reply,  observed,  that  all  the  neces- 
sary arrangements  on  his  part  had  been  made  to  go  forward  with  the 
survey  at  once,  and  he  trusted  that  it  would  be  proceeded  with  accord- 
ingly.    Being  unwilling  that  any  obstacles  in  my  power  to  remove 
should   impede   the   progress    of  this   important  business,  I  did  not 
hesitate  to  make  known  my  readiness  to  assume  the  responsibility  of 
designating   some  one  to  act  in  the  room  of  Mr.  Gray  for  the  time- 
being,  provided  the  Mexican  Commissioner,  in  behalf  of  his  government,., 
would  consent  to  the  course,  and  thus  prevent  or  obviate  any  supposed; 
cause  of  complaint  by  that  Republic  hereafter.     General  Conde  assent- 
ing to  the  proposition,  I  designated  Lieutenant  A.  W.  Whipple  as  Act- 
ing Chief  Surveyor. 

The  Commissioner  and  Surveyor  having  visited  the  spot,  designated 
and  examined  the  observations  made,  conferred  together,  and  being, 
satisfied  with  the  proceedings  of  the  astronomers,  ratified  their  decision,,. 
and  announced  in  the  presence  of  the  assemblage  collected  on.  the- 
occasion,  that  they  then  and  there  established  the  Initial  Point  of  that" 
vol.  I. — 14 


210  EL    PASO 

ad  interim,  and  that  the  work  should  not  be  delayed 
in  consequence  of  Mr.  Gray's  absence,  I  also  append  a 
copy  of  a  letter  addressed  by  Mr.  Secretary  Stuart  to 
the  Honorable  Daniel  Webster  on  this  subject.* 

portion  of  the  boundary  between  the  United  States  and  the  Republic 
of  Mexico,  which  at  32°  22'  north  latitude,  is  to  run  westward  3° 
along  the  whole  southern  boundary  of  New  Mexico. 

And  as  a  further  evidence  of  the  decision  made,  and  arguments 
entered  into  by  the  authorities  representing  and  acting  in  behalf  of  the 
two  Republics,  they  then  deposited  at  the  spot  whereon  the  initial  point 
monument  is  to  be  erected,  a  glass  vessel  containing  a  copy,  in  Spanish 
and  English,  of  the  accompanying  document,  duly  signed,  sealed,  and 
witnessed. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be 

Your  most  obedient  servant, 

JOHN  R.  BARTLETT, 

Commissioner. 
To  the  Hon.  Alex.  H.  H.  Stuari, 

Secretary  of  the  Interior, 
Washington. 


* [Letter  from  the  Hon.  Alex.  H.H.  Stuart  to  the  Hon.  Daniel  Webster.) 

Department  of  the  Interior, 

February  11,  1852. 

Sir  :  I  have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  letter  of 
the  2d  instant,  referring  to  this  Department,  a  communication  addressed 
to  you  in  January,  1852,  by  Jose  Gonzales  de  la  Vega,  Charge  d Af- 
faires ad  interim  of  the  Republic  of  Mexico,  and  complaining  of  the 
delays  which  have  occurred  in  the  progress  of  the  work  connected  with 
the  Mexican  Boundary  Survey.  In  reply  to  the  communication  of  M. 
de  la  Vega,  I  have  to  state,  that  while  it  is  to  be  regretted  that  any  delay 
has  occurred  in  the  vigorous  prosecution  of  the  survey  of  the  boundary 
between  the  two  Republics,  every  thing  has  been  done  by  this  Depart- 
ment with  the  view  to  a  prompt,  energetic,  and  harmonious  action  on 
the  part  of  the  officers  of  the  respective  governments,  in  order  that  the 


TO    THE    COPPER   MINES.  211 

Dona  Ana  is  a  small  town  of  five  or  six  hundred 
inhabitants,  and  stands  upon  a  spur  of  the  plateau, 
fifty  or  sixty  feet  above  the  bottom  lands,  thereby 
commanding  a  wide  prospect  of  the  adjacent  country. 

important  work  upon  which  they  are  engaged  may  be  completed  with- 
out unnecessary  interruption. 

In  reference  to  the  appointment  of  Lieutenant  Whipple  as  Surveyoi 
ad  interim  on  the  part  of  the  United  States,  to  which  M.  de  la  Vega 
refers,  I  will  remark,  that  this  appointment  was  necessary  on  account 
of  the  protracted  and  dangerous  illness  of  Mr.  A.  B.  Gray,  the  Surveyor. 
Lieutenant  Whipple  was  recognized  by  this  government  as  Surveyor  ad 
interim,  and  his  official  acts  in  that  capacity  were,  by  directions  from 
this  Department  to  Mr.  Gray,  to  be  considered  as  binding  on  the  latter 
officer,  who  was  instructed  to  perfect,  by  his  signature,  any  documents 
prepared  requiring  it. 

The  Department  relieved  Lieutenant  Colonel  Graham  from  duty  as 
Chief  Astronomer  of  the  Commission,  and  Lieutenant  Colonel  William 
H.  Emory  was  appointed  to  succeed  him  ;  and  as  the  interests  of  this 
government  seemed  to  require  a  diminution  in  the  number  of  officers 
on  the  part  of  the  United  States,  to  prevent,  as  far  as  practicable,  unne- 
cessary interruption  in  the  progress  of  the  Survey,  and  to  place  the 
organization  of  the  American  Commission  on  a  permanent  footing,  the 
President  also  appointed  Lieutenant  Colonel  Emory  the  Surveyor  on 
the  part  of  the  United  States,  under  the  5th  article  of  the  Treaty  of 
Guadalupe  Hidalgo,  in  the  place  of  A.  B.  Gray,  Esq.,  with  instructions 
to  proceed  at  once  to  the  scene  of  operations,  and  report  to  the  Joint 
Commission. 

It  is  hoped  that  the  Joint  Commission  will  now  proceed  without 
interruption  to  the  close  of  their  operations  on   the   Survey,  and  that 
nothing  will  transpire  on  either  side  to  cause  any  delay  in  the  early 
settlement  of  the  boundaries  between  the  two  Republics. 
I  am,  Sir,  &c, 

ALEX.  H.  H.  STUART, 

Secretary. 
Hon.  Daniel  Webster, 

Secretary  of  State. 

[Senate  Ex.  Document  119.     32d  Congress,  1st  Session,  p.  124.] 


212  EL   PASO 

It  has  been  settled  but  a  few  years,  and  was  selected 
on  account  of  the  broad  and  rich  valley  near,  and  the 
facilities  that  existed  for  irrigating  it.  Its  houses  are 
mostly  of  a  class  called  jacals,  i.  e.  built  of  upright 
sticks,  their  interstices  filled  with  mud,  though  a  better 
class  of  adobe  buildings  have  just  been  erected  along  the 
main  street,  for  the  occupation  of  the  military,  and  for 
places  of  business.  The  central  position  of  Dona  Ana, 
and  its  fine  lands,  led  to  its  selection  for  a  military 
post.  At  the  time  of  my  visit  there  were  two  com- 
panies of  United  States  troops  here  under  the  com- 
mand of  Major  Shepard. 

Six  or  eight  miles  below  Dona  Ana,  on  the  oppo- 
site side  of  the  river,  is  the  town  of  Mesilla,  containing 
between  six  and  seven  hundred  inhabitants,*  a  place 
which  owes  its  origin  to  circumstances  growing  out  of 
the  late  war  with  Mexico.  These  circumstances  it 
may  be  proper  to  relate,  as  well  as  the  origin  of  its 
name. 

Mesilla  is  the  diminutive  of  the  Spanish  word  mesa, 
i.  e.,  table,  also  table-land,  or  plateau,  and  is  applied  to 
a  lesser  plateau  in  the  valley  of  the  Rio  Grande,  beneath 
that  of  the  great  mesa  or  table-land,  which  extends  for 
several  hundred  miles  in  all  directions  from  the  Rio 
Grande.  It  is  situated  on  the  western  side  of  the  Rio 
Grande,  about  fifty  miles  above  El  Paso,  in  latitude 
about  32  degrees  18  minutes  north,  and  until  the 
year  1850  it  was  without  an  inhabitant. 

Immediately  preceding,   and  after  the  war  with 


*  This  was  the  population  in  March,  1851,  as  stated  to  me  by  the 
authorities  of  El  Paso. 


TO   THE    COPPER   MINES.  213 

Mexico,  the  Mexican  population  occupying  the  eastern 
bank  of  the  Rio  Grande  in  Texas  and  New  Mexico 
were  greatly  annoyed  by  the  encroachments  of  the 
Americans,  and  by  their  determined  efforts  to  despoil 
them  of  their  landed  property.  This  was  done  by  the 
latter  either  settling  among  them,  or  in  some  instances 
forcibly  occupying  their  dwellings  and  cultivated 
spots.  In  most  cases,  however,  it  was  done  by  put- 
ting "Texas  head-rights  "  on  their  property.  These 
head-rights  were  grants  issued  by  the  State  of  Texas, 
generally  embracing  640  acres,  or  a  mile  square, 
though  they  sometimes  covered  very  large  tracts. 
They  were  issued  to  persons  who  had  served  in  her 
wars,  like  our  military  land  warrants,  and  also  to  origi- 
nal settlers.  Such  certificates  are  still  bought  and  sold 
in  Texas.  The  owner  of  them  may  locate  his  land 
where  he  pleases,  unless  previously  occupied,  or  in 
lawful  possession  of  another. 

With  these  land  certificates,  or  "head-rights," 
many  Americans  flocked  to  the  valley  of  the  Rio 
Grande,  and  in  repeated  instances,  located  them  on 
property  which  for  a  century  had  been  in  the  quiet 
possession  of  the  descendants  of  the  old  Spanish  colo- 
nists. The  latter,  to  avoid  litigation,  and  sometimes 
in  fear  for  their  lives,  abandoned  their  homes,  and 
sought  a  refuge  on  the  Mexican  side  of  the  river. 
Dona  Ana,  a  modern  town  on  the  eastern  bank  of  the 
Rio  Grande,  being  a  desirable  place,  and  moreover  se- 
lected by  the  United  States  for  one  of  its  military  posts, 
became  an  attractive  point  for  speculators,  and  was  in 
consequence  pounced  upon  by  them,  and  covered  by 
the  Texan  land  warrants.     Whether  the  Mexican  occu- 


214  EL   PASO 

pants  of  the  town  and  lands  adjacent  were  the  lawful 
owners  or  not  it  is  needless  to  investigate ;  it  is  suffi- 
cient to  say  that  they  were  the  first  settlers,  and  had 
long  been  in  undisturbed  possession.  They  now  be- 
came alarmed.  Litigations  commenced.  Some  apply- 
ing to  the  authorities  of  New  Mexico,  Texas,  or  the 
United  States,  for  protection.  Failing  to  obtain  it, 
several  hundred  abandoned  their  property  and  homes 
in  despair,  and  sought  an  asylum  in  Mexican  territory, 
preferring  the  very  uncertain  protection  they  could 
obtain  there  to  remaining  as  citizens  of  the  United 
States. 

With  this  resolution,  a  spot  was  selected  on  the  op- 
posite or  western  side  of  the  river,  six  or  eight  miles 
below  Dona  Ana,  which,  it  was  believed,  would  be 
within  the  limits  of  Mexico.  On  the  1st  March,  1850, 
sixty  Mexicans,  with  Don  Rafael  Ruelas  at  their  head, 
most  of  whom  had  been  domiciled  at  Dona  Ana,  aban- 
doned their  homes  on  account  of  their  many  griev- 
ances, and  moved  to  the  lands  known  as  the  Mesilla, 
where  they  established  themselves.  To  increase  the 
colony,  the  government  of  Mexico  offered  to  give  lands 
to  other  actual  settlers,  which  offer  induced  large  num- 
bers of  dissatisfied  Mexicans  living  in  New  Mexico  and 
in  the  small  settlements  along  the  Rio  Grande,  in 
Texas,  to  remove  there.  More  than  half  the  popula- 
tion of  Dona  Ana  removed  to  Mesilla  within  a  year. 

When  the  boundary  line  was  established  in  April, 
1851,  and  it  became  certain  that  La  Mesilla  was  south 
of  the  boundary  line,  according  to  the  treaty  map, 
their  fears  were  removed,  and  a  day  was  set  apart  for 
public  rejoicing.     For  the  whole  population  had  de- 


TO    THE    COPPER    MINES.  215 

termined  to  abandon  the  place  if  the  boundary  line  had 
run  south  of  the  village,  and  thus  placed  them  under 
the  jurisdiction  of  New  Mexico.  The  day  came,  and 
the  event  was  celebrated  by  firing  of  cannon  and  a 
grand  ball,  which  many  from  El  Paso  attended.  After 
this,  the  population  continued  to  increase ;  in  October, 
1852,  the  Prefect  of  El  Paso  estimated  it  at  1,900 
souls. 

Very  few  Americans  ever  settled  there — in  fact, 
none  but  traders,  and  it  is  probable  that  there  never 
were  twenty  altogether. 

The  lands  at  La  Mesilla  are  of  precisely  the  same 
character  as  other  bottom  lands,  on  the  opposite  bank 
of  the  river,  near  Dona  Ana  and  Cruces ;  and  in  fact, 
as  far  as  the  mountain  pass  above  the  town  of  El  Paso. 

April  27.  Left  Dona  Ana  at  nine  9  a.  m.,  accom- 
panied by  all  the  assistants,  and  others  attached  to  the 
Commission,  except  those  whose  aid  was  required  by 
Lieutenant  Whipple  in  the  duty  he  was  about  to  enter 
upon.  My  train  consisted  of  twelve  wagons,  drawn 
by  five  or  six  mules  each,  and  my  travelling  carriage 
with  four  mules.  The  assistants  rode  on  horses  or 
mules.  We  continued  on  our  course  towards  the 
north,  and  soon  struck  the  great  Jornada  del  Muerto* 
(Deadman's  Journey),  on  the  Santa  Fe  road,  which  we 
followed  for  nine  miles,  when  we  turned  off  to  San 
Diego,  the  old  fording  place.     There  is  no  village  nor 

*  Jornada,  literally,  means  a  day's  journey ;  but  it  does  not  seem  to 
be  used,  except  there  is  a  long  reach,  of  desert  country  without  water. 
It  therefore  is  applied  to  one  or  two  days'  journey.  The  Jornada  del 
Muerto  is  90  miles  across,  without  water,  and  of  the  most  desert-like 
character. 


216  EL    PASO. 

even  a  rancho  here,  although  marked  on  the  map  as  a 
town.  A  great  reddish  bluff,  composed  of  a  conglo- 
merate of  jasper,  quite  detached  from  the  adjacent 
hills,  lay  on  our  left.  As  we  descended  into  the  val- 
ley our  eyes  were  gratified  with  the  sight  of  trees  and 
shrubbery,  and  more  grass  than  we  had  seen  since 
leaving  El  Paso.  In  fording  the  river,  one  of  the 
wagons,  in  consequence  of  diverging  a  little  from  the 
proper  course,  got  into  a  quicksand,  and  was  near 
being  lost.  Continued  our  course  eight  miles  up  the 
stream,  and  encamped  at  half-past  5  p.  m.,  in  a  beauti- 
ful grove  of  cotton-woods,  having  made  twenty-six 
miles.  There  was  excellent  grass  here,  and  in  great 
abundance.  The  wagons  did  not  all  get  up  until  an 
hour  after,  in  consequence  of  the  delay  at  the  ford.  A 
train  of  wagons  belonging  to  the  Commission,  in  at- 
tempting to  cross  a  few  weeks  after,  when  the  water 
was  somewhat  higher,  got  into  the  quicksand.  The 
mules  in  struggling  to  free  themselves,  sank  deeper ; 
and  before  they  could  be  extricated,  all  six  were 
drowned. 

April  28.  Moved  from  camp  at  7  a.  m.,  the  road 
continuing  along  the  river  bottom,  close  to  a  low  range 
of  gravel  hills,  when  we  diverged  to  the  north-west. 
Thick  groves  of  cotton-woods  occurred  at  intervals, 
and  the  whole  valley  was  more  or  less  wooded.  The 
young  grass,  and  the  deep  foliage  of  the  trees,  were 
refreshing  to  our  eyes,  which  for  five  months  had 
gazed  on  little  more  than  stunted  mezquit  bushes,  and 
the  thorny  cactus.  From  the  water  marks  on  the 
trees,  the  river  rises  about  four  feet  above  its  banks, 
inundating  the  bottom  lands  to  the  base  of  the  hills 


TO    THE    COPPER    MINES.      .  217 

which  border  them,  and  rendering  the  valley  impassa- 
ble. There  does  not  seem  sufficient  space  to  cany  a 
road  over  the  hills,  although  there  may  be  a  practicable 
route  within,  which  was  not  visible  to  us.  At  11 
o'clock  we  reached  a  new  settlement  on  the  river's 
bank,  called  Santa  Barbara,  where,  finding  excellent 
grass,  I  determined  to  encamp.  The  road  had  been 
quite  sandy  and  rough  the  fourteen  miles  we  had 
come,  and  as  the  next  water  at  the  mule  spring  was 
twenty  miles  distant,  I  thought  it  prudent  to  go  no 
farther.  The  settlement  consisted  of  a  few  jacal  or 
stick  houses,  part  of  which  were  in  the  process  of  erec- 
tion. A  deep  acequia  was  already  opened,  and  large 
fields  of  wheat  and  corn  were  now  undergoing  the 
process  of  immersion.  Acres  were  covered  with 
water ;  and  the  soil  is  of  so  spongy  a  nature  that  we 
found  it  impossible  to  cross  these  overflowed  places 
with  the  wagons,  so  deeply  did  the  wheels  sink  into  it. 
Herds  of  cattle  and  goats ;  half-naked  Mexicans  with 
their  hoes,  peons  hooting  and  yelling  as  they  urged 
on  their  oxen  with  their  long-pointed  poles  ;  and  the 
primitive  wooden  ploughs,  turning  up  the  virgin  soil, 
exhibited  a  scene  of  industry,  *such  as  I  had  not  before 
witnessed  in  the  valley  of  the  Rio  Grande. 

We  pitched  our  tents  in  a  thick  grove  of  large 
cotton-woods,  near  which  passed  the  acequia;  while 
on  the  opposite  side  was  a  pond  or  laguna,  extending 
a  mile  or  more.  As  this  body  of  water  was  not  wider 
than  the  river,  and  presented  many  sinuosities,  I  think 
it  must  have  been  formerly  the  channel  of  the  Rio 
Grande ;  for,  like  the  Mississippi  and  other  rivers 
which  flow  through  an  alluvial  soil,  it  is  continually 


218  EL    PASO 

changing  its  bed,  where  great  bends  occur.  The 
laguna  is  now  supplied  by  overflows  from  the  river. 
There  were  many  wild  fowl  in  it ;  but  its  banks  were 
so  open,  that  we  could  not  approach  the  game. 

April  29.  Hearing  that  there  were  traces  of  an 
ancient  Indian  settlement  about  half  a  mile  distant, 
Dr.  Webb  went  over  to  examine  it,  while  we  were 
getting  ready  to  move.  He  found  a  good  deal  of 
broken  pottery,  all  of  a  fine  texture.  Some  of  it  bore 
traces  of  red,  black,  and  brown  colors.  He  also  found 
a  stone  mortar  about  eight  inches  in  diameter.  I  have 
since  understood  that  this  was  the  seat  of  one  of  the 
earliest  Spanish  missions  ;  but  it  was  abandoned  more 
than  a  century  ago,  and  no  traces  remain  but  a  few 
heaps  of  crumbling  adobes,  which  mark  the  site  of  its 
dwellings. 

Our  course  on  leaving  camp,  was  south  of  west. 
After  following  the  valley  a  couple  of  miles,  we  began 
to  ascend  a  range  of  high  hills,  over  and  through  which, 
the  road  wound  for  about  twelve  miles,  before  we 
reached  the  highest  level.  In  descending,  the  road 
was  hard  and  smooth  as  a  turnpike,  and  so  continued 
until  we  reached  our  camping  ground,  at  the  foot  of 
the  hills.  To  the  south,  at  some  fifty  or  sixty  miles 
distant,  rose  a  high  mountain,  the  intervening  plain 
presenting  the  most  beautiful  mirage  I  ever  witnessed. 
It  seemed  like  the  surface  of  a  broad  lake,  the  mountain 
peaks  standing  detached,  like  so  many  islands  rising 
from  the  bed  of  its  placid  waters.  If  I  had  not  known 
that  the  region  before  me  was  a  barren  desert,  I  would 
certainly  have  been  deceived. 

Reached  Mule  Spring  at  one   o'clock.     Estimated 


TO    THE    COPPER   MINES. 


219 


distance  travelled  to-day,  twenty-three  miles.  This 
spring  is  in  an  arroyo  or  ravine,  and  contains  but  a  few 
barrels  of  water.  Some  ash  and  cotton-wood  trees 
mark  its  course  from  the  mountains  where  it  rises. 
Colonel  Craig,  when  he  passed  here  with  his  command 
a  few  months  before,  opened  the  spring  and  sunk  a 
barrel  in  it.  The  water  is  very  good.  In  the  rainy 
season,  this  arroyo  is  probably  filled  with  water,  as  the 
trees  and  banks  exhibit  the  marks  of  it. 


Approach  to  Mule  Spring.     Picacho  de  Mimbres. 


April  30th.  On  leaving  Mule  Spring,  we  turned 
nearly  south,  with  a  range  of  mountains  on  our  right. 
This  was  directly  out  of  the  general  course  of  our  route, 
which  was  to  the  north-west ;  but  there  was  no  other 
way  to  pass  the  mountains.  The  road  was  excellent, 
and  we  traversed  it  rapidly,  reaching  Cooke's  Spring, 
twelve  miles  distant,  at  11   o'clock,  where  we  stopped 


220  EL    PASO 

to  water.  This  spring  forms  a  pool,  some  fifty  feet 
across,  surrounded  by  rushes.  The  water  is  a  little 
brackish,  but  the  grass  in  the  vicinity  is  excellent. 
Ascended  a  hill  on  the  south,  which  was  strewn  with 
fragments  of  chalcedony,  of  which  some  fine  specimens 
were  collected.  From  this  hill  the  Organ  Mountains 
were  plainly  seen,  bearing  a  little  south  of  east. 

After  waiting  an  hour  to  let  the  mules  have  the 
benefit  of  the  grass,  we  hitched  up  and  passed  through 
the  canon  or  mountain  defile,  in  a  south-westerly  direc- 
tion, for  three  miles.  This  pass  was  quite  hilly  and 
stony,  with  some  steep  ravines  to  cross,  but  otherwise 
attended  with  no  difficulties  for  wagons.  After  passing 
these  mountains,  our  course  was  north-west  for  eight 
miles,  when  we  reached  the  summit  of  a  high  table-land 
that  lay  before  us.  Here  a  wide  view  opened.  The 
east  was  bounded  by  the  long  range  of  mountains 
which  we  had  followed  on  the  opposite  side  and  crossed 
in  the  morning,  while  on  the  west,  the  broad  undula- 
ting prairie  was  only  here  and  there  interrupted  by 
low  conical-shaped  hills.  At  the  south  and  south-west, 
detached  mountains  appeared  abruptly  springing  from 
the  plain,  with  jagged  and  picturesque  summits,  some 
of  which  must  have  been  fifteen  hundred  feet  in  height. 
In  the  clear  blue  atmosphere  of  this  elevated  plateau, 
every  object  appeared  with  great  distinctness,  so  that 
mountains  could  be  seen  at  a  distance  of  more  than  a 
hundred  miles. 

From  the  plateau  we  were  traversing,  we  could 
discern,  far  in  the  distance,  a  streak  of  dark  green, 
resembling  a  huge  serpent.  Far  as  the  eye  could 
reach,  this  dark  streak  wound  its  way,  now  expanding 


TO    THE    COPPER    MINES.  221 

into  the  plain,  and  again  contracting  its  dimensions 
among  the  hills,  until  it  finally  lost  itself  in  a  high 
range  of  mountains  to  the  north.  This  was  the  long- 
talked-of  River  Mimbres,  the  third  stream  we  had  seen 
since  passing  the  small  water-courses  which  empty  into 
the  Colorado,  in  our  journey  from  San  Antonio  to  El 
Paso,  the  Pecos  and  the  Rio  Grande  being  the  other 
two.  As  we  were  now  on  the  descent,  with  a  smooth 
road,  my  mules  dashed  off  at  full  speed  in  advance  of 
the  train,  followed  by  the  young  men  on  horseback ; 
for  all  were  pretty  well  tired  of  the  desert,  and 
longed  to  feast  their  eyes  on  running  water  again ; 
and  the  ten  miles  which  separated  us  from  the  bank 
above  the  valley  were  soon  passed  over. 

When  we  reached  the  verge  of  the  hills  which  bound 
the  valley  of  the  river,  a  sight  truly  refreshing  present- 
ed itself.  The  bottom  for  nearly  a  mile  in  width  was 
covered  with  verdure,  such  as  we  had  not  seen  since 
leaving  the  rich  valleys  near  Fredericksburg,  in  Texas. 
As  we  rode  rapidly  forward,  we  noticed  a  herd  of 
about  twenty  black-tailed  deer  quietly  grazing  on  the 
luxuriant  grass  of  the  valley.  Disturbed  in  their  soli- 
tude by  the  rattling  of  the  carriage  and  the  tramping 
of  the  horsemen,  they  dashed  away  over  the  plain  in 
single  file,  led  by  a  large  buck.  We  traced  their 
course  for  some  distance,  as  they  bounded  over  the 
hills,  until  lost  in  the  mountain  ravines.  Nearer  the 
river,  other  deer  of  the  same  species  were  seen  brows- 
ing upon  the  willows,  which,  in  like  manner,  darted 
off  at  our  approach. 

We  pitched  our  tents  beneath  a  grove  of  cotton- 
wood  trees,  at  a  short  distance  from  the  river,  when 


222  EL    PASO 

all  hastened  to  taste  its  waters,  and  plunge  into  its  cool 
depths.  Great  was  our  disappointment,  after  the  anti- 
cipations we  had  indulged  in,  at  finding  nothing  but  a 
diminutive  stream  from  ten  to  twenty  feet  in  width, 
and  in  some  places  even  less,  which,  east  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi, would  hardly  be  designated  with  the  name  of 
"creek."  Nevertheless,  it  was  welcomed  by  us  as 
heartily  as  the  Ohio  or  Hudson  would  be  by  travel- 
lers in  more  favored  regions  ;  for  it  answered  all  our 
wants.  Its  water  was  soft  and  delightful  to  the  taste, 
surpassing  that  of  the  Rio  Grande.  This  stream  has 
never  been  traced  to  either  of  its  terminations.  It 
rises  in  the  mountains  north-east  of  the  Copper  Mines, 
and  when  full,  empties  into  Lake  Guzman,  about  one 
hundred  and  thirty  miles  to  the  south ;  but  for  several 
months  in  the  year  it  exists  only  in  pools,  or  dries  up 
entirely  after  reaching  the  plains.  When  the  survey- 
ing parties  crossed  it  six  weeks  later,  about  fifteen 
miles  lower  down,  they  found  it  entirely  dry.  Another 
feature,  which  is  common  to  other  streams  in  Mexico, 
was  noticed  in  the  Mimbres,  namely,  its  sudden  disap- 
pearance or  sinking  into  the  desert,  and  its  re-appear- 
ance some  distance  beyond. 

May  1st  In  camp  on  the  Mimbres.  As  our  ani- 
mals had  been  poorly  fed  since  leaving  El  Paso,  I  deter- 
mined to  remain  here  to-day  to  give  them  the  benefit 
of  the  fine  young  grass.  All  the  party  seemed  to 
enjoy  the  relaxation ;  and  they  sallied  out  after  break- 
fast, some  in  search  of  game,  others  of  the  picturesque. 
For  my  part,  I  took  the  two  together;  for  when  I 
went  to  the  hills  in  search  of  game  I  carried  my 
sketch  book  with  me,  as  it  was  only  among  the  wooded 


TO  THE  COPPER  MINES.  223 

hills,  the  defiles,  and  the  thick  groves  along  the  river 
bottom,  that  game  was  to  be  found ;  and  there,  too, 
was  the  most  picturesque  landscape  scenery,  and  the 
best  field  for  the  exercise  of  my  pencil. 

I  first  walked  down  the  stream  about  two  miles  to, 
a  thick  grove  of  large  cotton-woods.  The  bottom  was 
much  contracted  here ;  nevertheless,  it  was  thickly 
wooded  and  forest-like.  Ash  and  oaks  were  inter- 
spersed among  the  cotton-woods.  Saw  many  signs  of 
turkeys,  but  shot  none  myself.  Some  of  the  party 
were  more  fortunate  and  brought  in  several.  About 
five  miles  north  of  our  camp  the  river  enters  the  hills, 
and  a  little  further  up,  is  closely  hemmed  in  by  lofty 
mountains.  Noticed  wild  roses  in  great  profusion, 
also  wild  hops,  and  the  Missouri  currant.  These,  in 
some  portions  of  the  valley,  were  so  closely  entangled 
together  that  it  was  impossible  for  one  to  work  his  way 
through.  Found  several  old  Indian  encampments, 
with  their  wigwams  standing,  and  about  them  frag- 
ments of  pottery.  Many  well-marked  Indian  trails 
followed  the  river  on  both  sides,  showing  that  it  had 
been,  and  probably  is  now,  a  great  thoroughfare  and 
place  of  resort  for  the  Apaches. 

In  the  afternoon,  Mr.  Bausman,  one  of  our  most 
indefatigable  sportsmen,  came  in  from  a  hunt,  and 
reported  that  he  had  seen-some  remarkable  rocks  about 
five  miles  up  the  river,  to  the  north  of  our  camp,  which 
were  worth  visiting.  I  immediately  had  my  mule 
saddled,  buckled  on  my  pistols,  attached  my  rifle  to 
the  pummel  of  the  saddle,  and  taking  my  sketch  book, 
accompanied  him  to  the  place  referred  to,  which  was 
about  half  a  mile  from  the  river  on  the  western  side. 


224 


EL    PASO 


Arriving  at  the  place,  I  found  some  singular  masses  of 
sandstone  standing  detached  from  the  adjacent  hills, 
one  of  them  bearing  a  curious  resemblance  to  a  man. 
My  timid  mule  was  much  alarmed  at  the  gigantic 
object  which  stood  before  it,  trembling  from  head  to 
foot.  We  therefore  stopped  a  short  distance  from  it 
and  hitched  our  animals  to  an  oak  which  hid  from  view 
the  source  of  their  terror.  Around  us  stood  these 
singular  isolated  rocks,  some  appearing  like  castles, 
others  like  single  pedestals  and  columns.  The  one 
resembling  a  human  figure,  which  is  shown  in  the 
accompanying  sketch,  and  which  I  christened  the 
"  Giant  of  the  Mimbres,"  measured  but  three  feet  in 
its  narrowest  part  near  the  ground  ;   while  its  upper 


Sandstone  rocks.    Rio  Mimbres. 


portion  must  have  been  at  least  twelve  feet  through, 
and  its  height  about  fifty.  Others  of  equal  height 
stood  near.     All  are  disintegrated  near  the  earth,  and 


TO    THE    COPPER    MINES.  225 

are  gradually  crumbling  away,  several  having  already 
fallen.  When  I  had  completed  my  sketch,  we  mounted 
our  mules,  and  hastened  back  to  camp,  which  we  did 
not  reach  until  some  time  after  dark,  my  long  absence 
meanwhile  causing  much  uneasiness.  Several  turkeys 
were  seen  during  our  ride,  and  a  couple  shot.  A 
number  of  fish  of  the  trout  species  were  taken  here. 

May  2d.  Crossed  the  Mimbres,  and  soon  after 
reached  the  level  of  the  table-land,  gradually  ascend- 
ing toward  the  high  mountainous  region  wherein  the 
Copper  Mines  are  situated.  Having  heard  of  the  Ojo 
caliente,  a  remarkable  hot  spring  two  miles  from  the 
road,  I  determined  to  visit  it,  and  accordingly  struck 
off  the  wagon  road,  accompanied  by  all  who  were 
mounted.  A  ride  of  three  or  four  miles  brought  us  to 
the  spot.  This  spring  lies  within  a  crater-like  opening, 
twenty  feet  in  diameter,  on  the  top  of  a  mound  of  tufa 
about  six  hundred  feet  in  circumference  at  its  base, 
and  about  thirty  feet  high,  all  of  which  seems  to  con- 
sist of  the  deposits  made  by  its  waters.  The  tempera- 
ture of  the  water  was  125°  Fahrenheit.  Its  surface  was 
some  six  or  seven  feet  below  the  rim  of  the  basin  ; 
and  its  depth  I  judged  to  be  about  the  same.  Dr. 
Webb  collected  the  gas  which  bubbled  up  from  the 
bottom,  and  found  it  to  be  neither  hydrogen  nor  car- 
bonic acid  gas.  He  consequently  judged  it  to  be 
atmospheric  air.  The  water  was  not  unpleasant  to  the 
taste,  and  would  be  palatable  if  cooled.  Lower  down, 
upon  one  side  of  the  hill,  a  small  spring  burst  out,  and 
at  a  short  distance,  where  it  collected  in  a  pool,  the 
water  was  cool  enough  to  bathe  in  ;  but  even  there  I 
found  it  literally  a  hot  bath.     Mr.  Thurber  discovered 

VOL.  I. 15 


226  EL    PASO 

fresh  water  plants  [algae]  and  insects  flourishing  in 
water  at  this  elevated  temperature. 

Just  at  the  base  of  the  hillock  where  the  water 
accumulates,  is  a  cotton-wood  tree  and  a  few  bushes, 
where  I  hitched  my  mule  before  going  up  to  the  spring. 
On  returning  to  take  her,  I  had  loosened  the  lariat, 
and  was  in  the  act  of  mounting,  when  the  mule  took 
fright  at  something  and  rushed  into  the  bushes.  I 
either  fell  or  was  dragged  off,  and  at  the  same 
time,  the  malicious  beast  struck  out  her  hind  legs, 
and  hit  me  on  my  left  shoulder.  Several  rushed  to 
my  aid,  and  my  left  arm  was  found  to  be  injured. 
After  lying  upon  the  ground  a  short  time,  I  managed, 
with  assistance,  to  walk  about  two  miles  to  the  road, 
where  my  carriage  took  me  up.  We  were  now  about 
eighteen  miles  from  the  Copper  Mines,  and  the  jolting 
of  the  carriage  pained  me  exceedingly ;  but  as  no  re- 
lief could  be  got  until  we  reached  there,  I  pushed  on 
as  fast  as  possible.  We  reached  the  Copper  Mines  at 
3  o'clock,  p.  m.  Colonel  Craig  gave  me  a  warm  wel- 
come, and  took  me  at  once  to  his  quarters,  when  I 
immediately  retired  to  my  cot. 

The  following  day  my  arm  was  examined  by  Doc- 
tors Bigelow  and  Webb  of  the  Commission,  and  Dr. 
White  of  the  army,  who  decided  that  there  was  a  frac- 
ture near  the  shoulder.  The  arm  was  much  swollen 
and  discolored 

I  remained. an  invalid,  confined  to  my  cot  or  chair 
for  two  weeks,  taking  a  little  air  towards  the  end  of 
the  second  week.  During  this  time  my  excellent  and 
lamented  friend,  Colonel  Craig,  paid  me  great  atten- 
tion.    He  watched  me  with  the  care  of  a  mother,  get- 


TO    THE    COPPER    MINES. 


227 


ting  up  frequently"  at  night  to  turn  me  in  my  bed, 
which  for  the  first  week  I  was  unable  to  accomplish 
without  assistance.  This  he  preferred  doing  to  my 
having  a  servant  in  the  room  with  us. 

May  5th.  General  Conde,  with  the  Mexican  Commis- 
sion, arrived  to-day.  After  remaining  three  days,  he 
removed  his  camp  to  the  banks  of  the  Mimbres,  where 
he  believed  he  would  find  sufficient  grass  for  his  animals. 

Santa  Rita  del  Cobre,  as  this  place  is  called  by  the 
Mexicans,  was  for  about  forty  years  an  active  mining 
town.  The  workings  were  commenced  in  the  year 
1804,  and  proving  very  profitable,  a  population  of 
about  600  souls  gathered  around  them  in  the  small 


Valley  of  the  Copper  Mines  from  the  South. 

open   space    which    here    exists    encircled    by    lofty 
mountains.     The  valley  is  so  narrow  here,  as  to  afford 


228  EL    PASO 

only  a  plot  of  about  a  couple  of  acres  for  cultivation, 
and  that  seems  to  have  been  used  as  a  garden.  The 
hills  around  furnish  excellent  grazing  for  any  number 
of  animals ;  but  for  agricultural  productions,  the  popu- 
lation depended  upon  the  cultivated  districts  at  the 
south,  in  the  valley  of  the  San  Miguel  or  Casas 
G-randes,  from  which  they  received  regular  supplies  of 
corn,  flour,  beans  and  other  articles  of  subsistence. 
These  provisions  and  merchandise  were  taken  to  the 
mines  by  large  trains  of  wagons,  either  on  private 
account  or  on  account  of  the  establishment.  There  was 
also  a  considerable  trade  carried  on  with  the  frontier 
towns  in  Sonora.  The  nearest  settlement  was  the  Pre- 
sidio of  Janos,  a  frontier  military  post  on  the  San  Mi- 
guel river,  150  miles  off;  though  the  trains  with  their 
chief  supplies  were  sent  from  the  city  of  Chihuahua, 
situated  at  a  distance  of  400  miles.  The  return  trains 
took  back  copper  ore  :  this  was  afterwards  sent  to  the 
city  of  Mexico,  where,  owing  to  the  superior  quality  of 
the  metal,  it  was  used  chiefly  for  coinage.  It  is  said 
that  the  owner  had  a  contract  with  government  to 
deliver  the  copper  there  at  65  cents  a  pound,  and  that 
sufficient  gold  was  found  in  it  to  pay  all  the  cost  of 
transportation.  I  do  not  doubt  the  truth  of  this  state- 
ment, as  Mr.  Courcier,  who  first  worked  the  mine  to 
advantage,  amassed  a  large  fortune  from  it,  and  Mr. 
McKnight,  his  successor,  also  found  it  very  profitable. 
In  1838,  a  large  train  from  Chihuahua,  with  sup- 
plies, was  attacked  and  overcome  by  the  Apaches  in 
the  canon  leading  to  the  mines.  Such  of  the  contents 
of  the  wagons  as  the  savages  wanted  they  took,  as 
well  as  the  mules  and  horses,  first  giving  each  man 


TO    THE    COPPER   MINES.  229 

who  accompanied  the  train  a  mule  to  carry  him  away. 
At  the  same  time  they  sent  word  to  the  inhabitants  at 
the  Copper  Mines,  that  they  would  allow  no  further 
supplies  to  reach  them,  and,  furthermore,  would  de- 
stroy them  whenever  an  opportunity  offered.  Thus 
cut  off  from  the  means  of  support,  and  surrounded  by 
large  warlike  tribes,  the  people  determined  to  abandon 
the  place.  It  had  consequently  remained  unoccupied 
ever  since,  until  taken  possession  of  by  the  Boundary 
Commission  in  the  present  year,  1851. 

Several  deep  shafts  were  sunk  by  the  Mexicans  in 
the  adjoining  hills  ;  which,  with  the  vast  heaps  and  ex- 
tensive excavations  about  them,  show  that  an  immense 
deal  of  labor  has  been  performed  here.  One  of  the  largest 
shafts  has  been  filled  up  in  consequence  of  the  earth's 
caving  in  ;  as  I  was  told  by  a  Mexican  in  the  employ 
of  the  Commission,  who  said  he  had  lived  here  when 
the  mines  were  worked.  Others  are  obstructed  by 
water,  which  has  accumulated  near  their  entrances. 
Some  of  the  excavations  are  still  accessible,  and  have 
been  explored  by  many.  If  it  should  again  become 
an  object  to  work  the  mines,  they  might  be  cleared 
without  much  labor.  The  rock  is  mostly  felspar,  and 
the  red  oxide  of  copper,  intermixed  with  native  metal. 
Large  quantities  of  ore  are  deposited  near  the  smelting- 
house. 

On  entering  these  excavations,  one  sees  the  bright 
veins  of  the  sulphuret  of  copper  penetrating  the  rock 
in  all  directions,  with  here  and  there  small  masses  of 
native  copper ;  and  it  is  evident  that  all  the  hills  in 
the  vicinity  are  quite  as  rich  as  those  which  have  been 
opened,  for  the  same  indications  appear  on  the  surface. 


23U  EL    PASO 

But  until  there  is  some  other  mode  of  transporting  the 
copper  to  market,  than  by  wagons  for  a  distance  of 
nearly  a  thousand  miles,  it  will  hardly  pay  to  work 
them.  There  is  no  longer  a  market  in  the  city  of  Mex- 
ico, as  other  mines  have  been  found  much  nearer.  It 
now  costs  twenty  cents  a  pound  to  transport  goods 
from  the  coast  at  Indianola ;  but  as  the  wagons  go 
down  empty,  the  owners  would,  no  doubt,  be  glad  to 
carry  the  copper  at  half  price.  Labor  is  cheap  and 
abundant  in  Mexico.  At  El  Paso,  Mexican  laborers 
could  be  had  for  62^  cents  a  day,  they  finding  them- 
selves ;  but  men  could  doubtless  be  procured  at  even 
a  less  price.  They  require  only  the  most  simple  food ; 
flour,  beans,  and  a  very  little  meat  will  satisfy  their 
wants. 

The  district  about  the  Copper  Mines  might  be 
made  to  produce  all  the  food  needed  for  a  mining 
population.  There  is  no  valley  or  arable  land  close 
to  the  mines;  but  eight  miles  to  the  eastward  the 
Mimbres  winds  its  way  through  the  mountains,  and 
has  in  many  places  a  broad  valley  or  bottom,  which 
could  be  easily  irrigated,  and  made  to  produce  large 
crops.  Hither  we  sent  our  cattle  and  mules,  and  in 
the  driest  time  found  an  abundance  of  grass  and 
water.  Within  two  or  three  miles  there  are  fine 
valleys,  where,  I  doubt  not,  corn  might  be  grown 
without  irrigation,  as  is  the  case  in  some  of  the  moun- 
tainous districts  of  Mexico;  for  it  often  rains  here, 
when  the  plains  below,  but  ten  or  fifteen  miles  distant, 
are  parched  with  drought.  We  were  not  prepared 
to  try  the  experiment ;  but,  from  the  appearance  of 
the  soil,  the  richness  of  the  grass,  and  general  exube- 


TO    THE    COPPER   MINES.  231 

ranee  of  the  vegetation,  together  with  the  moisture 
which  prevails  in  such  mountainous  regions,  I  have  no 
doubt  the  experiment  would  be  successful. 

We  reached  this  district  on  the  2d  of  May.  Vege- 
tation was  then  forward,  though  there  had  been  no 
rain.  But  it  must  be  remembered  that  during  the 
winter  there  is  snow,  and  hence  a  good  deal  of 
moisture  in  the  earth  when  the  spring  opens.  The 
months  of  May  and  June  were  moderately  warm. 
On  the  third  of  July  the  first  rain  fell.  It  then  came  in 
torrents,  accompanied  by  hail,  and  lasted  three  or 
four  hours.  Many  of  our  adobe  houses  were  deluged 
with  water,  and  the  mountain  sides  exhibited  cataracts 
in  every  direction.  The  arroyo,  which  passes  through 
the  village,  and  which  furnishes  barely  water  enough 
for  our  party  and  the  animals,  became  so  much  swol- 
len as  to  render  it  difficult  to  cross;  and  by  the  time 
it  had  received  the  numerous  mountain  torrents  which 
fall  into  it  within  a  mile  from  our  camp,  it  became 
impassable  for  wagons,  or  even  mules.  The  dry 
gullies  became  rapid  streams,  five  or  six  feet  deep,  and 
sometimes  fifty  feet  or  more  across.  On  this  day,  a 
party  in  coming  to  the  Copper  Mines  from  the  plain 
below,  where  there  had  been  no  rain,  found  them- 
selves suddenly  in  a  region  overflowing  with  water ; 
so  that  their  progress  was  arrested,  and  they  were 
obliged  to  wait  until  the  flood  had  subsided.  After 
this  we  had  occasional  showers,  during  the  months  of 
July  and  August. 

The  weather  was  not  uncomfortably  warm  any  day 
while  I  was  here  ;  indeed,  on  several  occasions,  directly 
after  rains,  I  found  a  fire  quite  agreeable.     The  party 


232 


EL   PASO 


I  left  informed  me,  that  early  in  October  it  became  so 
cold  that  fires  were  necessary  every  day.  The  height 
of  the  little  valley  where  the  mines  are  was  found  to 
be  six  thousand  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  above  the 
level  of  the  sea;  and  the  height  of  the  mountain, 
which  rises  abruptly  from  it,  and  to  which  the  name 
of  Ben  Moore  has  been  given,  is  eight  thousand  feet. 
This  mountain  is  the  beginning  of  a  range  of  bold, 
rocky  bluffs  of  trap,  of  a  grayish  hue,  which  extend 
some  twenty  miles  to  the  south,  and  gradually  drop 
off  into  the  plain.     On  one  side  of  this  bluff,  a  portion 


Canon  leading  to  the  Copper  Mines,  from  the  South. 


of  the  rock  is  separated  from  the  mountain,  and  stands 
detached  from  it  like  a  column.     This  mountain  is  a 


TO   THE   COPPER  MINES.  233 

perfect  barrier  to  a  direct  road,  or  even  a  mule  path, 
across  to  Mule  Spring,  making  a  difference  of  thirty 
miles  in  the  distance  to  Dofia  Ana.  Below  the  mines 
the  columnar  masses  crown  the  summit  of  the  hills 
and  mountains,  often  appearing  like  elevated  castles. 
The  sides  of  these  mountains  are  well  wooded,  as  are 
also  the  intervening  valleys. 

Gold  is  said  to  have  been  found  here  when  the 
mines  were  worked;  and  many  stories  are  told  of 
large  quantities  that  were  buried  when  the  place  was 
abandoned.  About  four  miles  distant,  a  deep  shaft 
had  been  sunk,  where  it  was  said  a  skin  containing 
more  than  five  thousand  dollars  worth  of  gold  had 
been  buried.  Several  men  took  their  discharge  here 
for  the  purpose  of  clearing  out  the  shaft  and  getting 
the  buried  treasure.  After  several  weeks  labor,  they 
reached  the  bottom,  and  even  dug  some  feet  below ; 
but  their  search  was  not  rewarded  with  success.  This 
shaft  was  sunk  about  seventy  feet  below  the  surface. 
Veins  of  gold  were  found,  but  not  sufficient  to  pay  the 
cost  of  working  ;  and  the  spot  was  abandoned.  I  saw 
many  fine  specimens  of  lead,  and  one  of  silver  ore, 
which  were  found  in  the  vicinity ;  but  I  did  not  visit 
the  localities.  The  Mexicans  who  had  formerly 
resided  here  assured  me  that  the  existence  of  silver 
was  known  to  many  at  the  time ;  but  being  in  the 
very  heart  of  the  Apache  country,  it  could  not  be 
worked.  The  Indian  Chiefs  also  said  they  would  show 
me  where  there  was  plenty  of  gold,  if  I  would  accom- 
pany them,  but  that  they  would  not  disclose  the  secret 
to  others.  I  told  them  we  did  not  come  to  their  coun- 
try for  gold,  and  declined  their  offer.     Whether  they 


234  EL   PASO 

really  knew  of  any  or  not  (and  it  is  my  belief  that 
they  did),  I  thought  it  best  not  to  put  myself  in  their 
hands,  but  to  maintain  the  position  I  had  taken  from 
the  commencement ;  namely,  that  our  object  was  to 
survey  the  boundary  between  the  United  States  and 
Mexico,  the  meaning  of  which  they  had  been  made 
to  fully  comprehend. 

But  the  great  value  of  the  Copper  Mine  region, 
which  extends  from  the  Gila  eastward  about  fifty 
miles  towards  the  Rio  Grande,  is  in  its  fine  forests  of 
timber.  The  principal  trees  are  two  species  of  ever- 
green oaks;  two  cedars,  one  like  our  red  cedar,  the 
other  with  a  berry  much  larger,  and  several  pines, 
among  them  the  Pinus  edulis,  or  pinon  pine.  This 
bears  an  edible  nut,  which  is  a  favorite  article  of  food 
with  the  Indians.  It  is  quite  pleasant  to  the  taste, 
but  is  rather  small  and  troublesome  to  eat.  So  rich  a 
timbered  country  does  not  exist  between  the  Missis- 
sippi valley  and  the  Pacific,  except  in  the  mountainous 
district  of  Upper  California.  Should  a  railway  be  con- 
structed across  the  country  south  of  the  Gila,  its  timber 
must  be  procured  from  this  quarter.  The  value  of 
pine  timber  in  this  region  can  be  appreciated  when 
I  state,  that  there  is  not  a  single  floor  made  of  boards 
or  plank  in  the  town  of  El  Paso ;  nor  have  I  ever  seen 
one  in  any  part  of  New  Mexico,  Chihuahua,  or  Sonora. 
In  El  Paso,  I  was  obliged  to  purchase  a  few  hundred 
feet  for  doors,  tables,  and  various  fittings,  for  which  I 
paid  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  dollars  a  thousand. 
For  building  purposes,  therefore,  this  timber  would 
prove  immensely  valuable. 

The  buildings   at  the  Copper  Mines  consist  of  a 


TO   THE    COPPER   MINES. 


235 


u  Presidio "  or  fort,  which  commands  the  approach 
from  the  canon  below.  It  is  of  a  triangular  form,  each 
side  presenting  a  front  of  about  200  feet,  with  circular 
towers  on  the   corners.     It  is   built  of  adobe,    with 


Presidio  at  the  Copper  Mines. 

walls  from  three  to  four  feet  in  thickness,  and  a  single 
opening  on  the  eastern  side.  This  building  was  in  so 
good  a  state  of  preservation  on  the  arrival  of  Colonel 
Craig,  that  in  a  few  weeks  he  built  up  such  walls  as 
had  fallen,  restored  the  roof,  and  made  the  whole  ten- 
antable  for  himself  and  his  command,  furnishing  be- 
sides store-rooms  for  all  his  provisions.  There  were 
also  some  fifty  or  more  adobe  buildings,  some  of  them 
in  good  preservation,  except  the  roofs,  and  others  in  a 
state  of  complete  ruin.     The  adobes  were  therefore 


236  EL    PASO 

taken  from  those  in  the  worst  condition  to  complete 
the  others,  roofs  were  added,  and  comfortable  habita- 
tions made  for  the  officers  of  the  commission. 

The  hills  and  valleys  abound  in  wild  animals  and 
game  of  various  kinds.  The  black-tail  deer  (Cervus 
lewisii)  and  the  ordinary  species  ((7.  virginianus)  are 
very  common.  On  the  plains  below  are  antelopes.  Bears 
are  more  numerous  than  in  any  region  we  have  yet 
been  in.  The  grizzly,  black,  and  brown  varieties  are 
all  found  here  ;  and  there  was  scarcely  a  day  when 
bear-meat  was  not  served  up  at  some  of  the  messes. 
The  grizzly  and  brown  are  the  largest,  some  having 
been  killed  which  weighed  from  seven  to  eight  hun- 
dred pounds.  These  are  dangerous  animals  to  ap- 
proach, unless  there  are  several  persons  in  the  party 
well  armed;  and  even  then,  it  is  well  to  have  a  place 
of  retreat  in  case  of  emergency.  I  have  known  a 
grizzly  bear  to  receive  twelve  rifle  or  pistol  balls 
before  he  fell ;  though  in  one  instance  a  huge  animal 
was  brought  down  by  a  single  shot  from  a  well- 
directed  rifle,  which  passing  though  his  entire  length, 
killed  him  instantly.  Turkeys  abound  in  this  region 
of  a  very  large  size.  Quails  too  are  found  here  ;  but 
they  prefer  the  plains  and  valleys.  While  we  re- 
mained, our  men  employed  in  herding  the  mules  and 
cattle  near  the  Mimbres,  often  brought  us  the  fine  trout 
of  that  stream,  so  that  our  fare  might  be  called  sumptu- 
ous in  some  respects.  But  it  requires  something  more 
than  meat  and  game  to  satisfy  the  appetite  and  pre- 
serve health  and  vigor,  and  we  would  willingly  have 
exchanged  either  or  all  of  these  luxuries  for  a  few 
vegetables.     We  had  not  tasted  a  potato  for  a  year, 


TO    THE    COPPER    MINES.  237 

nor  any  other  vegetables  except  a  little  wild  asparagus 
at  El  Paso.  The  want  of  this  necessary  article  of  food 
was  therefore  sensibly  felt,  and  some  of  the  men 
began  to  exhibit  symptoms  of  scurvy.  Among  the 
members  of  the  Commission  the  cases  were  few  and  the 
attacks  slight ;  but  the  soldiers  exhibited  twelve  or 
fifteen  cases,  since  leaving  the  coast,  some  of  them 
very  bad  ones.  We  were  well  provided  with  such 
anti-scorbutics  as  citric  acid,  vinegar,  pickles,  and 
dried  apples ;  but  they  did  not  have  the  desired  effect 
upon  the  worst  cases,  though  they  doubtless  prevented 
the  spread  of  the  disease.  Some  plants  were  found  by 
Mr.  Thurber,  which  proved  very  palatable,  and  were 
eaten  as  long  as  they  lasted  with  very  good  effect. 
Doctor  Bigelow,  the  Surgeon  of  the  Commission,  ad- 
dressed me  a  letter  on  the  subject  of  the  scurvy, 
urging  upon  me  the  necessity  of  procuring  potatoes. 
In  consequence  of  this,  Colonel  Craig  and  myself  sent 
to  Santa  Fe,  a  distance  of  three  hundred  miles,  for 
them;  but  they  were  not  to  be  had  there.  With  the 
exception  of  this  disease,  the  best  health  was  enjoyed 
by  every  member  of  the  Commission,  during  our  stay 
in  the  region  of  the  Copper  Mines.  The  surveying 
party  on  duty  on  the  plain,  or  desert,  as  it  may  with 
more  propriety  be  called,  suffered  more  on  account  of 
the  intense  heat  to  which  they  were  exposed,  and  the 
frequent  want  of  water.  In  another  respect  they  were 
badly  off,  as  it  was  impossible  to  take  fresh  meat  with 
them.  My  intention  was  to  provide  them  with  sheep, 
which  could  obtain  a  subsistence  on  the  short  grass  of 
the  plains  or  near  the  watering-places;  but  it  was 
necessary  to  send  to  New  Mexico  for  them,  and  they 
were  not  delivered  in  season. 


238  EL    PASO 

Unable  to  send  any  more  parties  into  the  field,  in 
consequence  of  the  non-arrival  of  Colonel  Graham,  I 
determined  to  make  the  most  of  my  time  by  visiting 
the  frontiers  of  the  State  of  Sonora.  In  this  trip  my 
object  was  fourfold,  viz. : 

1.  To  ascertain  from  personal  examination  the  con- 
dition of  the  route  known  as  "  Cooke's  road,"  from  the 
Rio  Grande  to  the  Pacific,  and  particularly  that  por- 
tion of  it  leading  to  the  River  Gila ;  in  order  to  deter- 
mine whether  it  was  practicable  to  transport  by  it  the 
provisions  needed  for  the  parties  engaged  in  surveying 
this  river. 

2.  To  learn  if  any,  and  to  what  extent,  supplies  of 
corn,  flour,  cattle,  sheep,  vegetables,  &c,  could  be 
furnished  to  the  Commission ;  and  on  what  terms  they 
could  be  delivered  here,  or  to  the  engineering  parties 
on  the  Gila. 

3.  To  induce  the  people  of  that  State  to  renew  the 
trade  formerly  carried  on  with  the  Copper  Mines. 

4.  To  obtain  a  supply  of  anti-scorbutics — i.  <?., 
vegetables  and  fruits,  fresh  or  dry. 

The  protracted  sojourn  on  the  Gila,  which  the 
surveying  parties  must  necessarily  make,  would  re- 
quire so  large  a  supply  of  provisions,  and  the  risk  and 
expense  of  transportation  by  pack-mules  would  be  so 
great,  that  I  believe  it  would  tend  greatly  to  the  ad- 
vantage of  the  Commission  to  convey  the  supplies  as 
far  as  possible  by  wagons.  There  is  no  road  near 
the  Gila  along  its  whole  course,  and  that  point  of 
Cooke's  road  where  it  strikes  the  river  (midway  be- 
tween the  Copper  Mines  and  its  junction  with  the 
Colorado)  would  furnish  a  good  and  central  location 
for  a  depot  of  provisions. 


TO    THE    COPPER   MINES.  239 

Colonel  Craig  was  as  desirous  as  myself  to  ascer- 
tain these  facts,  and  to  do  all  in  his  power  to  promote 
the  health  and  comfort  of  his  men.  We  accordingly- 
made  arrangements  to  set  out  on  this  journey  on  Fri- 
day the  16th  May,  I  having  so  far  recovered  as  to  be 
able  to  ride  in  my  carriage,  although  my  wounded 
arm  was  still  kept  in  bandages  and  firmly  fastened  to 
my  side. 


THIRD  DIVISION. 

JOURNEYS  AND  INCIDENTS  IN  SONORA. 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE    COPPER   MINES    TO    AGUA   PRIETA. 

Spring  at  Pachetehu — Ojo  de  Vaca — Janos  road — Col.  Cooke's  road — 
Scarcity  of  water — Dry  bed  of  a  lake — Mirage — Desert  region — Zool- 
ogy of  the  plains — Guadalupe  Pass — Difficulties — Bears — Discover  foot- 
prints of  deserters  from  Copper  Mines — Sycamore  trees — Canon — 
Luxuriant  vegetation — Descend  from  the  great  plateau — Change  of 
climate — Ruined  hacienda  of  San  Bernardino — Wild  cattle — Black 
"Water  Creek — Teamster  attacked  by  a  bull — Grave  of  an  American 
deserter. 

May  \§ih.  The  party  for  the  journey  to  Sonora  con- 
sisted of  Colonel  Craig,  with  two  teams  of  six  mules  ; 
Dr.  Webb,  Messrs.  Thurber,  Moss,  Cremony,  Steele, 
Bausman,  Weems,  Stewart  and  myself,  also  with  two 
teams  of  six  mules.  The  wagons  were  nearly  empty, 
containing  merely  our  tents,  camp  equipage,  and  pro- 
visions. All  were  mounted  on  horses  or  mules  except 
myself;  and  I  would  have  much  preferred  the  same 
mode  of  travelling,  but  my  lame  arm  forbade  it.  Even 
in  the  carriage  the  attempt  seemed  rather  hazardous, 
not  knowing  what  the  roads  were,  or  indeed  whether 

VOL.  I. 16 


242  THE    COPPER   MINES    TO 

such  things  existed  at  all  in  the  interior  parts  of 
Sonora. 

We  did  not  get  off  until  noon,  as  it  was  my  inten- 
tion to  go  only  as  far  as  the  first  watering-place,  called 
Pachetehu* whither  I  had  sent  the  wagons  in  advance 
to  await  our  arrival.  We  passed  down  the  canon  in 
fine  spirits,  all  being  glad  to  get  away  from  the  dull 
monotony  of  a  stationary  camp.  The  country  was 
much  parched ;  for  no  rain  had  yet  fallen.  After 
leaving  the  canon  we  diverged  towards  the  right,  and 
struck  the  old  road  leading  to  Janos,  which  had  not 
been  passed  by  a  wagon  or  any  train  for  nearly  four- 
teen years.  Yet  the  ruts  were  quite  distinct  on  the 
plain.  In  fact,  some  portions  of  it,  where  the  water 
had  run,  were  washed  out  into  deep  gullies,  rendering 
it  impassable  for  teams.  At  three  o'clock  reached 
Pachetehu,  a  depression  in  the  plain  which,  in  addition 
to  a  spring,  received  the  waters  after  rains.  I  traced 
the  course  of  the  waters  for  a  couple  of  miles,  marked 
by  rushes  and  little  patches  of  willows,  when  it  disap- 
peared in  the  plain.  The  grass  is  abundant  for  some 
fifteen  or  twenty  rods  on  each  side  of  this  spring  and 
water-course;  but  there  is  no  wood.  Parties  must 
supply  themselves  with  this  before  leaving  the  wooded 
district.  Distance  from  the  Copper  Mines,  thirteen 
miles. 

May  17th  Passed  an  uncomfortable  night  from  the 
effects  of  the  jolting  on  my  arm.  Roused  the  cooks 
at  three  o'clock ;  got  our  breakfast  before  day ;  and 
by  the  time  it  was  light  enough  to  see,  we  had  re- 

*  Pronounced  Pa-che-te-hu,  the  last  syllable  strongly  accented. 


AGUA   PRIETA.  243 

sumed  our  journey.  Our  course  continued  due  south 
on  the  Janos*  road,  over  a  bare  and  open  plain.  Not 
a  tree  or  shrub  was  to  be  seen  in  any  direction ;  a- few 
straggling  yuccas  and  cacti  alone  broke  the  monotony 
of  the  plain.  Grama  grass  was  abundant,  and,  though 
quite  dry,  and  apparently  not  containing  any  nourish- 
ment, was  eagerly  eaten  by  our  animals.  The  country 
consisted  of  an  undulating  prairie,  with  here  and  there 
a  solitary  hill  of  a  conical  form  rising  from  it.  In  the 
far  distance  were  visible  short  and  isolated  ridges  of 
mountains,  with  abrupt  sides  and  jagged  summits. 
Passed  a  yucca  of  larger  size  than  any  we  had  seen. 
Its  trunk  was  about  ten  feet  high  ;  from  which  arose 
four  stems  of  equal  height,  all  crowned  with  clusters 
of  white  flowers.  Reached  Ojode  Vaca  (Cow  Spring), 
at  half  past  nine  o'clock,  distant  from  our  camp  nine- 
teen miles ;  where  we  turned  out  the  animals  to  graze. 
This  spring  is  but  a  depression  in  the  plain  surrounded 
by  a  couple  of  acres  of  grass,  resembling  an  oasis  in  a 
desert.  Several  holes  had  been  dug  here  by  passing 
emigrants,  in  which  the  water  had  accumulated ; 
though  in  some  of  them  it  had  a  disagreeable  sulphu- 
rous taste.  Nevertheless,  not  knowing  how  soon 
another  opportunity  would  present  itself,  it  was 
thought  best  to  fill  our  kegs.  To  the  east  of  this 
spring  are  three  hills,  of  which  the  most  easterly  one 
is  the  highest.  The  westerly  one  is  crowned  with 
masses  of  granite.  After  waiting  three  hours  for  the 
train  to  come  up  and  the  mules  to  graze,  we  proceeded 
on  our  journey. 

*  Pronounced  Ha-nos,  the  first  syllable  strongly  accented.     It  is 
sometimes  spelt  Yanos. 


244  THE    COPPER   MINES   TO 

At  this  spring,  Colonel  Cooke's  road  enters  from 
the  east;  it  then  takes  a  southwesterly  course,  which 
we  are  to  follow.  The  road  we  have  pursued  from  the 
Copper  Mines  continues  south  to  Janos,  and  thence  to 
Chihuahua.  It  is  the  one  taken  by  the  California  emi- 
grants who  come  by  the  way  of  Santa  Fe.  It  was 
first  opened  by  Colonel  Cooke  in  his  march  with  his 
battalion,  and  train  of  wagons  to  California,  in  the  fall 
of  1846.  He  took  this  route  by  the  advice  of  his 
guides,  though  much  out  of  his  direct  course,  in 
order  to  strike  the  old  Spanish  trail  which  leads  from 
Janos  across  a  spur  of  the  Sierra  Madre,  to  the  frontier 
settlements  in  Sonora;  because  it  was  known  that 
water  was  to  be  found  there,  at  convenient  distances. 
But  the  more  direct  route  due  west  from  Ojo  de  Vaca 
was  unexplored ;  and  Leroux,  the  guide  of  Colonel 
Cooke,  did  not  know  whether  water  could  be  found  on 
it  or  not.  Not  wishing,  therefore,  to  hazard  the  lives 
of  a  large  body  of  men  by  venturing  upon  an  unknown 
desert,  he  took  the  wiser  course  of  striking  the  old 
Janos  road  at  the  Guadalupe  Pass. 

Travelling  rapidly  over  an  excellent  hard  road,  we 
reached  a  pass  in  a  range  of  hills  shortly  before  sunset, 
where  Colonel  Cooke  marks  down  a  small  watercourse. 
We  were  not  more  fortunate  than  he  was,  although 
there  were  indications  of  water  in  the  clumps  of  bushes, 
and  the  numerous  doves  that  were  flitting  about. 
Several  of  the  party  searched  for  it  up  and  down  for  a 
mile  on  both  sides  of  the  road,  but  without  success. 
We  then  passed  the  hills  and  encamped  on  the  plain 
beyond.  Passed  the  grave  of  a  man  whom  we  sup- 
posed to  be  a  California  emigrant.     His  name  was  cut 


AGUA   PRIETA.  245 

with  a  knife  on  a  rude  board,  supported  by  a  heap  of 
stones.  Antelopes  were  descried  in  abundance  to-day 
bounding  over  the  plain.  Of  the  feathered  tribe,  we 
saw  blackbirds,  crows,  hawks,  the  Carolina  dove,  quails, 
meadow-larks,  and  a  flock  of  what  appeared  to  be  black 
plover ;  but  as  they  did  not  alight,  and  flew  beyond 
reach  of  my  gun,  I  was  unable  to  obtain  a  specimen. 

May  18th.  We  routed  the  cooks  at  two  o'clock, 
breakfasted  by  moonlight,  and  were  on  the  move  be- 
fore the  first  dawn  of  day.  There  being  an  uncer- 
tainty about  water,  it  was  thought  best  to  get  over  as 
much  ground  as  possible  before  the  heat  of  the  day. 
As  the  road  passed  over  an  open  plain,  with  short 
grama  grass  and  no  bushes,  and  moreover  led  to  a  de- 
pression in  the  mountain  range,  there  was  no  difficulty 
in  keeping  it.  We  continued  rapidly  down  a  gradual 
descent  of  about  twenty  miles,  with  scarcely  an  undu- 
lation. Not  a  tree  or  shrub  was  seen.  After  passing 
to  the  west  of  a  low  range  of  hills,  and  crossing  another 
plain  of  about  five  miles,  we  entered  the  defile  or 
canon,  when  we  reached  a  spot  marked  by  Colonel 
Cooke,  where  he  found  water  for  50  animals.  This 
was  a  hole  in  a  rock,  a  few  feet  to  the  left  of  the  road, 
where  we  found  a  few  buckets  of  stagnant  and  brackish 
water,  so  bad  that  most  of  the  animals  refused  to  drink 
it.  The  poor  creatures  having  travelled  some  thirty-six 
miles  since  starting,  made  repeated  trials  to  drink  from 
the  uninviting  pool  before  them,  and  as  often  turned 
away  in  disgust.  We  rambled  over  the  rocks,  and 
explored  the  ravines  in  this  defile,  where  there  were 
many  indications  of  running  water,  but  none  could  be 
found. 


246  THE    COPPER   MINES    TO 

Again  we  pushed  on,  having  yet  about  fifteen 
miles  between  us  and  the  first  place  where  there  was  a 
certainty  of  finding  water.  Continuing  a  few  miles 
through  this  defile,  which  presented  no  difficulty  for 
our  wagons,  we  emerged  on  the  opposite  plain,  where 
our  eyes  were  greeted  with  the  sight  of  a  long  white 
streak,  which  we  would  have  taken  for  a  lake,  had  it 
not  been  designated  by  Colonel  Cooke,  as  Las  Playas, 
or  the  dry  bed  of  a  lake.  Keeping  on  the  same  south- 
easterly course,  we  still  descended ;  and  as  the  road 
was  very  smooth,  we  set  the  mules  on  a  trot  and  rolled 
over  it  at  a  pretty  good  pace,  considering  the  long 
distance  we  had  come.  At  three  o'clock  we  struck 
the  playas,  which  seemed  to  have  an  extent  of  twenty- 
five  or  thirty  miles  from  the  north-west  to  the  south- 
east, the  general  course  of  the  mountain  ranges  and 
valleys  in  this  region.  The  surface  of  this  dry  bed 
was  an  indurated  clay,  so  hard  that  the  wheels  of  our 
wagons  scarcely  made  an  impression.  Its  color  was 
nearly  white.  After  rains,  this  basin,  being  surrounded 
by  high  mountains,  receives  a  large  amount  of  water, 
which  seems  to  evaporate  before  vegetation  gets  a 
foothold.  From  indications  along  its  margin,  and 
from  what  I  afterwards  saw  in  other  places,  it  never 
could  have  contained  more  than  two  or  three  inches  of 
water  in  its  deepest  place.  The  width,  where  we 
crossed,  was  about  a  mile  and  a  half.  As  we  were 
midway  across,  a  beautiful  mirage  suddenly  presented 
itself  towards  the  south,  which  led  us  to  believe  that 
the  further  end  of  the  dry  surface  we  were  rolling 
over,  was  in  reality  a  body  of  water.  Little  clumps  of 
bushes  arose  from  it  like  islands ;  and  the  very  grass 


AGUA    PRIETA.  247 

that  grew  on  its  banks  was  reflected  from  its  imaginary 
surface.*  Some  of  our  party  could  not  be  convinced 
of  the  illusion,  and  rode  off  at  full  speed  to  quench 
the  thirst  of  their  panting  animals.  We  hardly  knew 
what  course  to  take  here  ;  but  seeing  some  bright 
green  patches  amid  the  vast  plain  of  gray  and  parched 
grass,  we  made  directly  for  it ;  and  great  was  our  joy 
at  finding  several  large  holes,  dug  by  parties  who  had 
preceded  us,  which  were  filled  to  the  brim  with  the 
most  delicious  water.     Near  these  we  encamped. 

The  country  passed  over  in  the  last  three  days  is 
barren  and  uninteresting  in  the  extreme.  As  we 
toiled  across  these  sterile  plains,  where  no  tree  offered 
its  friendly  shade,  the  sun  glowing  fiercely,  and  the 
wind  hot  from  the  parched  earth,  cracking  the  lips 
and  burning  the  eyes,  the  thought  would  keep  sug- 
gesting itself,  Is  this  the  land  which  we  have  pur- 
chased, and  are  to  survey  and  keep  at  such  a  cost? 
As  far  as  the  eye  can  reach  stretches  one  unbroken 
waste,  barren,  wild,  and  worthless.     For  fifty-two  long 

*  The  well-known  phenomenon  of  the  mirage  is  called  in  Sanscrit 
"  the  thirst  of  the  gazelle."  All  objects  appear  to  float  in  the  air,  while 
their  forms  are  reflected  in  the  lower  stratum  of  the  atmosphere.  At 
such  times  the  whole  desert  resembles  a  vast  lake,  whose  surface  undu- 
lates like  waves.  Palm-trees,  cattle,  and  camels  sometimes  appear  invert- 
ed in  the  horizon.  In  the  French  expedition  to  Egypt,  this  optical 
illusion  often  nearly  drove  the  faint  and  parched  soldiers  to  distraction. 
This  phenomenon  has  been  observed  in  all  quarters  of  the  world.  The 
ancients  were  also  acquainted  with  the  remarkable  refraction  of  the 
rays  of  light  in  the  Libyan  Desert.  We  find  mention  made  in  Diodorus 
Siculus  of  strange  illusive  appearances,  an  African  Fata  Morgana,  toge- 
ther with  still  more  extravagant  explanations  of  the  conglomeration  of 
the  particles  of  air.     Humboldt.    Views  of  Nature,  p.  137. 


248  THE    COPPER   MINES    TO 

miles  we  have  traversed  it  without  finding  a  drop  of 
water  that  our  suffering  beasts  would  drink ;  nor  has 
there  been  grass  enough  since  we  left  the  copper  mine 
region  for  more  than  a  small  number  of  animals,  such 
as  our  own. 

The  few  animals  noticed  seem  to  have  partaken  of 
the  wildness  of  the  country  they  inhabit.  An  occa- 
sional herd  of  antelopes  is  seen  galloping  in  the  dis- 
tance, unapproachable  by  the  hunter  for  the  want  of  a 
tree  or  shrub  behind  which  he  may  advance.  Lizards 
of  various  hues  and  graceful  shapes  glide  about  with 
inconceivable  swiftness.  A  startled  hare  throws  up 
its  long  ears  and  bounds  out  of  sight.  The  prairie 
dog  gives  a  shrill  cry  of  warning  to  its  fellows,  and 
drops  into  its  burrow.  The  only  things  that  do  not 
seem  terror-stricken  are  the  so-called  horned  frogs. 
They,  as  if  conscious  of  the  security  afforded  by  their 
own  hideous  ugliness,  sullenly  remove  themselves  out 
of  the  way  of  the  horses'  hoofs,  and  regard  the  passer 
with  malicious  eye.  The  vegetable  presents  scarcely 
more  of  interest  than  the  animal  world.  The  flowers 
are  almost  entirely  of  that  most  unbecoming  of  all  hues, 
yellow — varying  from  sulphur  color  to  orange — and 
glaring  in  the  bright  sunlight.  One  becomes  sickened 
and  disgusted  with  the  ever-recurring  sameness  of 
plain  and  mountain,  plant  and  living  thing.  But  if 
the  day's  travel  is  tedious,  it  is  almost  compensated 
by  the  glory  of  the  night.  In  this  clear  dry  atmos- 
phere, without  cloud  or  haze,  moonlight  and  starlight 
have  a  splendor  of  which  dwellers  upon  the  sea-side 
cannot  conceive. 

Due  north  from  our  camp  I  noticed  a  range  of  lofty 


AGUA    PRIETA.  249 

mountains,  eighty  or  a  hundred  miles  distant,  extend- 
ing towards  the  west,  which  I  suppose  to  be  a  continu- 
ation of  the  copper  mine  range  along  the  Gila.  West 
of  this  arose  another  and  less  distant  range.  To  the 
south  was  an  uninterrupted  plain,  with  no  mountains, 
or  even  a  hill,  visible. 

May  ldtli.  The  weather  was  very  cold  this  morn- 
ing ;  ice  was  found  in  our  camp  buckets,  and  we 
were  all  glad  to  wrap  our  blankets  around  us.  After 
following  the  edge  of  the  dry  lake  for  a  mile,  we 
came  to  more  springs  and  water  holes,  near  which  the 
grass  was  excellent.  From  here  our  course  was  south- 
west, directly  for  a  pass  in  the  mountains,  known  as 
the  Sierra  de  los  Animos,  about  seven  miles  distant. 
The  road  was  good,  the  pass  presented  no  difficulties, 
and  we  soon  reached  the  plain  beyond,  where  we 
turned  more  to  the  south.  Three  or  four  miles  brought 
us  to  the  dry  bed  of  a  stream,  where  we  stopped  the 
train,  and  traced  its  banks  on  both  sides  of  the  road 
for  more  than  a  mile,  without  finding  water.  Before  us 
lay  a  broad  valley,  bounded  on  the  west  by  a  range 
of  high  mountains ;  and  at  some  eight  or  ten  miles  dis- 
tance I  noticed  a  dark  line  of  trees,  with  similar  lines 
intersecting  it.  This  indicated  a  stream ;  and  four  or 
five  miles  more  brought  us  to  one  of  its  tributaries. 
But,  alas !  it  was  but  a  dry  bed,  though  fine,  large 
trees,  with  thick  shrubbery,  grew  along  its  banks, 
marking  its  course  for  miles.  Again  we  stopped. 
Dr.  Webb  took  the  rocky  bed,  determined  to  follow 
it  up,  while  I,  with  some  others,  struck  across  to  a 
clump  of  trees  near  the  base  of  a  mountain,  the  luxu- 
riance of  which  gave  promise  of  water.     In  this  we 


250  THE    COPPER    MINES    TO 

were  not  disappointed :  a  walk  of  a  mile  brought  us 
to  a  fine  spring,  from  which  a  rapid  brook  dashed 
over  the  rocks,  dispensing  a  refreshing  coolness, 
though  it  entirely  disappeared  within  four  hundred 
yards.  The  grass  being  good  here,  we  turned  the 
animals  loose,  and  made  a  halt  of  three  hours. 

On  resuming  our  journey,  our  course  lay  across  a 
plain,  gradually  descending  towards  a  valley  inter- 
sected by  several  deep  gullies,  which  led  to  the  dry 
bed  of  a  stream.  We  followed  this  for  some  distance, 
but  found  no  water.  Crossed  two  other  beds  of 
streams  also  dry.  On  our  right  was  a  large  grove  of 
oaks,  which  is  noted  on  Colonel  Cooke's  map;  and 
about  four  miles  after  passing  this,  we  struck  the 
source  of  the  stream  we  had  noticed  so  long  on  our 
right,  where  we  found  the  water  standing  in  large  pools. 
Here  we  pitched  our  tents,  and  encamped  for  the 
night,  after  a  journey  of  thirty -two  miles. 

May  20th.  Another  cold  morning,  with  ice  in  our 
water  buckets.  Fires  to  warm  ourselves  were  quite  out 
of  the  question,  as  not  a  particle  of  wood  was  to  be 
seen.  For  cooking  purposes,  we  generally  collected 
a  little  where  it  could  be  found,  and  put  it  into  the 
wagons.  Our  course  to-day  was  nearly  south,  over  a 
broad  valley,  from  eight  to  ten  miles  across,  hemmed 
in  on  both  sides  by  high  ranges  of  mountains.  So 
level  was  this  valley,  and  so  luxuriant  the  grass,  that 
it  resembled  a  vast  meadow ;  yet  all  its  rich  verdure 
seemed  wasted,  for  no  animals  appeared,  except  a  few 
antelopes  and  several  dog-towns.  In  every  other 
instance  where  the  prairie  dogs  were  congregated,  it 
was  on  the  most  barren  spots,  far  from  water,  where 


AGUA   PRIETA.  251 

the  grass  was  short,  and  the  soil  hard  and  gravelly. 
Here  the  soil  was  a  rich  black  loam,  as  it  appeared 
where  the  little  creatures  had  thrown  it  up,  and  the 
grass  was  nibbled  down  to  its  roots. 

After  passing  a  small  stream  (where  we  caught 
some  curious  water  insects),  our  course  lay  direct  for 
the  mountains,  which  gradually  closed  in  upon  us,  until 
we  arrived  by  an  easy  ascent  at  the  summit.  Here  we 
struck  the  old  road,  leading  in  a  southeasterly  course 
to  Janos ;  and  here  our  real  difficulties  seemed  to 
begin.  We  had  reached  what  appeared  from  the  plain 
below  to  be  the  apex  of  the  ridge ;  but  we  found  our- 
selves all  at  once  surrounded  by  steep  hills,  steeper 
and  higher  mountains,  ravines,  gullies,  and  frightful 
canons.  A  wide  and  discouraging  prospect  was  open 
before  us.  First  came  an  ocean  of  mountain  peaks,  if 
I  may  so  term  them ;  for,  from  the  eminence  on  which 
we  stood,  we  overtopped  the  whole,  looking  down 
upon  them  as  in  a  birds-eye  view.  Beyond  these, 
looking  to  the  west,  arose  other  mountains,  which  gra- 
dually receded  from  the  view,  until  in  the  dim  dis- 
tance the  horizon  was  bounded  by  a  faint  blue  outline 
of  some  range  a  hundred  miles  distant.  Colonel 
Cooke  deserves  great  credit  for  this  bold  and  successful 
undertaking,  which  has  not  been  sufficiently  appreci- 
ated by  his  countrymen.  Here  his  whole  command 
was  employed  in  opening  this  trail,  and  making  it 
passable.  But,  with  all  his  labor,  it  is  still  a  most  diffi- 
cult pass,  and  dangerous  for  loaded  wagons.  Although 
ours  were  light,  it  required  great  caution  to  get 
through.  The  first  descent  is  down  a  long  hill,  where 
the  wheels  have  to  be  locked.     Next  the  road  passes 


252  THE    COPPER   MINES    TO 

down  a  chalky  cliff,  whose  yielding  surface  crumbles 
beneath  the  hoofs  of  the  animals,  making  it  necessary 
not  only  to  lock,  but  also  to  restrain  the  wagons  with 
ropes.  After  this  it  winds  over  peaks,  the  declivity 
always  greater  than  the  ascent,  until  at  length  the 
valley  is  reached.  Our  progress  was  slow  and  toil- 
some. We  were  constantly  obliged  to  assist  the 
wagons,  by  pushing  them  when  going  up,  or  hold- 
ing back  in  their  descent ;  but  the  most  dangerous 
portions  were  when  we  had  a  sideling  inclination  to 
contend  with  ;  for  here  the  wagons  had  to  be  supported 
on  one  side,  as  well  as  held  back.  According  to  Colonel 
Cooke  the  descent  here  is  a  thousand  feet.  A  percepti- 
ble change  of  climate  was  indicated  by  the  vegetation : 
besides  the  greater  abundance  of  plants  peculiar  to  a 
warm  country,  a  marked  difference  was  observable  in 
the  same  species.  Those  plants  which  we  saw  on  the 
table-land  just  in  bud,  were,  in  the  course  of  the 
descent,  seen  in  flower,  and  further  down  with  matur- 
ing fruit. 

Two  bears  were  observed  to-day  after  entering  the 
defile ;  they  were  so  large  as  to  be  taken  at  first  for 
mules.  When  their  real  nature  was  discovered,  seve- 
ral of  the  horsemen  gave  chase,  but  without  success ; 
for  Bruin  gained  on  them  at  every  leap,  and  soon  dis- 
appeared. All  the  hills  and  valleys  are  covered  with 
trees,  chiefly  live-oak  and  cedar ;  and  in  every  open 
space  there  is  excellent  grass. 

After  four  or  five  hours'  hard  tugging  we  reached 
a  small  stream,  where  the  road  took  a  sudden  turn  to 
the  south,  leading  to  a  frightful  canon.  Here  we  came 
to  a  stand,  and  waited  for  the  wagons  to  come  up.     I 


AGUA    PRIETA.  253 

had  walked  the  whole  distance  through  this  defile, 
which  is  known  as  the  Guadalupe  Pass,  reaching  this 
point  in  advance.  When  all  had  come  up,  both  men  and 
animals  were  glad  to  hear  the  order  to  unhitch  the 
mules  and  encamp  for  the  night,  which  we  did  near  a 
small  rivulet,  though  our  day's  journey  could  hardly 
have  exceeded  twelve  miles. 

For  the  last  three  days  we  have  noticed  the  tracks 
of  several  mules,  all  of  which  were  shod,  accompanied 
by  one  man  on  foot.  They  appear  to  have  been  made 
several  months  ago,  at  a  time  when  the  ground  was 
wet ;  and  as  there  has  been  no  rain,  it  must  have  been 
during  the  winter  after  a  slight  fall  of  snow.  As  the 
Mexicans  do  not  shoe  their  mules,  we  believed  the 
party  to  have  been  Americans ;  and  a  close  inspection 
of  the  print  made  by  the  man  on  foot  convinced  Colonel 
Craig  that  it  was  a  soldier's  shoe,  and  that  the  party 
consisted  of  the  seven  deserters  from  his  command  who 
left  in  February.  They  took  with  them  but  six  mules, 
so  that  the  seventh  had  to  go  on  foot.  We  had  learned 
that  they  had  not  reached  Chihuahua  ;  and  as  they  had 
not  been  seen  at  the  settlements  on  the  Rio  Grande,  the 
inference  was,  that  they  had  set  out  for  California. 
These  foot  prints  therefore  were  objects  of  interest  to 
us  as  we  watched  them  from  day  to  day. 

The  canon  where  we  are  now  encamped,  is  filled 
with  walnut,  oak,  ash,  and  sycamore  trees.  The  last 
mentioned,  is  quite  a  different  tree  from  that  known  by 
the  same  name  in  the  United  States,  and,  if  it  would 
bear  our  nothern  winters,  would  make  a  fine  addition 
to  our  ornamental  trees.  Its  leaves  have  a  graceful 
droop,  the  bark  is  almost  pure  white,  very  clear  and 


254  THE    COPPER   MINES   TO 

smooth,  and  contrasts  strongly  with  the  foliage.  The 
fruit  instead  of  being  a  solitary  head,  or  "  button  ball," 
like  ours,  is  borne  in  large  clusters  of  three  or  five, 
strung  upon  a  slender  stem.  The  banks  which  over- 
hang this  defile  are  steep  and  rugged,  and  present  as 
great  a  variety  of  plants  of  the  cactus  family,  as  the 
valley  does  of  trees  and  shrubs.  Besides  the  various 
kinds  seen  on  the  plains,  new  ones  were  noticed  here, 
nearly  all  of  them  in  flower.  The  beautiful  yucca  raised 
its  tall  stems  of  white  flowers,  while  the  agave  towering 
above  all,  with  its  brilliant  yellow  blossoms,  completed 
the  floral  array  of  this  wild  and  romantic  pass.  Fa- 
tigued as  I  was  with  my  hard  day's  walk,  and  my  arm 
still  bound  to  my  side,  I  did  not  wait  for  dinner,  but 
clambered  up  the  bank,  and  seating  myself  beneath  the 
shade  of  a  cedar,  took  two  sketches  of  the  place,  one 
of  which  looking  south  exhibits  a  singularly  capped 
rock,  standing  detached  in  the  canon. 

May  21st.  A  great  change  in  the  temperature  of 
the  air,  has  accompanied  our  descent  from  the  high 
plains.  The  little  stream  on  which  we  are  encamped 
flows  west ;  so  that  it  is  now  evident  we  have  crossed 
the  great  dividing  ridge,  or  central  plateau  which  ex- 
tends from  north  to  south  across  the  whole  continent 
of  North  America. 

Closely  hemmed  in  on  both  sides  by  overhanging 
rocks,  our  route  continued  along  the  canon  for  five  or 
six  miles,  directly  in,  or  near  the  bed  of  the  stream, 
each  turn  presenting  some  new  scene  of  beauty  and 
grandeur.  Tall  sycamores  filled  the  narrow  space 
between  the  walls  of  the  defile,  while  flowering  shrubs 
shooting  their  slender  branches  from  the  recesses  where 


AGUA   PRIETA.  255 

a  little  earth  had  given  them  a  hold,  formed  a  complete 
canopy  over  our  heads.  The  various  cacti,  the  agave, 
and  the  yucca  also  abounded,  each  nourishing  in  perfec- 
tion, and,  as  it  were,  striving  for  the  ascendency.  To 
these  must  be  added  the  fouquiera,  with  its  tall  leafless 
stems  and  its  brilliant  scarlet  flowers,  which  shot  forth 
from  every  rocky  crevice. 

On  emerging  from  the  canon  our  road  led  up  a  high 
hill  where  there  was  a  level  plateau,  of  a  desert-like 
character,  about  eight  miles  across,  with  an  excellent 
road,  which  brought  us  to  the  rich  valley  of  San  Ber- 
nardino. Here  was  stretched  out  before  us  a  level 
patch  of  green,  resembling  a  luxuriant  meadow,  some 
eight  or  ten  miles  long,  by  one  broad ;  and  directly 
beyond,  on  a  little  spur  of  the  plateau,  lay  the  ruins  of 
the  hacienda  of  San  Bernardino.  Crossing  this  valley 
we  stopped  on  the  banks  of  a  little  stream,  a  tributary, 
or  one  of  the  sources  of  the  Huaqui,  which  passes  within 
a  few  rods  of  the  ruins.  As  we  approached,  a  flock  of 
herons  arose  from  the  water,  alarmed  at  the  unusual 
invasion  of  their  quiet  haunt.  One  of  them,  whom 
curiosity  had  prompted  to  leave  his  companions  and 
take  a  closer  inspection  of  the  intruders,  fell  a  victim 
to  his  boldness,  and  was  added  to  our  ornithological 
collection. 

San  Bernardino  is  a  collection  of  adobe  buildings 
in  a  ruined  state,  of  which  nothing  but  the  walls  re- 
main. One  of  these  buildings  was  about  one  hundred 
feet  square,  with  a  court  in  the  centre  ;  and  adjoining 
it  were  others  with  small  apartments.  The  latter  were 
doubtless  the  dwellings  of  the  peons  and  herdsmen. 
The  whole  extending  over  a  space  of  about  two  acres, 


256  THE    COPPER   MINES   TO 

was  inclosed  with  a  high  wall  of  adobe,  with  regular 
bastions  for  defence.  Being  elevated  some  twenty  or 
thirty  feet  above  the  valley,  this  hacienda  commands  a 
fine  view  of  the  country  around.  Vast  herds  of  cattle 
were  formerly  raised  here,  but  the  frequent  attacks  of 
the  Apaches  led  to  the  abandonment  of  the  place. 
Some  cattle  which  had  strayed  away  and  were  not  reco- 
vered at  the  time,  have  greatly  multiplied  since,  and 
now  roam  over  the  plains  and  in  the  valleys,  as  wild  and 
more  fierce  than  the  buffalo.  Colonel  Cooke,  in  his 
march  to  California,  supplied  his  whole  command  with 
beef  from  these  herds  ;  and  the  passing  emigrants  des- 
tined for  that  country,  replenish  their  stores  from  the 
same  source.  I  saw  a  number  of  these  cattle  when 
riding  in  advance  of  the  party,  but  having  only  my 
double-barrelled  gun  and  my  revolvers  with  me,  did 
not  dare  to  shoot  at  them.  These  herds  were  small, 
not  more  than  six  in  each,  led  by  a  stately  bull.  A 
wounded  bull  would  be  a  serious  antagonist,  more  so,  I 
have  been  told  than  a  buffalo.  This  establishment  was 
abandoned  about  twenty  years  ago;  since  which  time, 
no  attempt  has  been  made  to  reoccupy  it.  Such  seems 
to  be  the  case  with  all  deserted  places  here ;  a  fatality 
or  superstitious  dread  hangs  over  them,  and  when  they 
have  been  left  two  or  three  years,  they  are  not  again 
inhabited. 

After  watering  our  animals,  and  giving  them  a 
couple  of  hours  to  feed  on  the  rich  grass  here,  we  re- 
sumed our  journey,  taking  a  westerly  direction.  The 
road  first  entered  a  thick  chapporal  of  mezquit  through 
which  it  continued  four  or  five  miles  ;  when  we  struck 
for  three  mountains,  in  a  line  with  each  other  from 


AGUA    PRIETA.  257 

east  to  west ;  the  last  of  a  conical  form,  crowned  by  a 
perpendicular  mass  of  reddish  rock,  covered  with 
green  and  yellow  moss.  Here  the  country  was  ex- 
ceedingly hilly  and  barren.  For  two  or  three  miles 
the  vegetation  was  limited  to  a  perfect  forest  of  the 
fouquieras  j  some  of  which  grow  to  the  height  of 
twenty  feet,  their  leafless  stems  crowned  with  scarlet 
flowers.  I  would  have  remained  at  San  Bernardino 
for  the  night,  but  expected  to  find  water  at  the  base 
of  these  hills,  as  indicated  by  Colonel  Cooke.  We  saw 
many  places  where  there  had  been  water,  and  even  a 
running  stream ;  but  all  was  dried  up,  and  there  was 
no  alternative  but  to  push  on  some  twelve  or  fourteen 
miles  to  Black  Water  Creek,  the  Agua  Prieta  of  the 
Mexicans.  Emerging  from  the  hills  we  came  upon  an 
open  plain  with  an  excellent  road  down  a  gradual  de- 
scent for  about  ten  miles;  and  seeing  before  us  the 
bottom  of  the  valley,  with  a  line  of  bushes  which  I  sup- 
posed to  mark  the  stream  we  were  in  search  of,  I  hur- 
ried on  in  advance  of  the  wagons,  in  order  to  select  a 
good  place  for  an  encampment.  A  couple  of  hours 
brought  me  to  the  spot,  where  to  my  great  disappoint- 
ment, I  found  only  a  dry  ravine  without  a  drop  of 
water;  nor  did  it  appear  that  there  had  been  any 
there  for  months.  Rank  grass  and  weeds  had  sprung 
up  in  the  bed  where  water  had  run,  had  come  to  ma- 
turity, and  shrunk  away  for  the  want  of  further  nou- 
rishment. Not  a  tree  was  near  us,  and  every  thing 
around  had  a  most  forbidding  aspect.  For  a  mile  be- 
fore reaching  this  watercourse,  we  had  noticed  many 
well-beaten  trails  of  wild  cattle,  some  of  which  were 
quite  fresh,  and  directed  towards  a  common  centre. 
VOL.  i. — 17 


258  THE    COPPER   MINES   TO 

A  few  miles  in  advance,  following  the  road,  I  also  per- 
ceived a  line  of  large  cotton- woods.  I  hastened  for- 
ward in  advance  of  the  party,  and  when  I  reached  the 
spot,  I  directed  Wells,  my  carriage  driver,  to  look 
around  among  the  trees  and  bushes,  whose  luxuriance 
indicated,  their  proximity  to  water.  He  had  got  but  a 
few  rods  when  I  heard  him  halloa,  and  soon  after  take 
to  a  tree.  His  red  flannel  shirt  had  excited  the  ire  of 
a  bull,  which,  with  a  herd  of  wild  cattle,  was  browsing 
among  the  bushes.  But  my  party  coming  up  at  this 
juncture,  they  all  took  to  their  heels  in  single  file,  the 
bull  leading  the  van,  and  were  soon  lost  in  the  high 
chapporal.  We  were  again  doomed  to  disappoint- 
ment. No  water  was  found.  I  now  hastened  back 
with  all  speed  to  Black  Water  Creek,  where  the  train 
with  the  rest  of  the  party  had  arrived.  They  were 
pondering  what  to  do  in  the  dilemma.  Their  disap- 
pointment being  not  less  than  my  own.  We  had  now 
come  about  twenty-two  miles  from  the  last  water,  and 
nearly  forty  from  our  last  camping  place  in  the  Guada- 
lupe Pass.  So  confident  had  we  been  on  leaving  San 
Bernardino  that  we  should  find  water  at  this  place,  if 
not  at  two  intermediate  stations,  that  we  had  not  taken 
the  trouble  to  fill  our  kegs.  We  always  avoided  carry- 
ing kegs  of  water  when  not  absolutely  necessary,  on 
account  of  the  weight,  and  the  appearance  of  a  river 
on  the  map  was  a  sufficient  excuse  for  omitting  to  do 
so  at  this  time.  For  the  same  reason  we  had  collected 
no  wood.  The  place  where  we  had  stopped  was  also 
entirely  destitute  of  grass,  so  that  we  had  but  a  poor 
prospect  of  a  meal  before  us.  Two  of  us  had  a  little 
water  in  our  canteens ;  we  put  this  together,  made  a 


AGUA   PRIETA.  259 

fire  with  some  buffalo  chips,  t.  e.,  dried  cattle  dung, 
and  made  a  pot  of  coffee.  It  was  now  quite  dark,  and 
too  late  to  look  further  for  water.  The  mules  were, 
therefore,  fastened  to  the  wagon  wheels,  and  tongues, 
without  food ;  when  we,  all  fatigued  and  supperless ; 
threw  our  blankets  around  us,  and  without  pitching 
our  tents,  crept  beneath  the  wagons,  and  tried  to  for- 
get our  unpleasant  situation  in  sleep.  The  bellowing 
of  bulls  and  the  incessant  yelping  of  the  wolves  occa- 
sionally disturbed  our  slumbers ;  nevertheless,  we 
obtained  a  refreshing  night's  repose. 

Among  the  incidents  of  the  day,  the  following 
deserves  mention.  Shortly  before  we  stopped  the  atten- 
tion of  the  party  was  attracted  by  a  glittering  object, 
a  few  rods  from  the  road.  On  examination  it  proved 
to  be  a  highly  polished  bayonet ;  and  Colonel  Craig 
immediately  recognized  it  as  belonging  to  a  U.  S.  army 
musket.  Further  search  disclosed  a  grave,  which  ap- 
peared to  have  been  scratched  open  by  the  wolves,  and 
the  body  carried  off.  A  pair  of  soldier's  pantaloons, 
and  part  of  a  cotton  sheet  were  also  found  near.  There 
was  every  reason  to  believe,  therefore,  that  this  was 
the  grave  of  an  American  soldier,  and  probably  of  one 
of  those  who  had  deserted  from  the  Copper  Mines. 

While  jogging  along  to-day,  a  wolf  passed  by, 
which  I  shot  from  my  carriage  door.  Many  antelopes 
were  also  seen,  but  we  were  in  too  great  a  hurry  to  go 
in  pursuit  of  them.  For  the  same  reason  none  of  the 
wild  cattle  were  shot. 

May  22d.  As  soon  as  it  was  light,  Colonel  Craig, 
Mr.  Thurber,  and  others  set  offin  search  of  water.  They 
took  one  of  the  fresh  cattle  trails  ;  and,  after  following 


260  THE    COPPER    MINES   TO 

it  about  two  miles,  they  struck  a  fine  spring,  which  we 
afterwards  learned  was  known  to  the  Mexicans  by  the 
name  of  Agua  Prieta,  or  Black  Water.  To  this  place 
we  immediately  moved  the  wagons,  and  encamped  for 
the  day. 


AGUA   PRIETA   TO   ARISPE.  261 


CHAPTER  XL 

AGUA   PRIETA   TO    ARISPE. 

Leave  the  California  road — Agua  Prieta — Send  party  to  look  for  Fronteras 
— Mexican  soldiers  sent  to  guide  us  in — Journey  resumed — Strike 
a  rich  valley — Break  a  wagon — Reach  Fronteras — Description  of  the 
place — Abandoned  by  its  people  and  recolonized — General  Oarrasco — 
Couriers  between  the  frontier  posts — Attack  by  General  Carrasco  on 
Apaches  at  Janos — Campaign  against  the  Apaches — General  Carrasco's 
opinion  of  American  officers — The  Doctor  beset  by  the  sick — Leave 
Fronteras — Coquiarachi — Valley  of  Barbari — Wild  turkeys — Moun- 
tain Pass — Gold  Mine — Bacuachi — Sonora  River — Magnificent  canon 
— Chinapi — Curious  sandstone  formation — Arrival  at  Arispe. 

We  had  now  reached  the  farthest  point  to  which  we 
could  follow  the  California  road  ;  our  destination  being 
Fronteras,  the  nearest  town  in  Sonora,  which  is  laid 
down  on  Cooke's  map  as  about  fourteen  miles  to  the 
south,  we  must  leave  it  here.  But  as  no  wagon  road 
or  trail  could  be  discovered  in  that  direction,  I  did 
not  think  it  prudent  to  set  off  with  our  wagons  with- 
out knowing  more  about  the  country.  Colonel  Cooke 
does  not  speak  positively  as  to  the  distance  of  this 
place,  having  obtained  his  information  from  an  Indian. 
I  therefore  despatched  Messrs.  Thurber,  Cremony,  and 
Stewart  to  find  the  place,  and  ascertain  if  the  country 
between  it  and  our  camp  was  practicable  for  wagons. 
They  took  with   them   as  guide  a  Mexican,   named 


262  AGUA   PRIBTA   TO 

Jesus,  one  of  our  teamsters,  who  had  visited  the  place 
some  years  before  by  another  route,  and  knew  the 
landmarks.  This  name  is  so  common  among  Mexicans, 
particularly  the  lower  classes,  that  one  can  seldom  get 
half  a  dozen  of  them  together  without  finding  a  Jesus 
in  the  company.  We  had  two  of  the  name  in  the 
Commission  for  a  year ;  both  of  whom,  I  am  sorry  to 
say,  proved  entirely  unworthy  of  it. 

Remained  quietly  in  our  tents  during  the  day,  the 
mules  and  horses  feeding  on  the  grass  near  by.  Par- 
ties went  out  in  search  of  wild  cattle,  many  having 
been  seen  at  daylight;  but  they  all  returned  unsuc- 
cessful. For  lack  of  better  sport,  therefore,  we  amused 
ourselves  in  firing  at  wolves  which  constantly  ap- 
proached the  spring  during  the  day  ;  only  one  how- 
ever was  killed.  During  the  night  heard  the  bellowing 
of  bulls  in  all  directions.  Several  of  our  men  were  on 
the  alert,  but  the  cattle  doubtless  scented  the  danger, 
and  would  not  approach. 

May  23d  At  6  o'clock  this  morning  we  espied 
four  strange  looking  figures  dressed  in  white,  ap- 
proaching the  camp  on  a  run,  which  my  glass  showed 
to  be  Mexicans.  They  proved  to  be  a  party  from 
Fronteras,  sent  by  General  Carrasco,  the  officer  in 
command ;  they  had  left  the  night  before  at  8  o'clock, 
and  brought  letters  from  the  General  and  from  Mr. 
Thurber,  who,  with  his  party  had  reached  there  in 
safety.  General  C.  extended  the  hospitalities  of  the 
place  to  us,  and  sent  the  four  soldiers  to  be  our  guides. 
Mr.  Thurber  wrote  that  his  party  had  taken  a  southerly 
direction  across  arroyos  and  through  a  dense  chappo- 
ral,  starting  up  numbers  of  wild  cattle,  until  near  sun- 


ARISPE.  263 

set,  when  they  came  in  sight  of  the  town.  On  drawing 
near  they  observed  the  greatest  commotion  in  the 
place  ;  people  were  crowding  in  front  of  the  church, 
and  upon  the  house  tops,  and  the  steep  street  which 
led  to  the  plaza,  was  thronged  with  women  and  chil- 
dren. Their  approach  had  been  observed  by  the  sen- 
tinel on  guard.  He,  supposing  them  to  be  Apaches, 
gave  the  alarm ;  and  the  consequence  was,  a  general 
turn  out  to  repel  the  supposed  attack.  When  the 
mistake  was  corrected,  their  fear  of  the  Apaches  gave 
place  to  wonder  at  los  Americanos,  these  being  the 
first  specimens  of  the  Yankee  nation  that  many  of  the 
people  had  ever  seen. 

We  now  hurried  in  the  mules,  and,  rapidly  com- 
pleting our  preparation  for  the  start,  were  off  by  10 
o'clock.  Our  course  lay  south  towards  the  western 
point  of  a  high  mountain.  Our  guides  led  us  along  a 
valley  through  which  ran  the  stream  called  Black 
Water  Creek, — that  is  to  say,  when  there  was  water 
enough  in  it  to  run.  We  found  it  here  and  there  in 
pools.  The  country  was  fiat,  and  covered  with  luxuriant 
grass,  resembling  a  meadow.  Our  course  was  slow, 
being  much  impeded  by  deep  gullies,  some  of  which 
had  to  be  cut  down  to  let  the  wagons  cross.  In  pass- 
ing one,  where  the  bank  was  short  and  steep,  the 
hounds  of  one  of  Colonel  Craig's  wagons  were  broken 
off.  It  was  feared  that  we  should  be  obliged  to  aban- 
don the  vehicle ;  but  thanks  to  the  ingenuity  of  my 
carriage  driver,  who  spliced  it  with  a  crotched  tree,  we 
were  able  to  proceed  after  a  couple  of  hours'  delay. 
These  short  and  sudden  plunges  are  more  dangerous 
than  long  or  even  steep  hills,  and  require  the  utmost 


264  AGUA   PRIETA   TO 

care  in  passing  them.  The  tongues  and  hounds  are 
liable  to  snap  off;  and  nothing  so  completely  disables 
a  wagon  as  an  accident  of  this  kind.  As  we  pro- 
ceeded, the  valley  became  more  picturesque,  being 
covered  at  intervals  with  mezquit  trees,  larger  than 
any  we  had  seen.  In  the  afternoon  we  were  again 
brought  to  a  stand,  and  on  turning  to  ascertain  the 
cause,  found  that  one  of  the  tires  of  Colonel  Craig's 
wagon  had  fallen  off.  This  was  repaired  in  half  an 
hour  by  lashing  it  on  with  halter  chains.  As  we 
approached  the  mountain,  we  found  ourselves  in  a 
valley  still  more  luxuriant,  having  a  beautiful  stream 
winding  through  it,  overhung  with  walnut,  ash,  and 
cotton-wood  trees.  Finding  it  imposible  after  our 
delay  to  reach  Fronteras  to-day,  we  stopped  at  five 
o'clock  near  a  fine  grove,  on  the  banks  of  the  stream, 
where  there  was  excellent  water  and  an  abundance  of 
grass,  and  there  pitched  our  tents  for  the  night. 

May  24:th.  At  six  o'  clock  we  were  off,  keeping  in 
the  valley  and  following  the  stream  which  led  around 
the  western  extremity  of  the  mountain  called  Covayan. 
Our  course  still  continuing  south,  we  struck  across  an 
elevation,  and  entered  the  valley  beyond,  here  covered 
with  large  cotton-wood  trees.  The  road  now  continued 
level ;  and  after  a  ride  of  four  hours,  we  reached  Fron- 
teras. As  we  approached,  men,  women,  and  children 
came  out  to  meet  us,  ours  being  the  first  American 
wagons  that  had  ever  been  seen  in  the  place.  General 
Carrasco  met  me  as  I  alighted  from  my  carriage,  and 
took  me  to  his  quarters. 

Fronteras  was  formerly  a  town  of  considerable  im- 
portance.     It  was  established  about  eighty  years  ago 


ARISPE. 


265 


as  a  presidio,  or  garrison,  and  at  one  time  contained 
two  thousand  inhabitants.  The  view  of  this  town  from 
a  distance  is  pleasing.  It  stands  upon  a  point  of  table 
land,  which  juts  out  into  the  valley  like  a  promontory 


Fronteras,  Sonora, 

in  the  sea.  The  church  forms  the  prominent  object  in 
the  landscape,  and  its  style  is  quite  picturesque  ;  its 
effect  also  is  heightened  by  its  somewhat  ruined  con- 
dition. Along  the  steep  sides  of  the  hill,  the  houses 
are  placed,  rising  one  above  another,  which  makes  the 
place  appear  much  larger  than  it  really  is.  Once  within 
the  town,  one's  ideas  of  the  picturesque  are  soon  dissi- 
pated by  the  sight  of  its  ruined  adobe  buildings  ;  though 
he  soon  forgets  the  desolation  around  him  in  looking; 


266  AGUA    PRIETA    TO 

upon  the  green  fertile  valley  spread  at  his  feet.  Fron- 
teras,  like  most  of  the  military  colonies,  fell  into  decay, 
chiefly  from  the  neglect  of  the  central  government  to 
properly  provide  for  the  soldiery,  in  consequence  of 
which,  the  inhabitants  were  left  without  protection 
from  the  attacks  of  the  savages.  To  such  an  extent  did 
the  place  suffer  from  the  incursions  of  the  Apaches, 
who  killed  off  the  herdsmen,  drove  the  cultivators  from 
the  fields,  and  took  captive  the  women  and  children, 
that  about  three  years  ago  it  was  entirely  abandoned. 
Within  six  months  General  Carrasco  has  re-established 
the  colony,  a  new  population,  including  many  of  its 
former  inhabitants,  have  taken  possession,  and  in  many 
respects  it  appears  like  an  old  settled  town.  Acequias 
have  also  been  opened,  large  fields  of  wheat  and  corn 
cover  the  beautiful  valley,  numerous  cattle  graze  on 
the  meadows,  and  the  importance  which  the  place 
once  enjoyed  seems  about  to  return. 

Fronteras  is  supported  by  a  valley  two  miles  in 
width,  which  we  entered  about  six  miles  from  the  town. 
This  space  of  arable  land,  limited  as  it  is,  is  said  to  be 
one  of  the  largest  and  best  in  Sonora.  The  soil  is  ex- 
ceedingly rich,  and  is  capable  of  producing  abundant 
crops  of  maize  and  wheat  (the  only  cereals  cultivated), 
fruits  of  various  sorts,  and,  with  pains,  every  kind  of 
vegetables.  But  here,  as  in  all  other  parts  of  Mexico 
that  I  have  seen,  this  species  of  culture  is  but  little 
attended  to.  Beans,  pumpkins,  and  onions  are  raised, 
it  is  true,  but  all  other  vegetables  are  unknown. 

A  small  stream  passes  by  Fronteras,  which,  although 
called  a  river,  would  scarcely  be  characterized  as  a 
creek  in  the  United  States ;  but  all  the  streams  here  are 


ARISPB.  267 

very  small.  This  river  winds  its  way  through  moun- 
tains, and  occasionally  expands,  forming  a  valley  or 
bottom  covered  with  rank  grass  and  luxuriant  foliage. 
It  is  here  called  Fronteras  River,  and  like  many  other 
streams  in  the  country,  changes  its  name  with  the  towns 
it  passes.  Lower  down  it  is  called  the  -Sonora  River, 
by  which  name  I  shall  speak  of  it  in  future. 

General  Carrasco  is  at  present  in  command  of  all  the 
troops  on  this  frontier.  He  has  increased  the  number 
of  posts,  and  keeps  up  a  weekly  communication  between 
them  all  by  means  of  couriers,  two  of  which,  armed  with 
musket  and  lance,  traverse  the  broad  deserts,  eluding 
the  Apaches,  who  are  lying  in  wait  for  all  small  parties 
of  travellers.  They  perform  most  of  their  journeys  at 
night,  and  generally  go  on  a  trot,  by  which  means  they 
accomplish  nearly  as  much  in  a  given  time  as  a  horse. 
War  in  the  field  does  not  succeed  against  Indians,  for 
unless  they  feel  strong  enough  to  overcome  their  foe  at 
once,  and  with  little  loss,  they  retire  and  are  not  to  be 
found.  The  General  has  determined  to  carry  the  war 
into  their  very  fastnesses,  and  to  make  it  one  of  exter- 
mination. If  his  troops  were  equal  to  their  commander, 
the  Apaches  might  have  cause  of  fear.  He  lately  made 
a  successful  descent  upon  the  Indians  at  Janos.  This 
place  is  in  the  State  of  Chihuahua,  which  is  at  peace 
with  the  Indians,  and  whose  government  serves  them 
with  rations.  Taking  advantage  of  this,  they  carry 
their  predatory  excursions  into  the  State  of  Sonora, 
and  run  off  large  numbers  of  mules  and  horses,  which 
they  take  to  the  frontier  towns  of  Chihuahua  and  sell. 
General  Carrasco,  being  informed  of  this,  disregarded 
the  State  limits,  and  came  suddenly  upon  the  town  of 


268  AGUA    PRIETA    TO 

Janos,  near  which  he  found  a  body  of  Indians,  whom 
he  attacked  and  routed.  Some  twenty  men  were  killed, 
and  fifty  or  sixty,  chiefly  women  and  children,  were 
taken  prisoners.  These  were  sent  into  the  interior,  and 
there  distributed  among  the  haciendas  and  ranchos  as 
servants,  too  far  off  ever  to  reach  their  homes  again. 
The  military  commander,  Colonel  Medina,  was  much 
enraged  at  the  proceedings  of  the  Sonorian  General  in 
invading  his  territory,  and  reported  the  case  to  the 
central  government,  which,  however,  approved  of  Car- 
rasco's  course. 

When  we  entered  the  town,  the  General  was  just 
preparing  to  set  out  on  a  campaign  against  the 
Indians  on  the  Gila;  and  his  troops,  nearly  four  hun- 
dred in  all,  were  assembling  in  front  of  the  town. 
There  were  three  companies  of  infantry  and  one  of 
horse.  Some  were  dressed  in  blue  great  coats  and 
high  caps,  and  others  in  short  jackets,  while  all  wore 
the  common  loose  white  cotton  drawers  and  shirts  of 
the  country.  Many  sported  broad-brimmed  glazed 
hats,  with  a  white  band,  while  the  hats  of  others  were 
of  straw  ;  but  in  all  cases  these  coverings  were  stuck 
on  the  top  of  the  head,  and  tied  under  the  chin. 
Every  variety  of  costume  seemed  admissible ;  and  the 
only  point  in  which  they  all  agreed  was  in  being 
exceedingly  dirty.  There  was  scarcely  a  pair  of  shoes 
among  them,  the  substitute  being  sandals  of  raw  hide, 
fastened  with  thongs  of  the  same  material.  The  offi- 
cers in  this  corps,  several  of  whom  I  learned  were  from 
the  city  of  Mexico,  appeared  to  be  intelligent  men. 
They  were  well  dressed,  and  exhibited  a  striking 
contrast   with    the   privates.     I    also   noticed  among 


ARISPB.  269 

the  non-commissioned  officers  a  sergeant,  who  was  an 
Apache  Indian.  This  man  had  long  been  in  the  Mexi- 
can service,  where  he  was  well  treated.  He  exhibited 
much  intelligence,  and  being  familiar  with  the  haunts 
of  his  people,  was  to  guide  the  Mexican  soldiers  in 
their  campaign. 

The  camp  equipage  and  simple  fare  of  these  sol- 
diers presents  a  striking  contrast  with  what  an  Ame- 
rican brigade  would  deem  necessary.  Each  man,  be- 
sides his  musket,  forty  rounds  of  ammunition,  and  a 
blanket,  carries  rations  for  six  days,  the  daily  ration 
consisting  of  two  pounds  of  pinole  (coarse  wheat  or 
Indiana  meal)  ;  half  a  pound  of  dried  beef,  and  half  a 
pound  of  panoche,  the  coarse  brown  sugar  of  the  coun- 
try. The  beef  is  cooked  on  the  coals  before  starting, 
and  the  pinole  requires  no  other  preparation  than  stir- 
ring with  water,  and  sweetening  with  panoche.  Cook- 
ing utensils  are,  therefore,  unnecessary,  and  a  tin  or 
coarse  earthen  cup  is  all  that  is  required.  Every  man 
carries  a  sheath  or  jack-knife ;  and  even  this  may  be 
dispensed  with,  for  the  meat  is  dried  in  long  strips, 
and  pulled  to  pieces  with  the  teeth  and  fingers.  Be- 
sides what  these  soldiers  carried,  there  were  some  sixty 
pack  mules,  laden  with  camp  equipage  for  the  officers, 
tents,  ammunition,  provisions,  and  corn,  a  very  small 
train  for  a  body  of  four  hundred  men,  about  to  traverse 
a  desert  country,  where  no  supplies  could  be  procured. 

The  inhabitants  just  now  are  very  poor,  as  they 
have  not  yet  begun  to  realize  any  thing  from  their 
crops.  Estimating  their  returns  at  the  usual  rate, 
they  expect  to  obtain  about  twelve  thousand  bushels 
of  corn  and  wheat  the  coming  harvest.     For  their  pre- 


270  AGUA    PEIETA    TO 

sent  subsistence  they  rely  entirely  upon  dried  meat 
from  the  wild  cattle,  and  pinole.  Not  a  particle  of 
coffee,  chocolate,  or  rice  was  to  be  obtained  in  the 
place.  On  my  making  known  to  General  Carrasco 
that  I  wished  to  purchase  some  beef  and  corn,  he 
ordered  an  ox  to  be  killed  and  sent  to  our  camp  in 
the  morning,  together  with  a  bale  containing  a  hun- 
dred pounds  of  dried  beef,  and  eight  or  ten  bags  of 
corn,  for  none  of  which  would  he  receive  any  pay. 
During  the  hour  or  two  spent  at  his  quarters  he 
entered  into  a  warm  discussion  with  Colonel  Craig  on 
the  battles  in  which  the  Mexican  and  American  armies 
had  been  engaged  in  the  late  war,  in  several  of  which 
he  had  participated,  and  respecting  all  of  which  he 
was  very  well  informed.  He  seemed  to  understand 
well  the  qualities  of  our  general  officers,  and  expressed 
the  most  unbounded  admiration  for  several,  particu- 
larly the  Commander-in-Chief.  He  did  not  approve  of 
the  plan  of  making  General  Scott  President ;  but  said 
the  United  States  should  present  him  with  three  mil- 
lions of  dollars,  and  give  him  the  mission  to  England 
or  France. 

Our  camp  was  below  the  hill,  about  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  from  the  town,  beneath  the  branches  of  a  gigan- 
tic cotton-wood.  Here  we  were  detained  four  days, 
to  make  the  necessary  repairs  on  Colonel  Craig's 
wagons.  The  first  day  little  was  done.  The  next 
being  Sunday,  the  mechanics  would  not  work  at  all, 
even  with  promises  of  large  pay  ;  yet  they  sang,  and 
danced,  and  drank  aguardiente  all  the  afternoon  and 
evening.  On  Monday  our  men  took  hold  of  the  job, 
and  by  Tuesday  night  the  wagons  were  in  readiness 


ARISPE.  271 

to  move.  The  people  of  the  place,  for  want  of  other 
employment,  hung  about  our  camp  from  morning  to 
night,  though  the  cooking  department  seemed  to  pos- 
sess the  greatest  attraction  for  them.  Men,  women, 
and  children  crowded  around  the  presiding  function- 
ary, for  the  double  purpose  of  cultivating  a  knowledge 
of  the  culinary  art  and  of  picking  up  such  scraps  as  he 
thought  proper  to  bestow  upon  them.  Their  own 
cooking  is  all  done  in  earthen  vessels ;  and  the  abun- 
dance of  iron  utensils  with  which  we  were  furnished 
seemed  to  impress  them  with  the  idea  of  our  great 
wealth.  The  doctor,  too,  was  beset  by  these  people. 
Their  complaints  were  chiefly  diseases  of  the  eyes,  and 
such  others  as  result  from  improper  food  and  unclean 
habits.  The  doctor  accompanied  his  medicine  with  a 
lecture  on  that  virtue  which  ranks  next  to  godliness, 
and  the  necessity  of  employing  their  time  in  industrial 
pursuits,  and  of  obtaining  by  their  own  energies  the 
comforts  they  so  much  need.  He  prescribed  and  gave 
a  small  quantity  of  rice  to  a  sick  woman,  and  soon 
found  that  nearly  all  her  sisterhood  in  the  place  stood 
in  need  of  similar  aliment. 

I  found  many  of  these  people  quite  desirous  to 
emigrate  to  the  Copper  Mines ;  and  they  earnestly 
begged  permission  to  accompany  me  back.  Some 
fourteen  years  before,  when  the  mines  were  worked, 
a  considerable  trade  between  here  aud  that  place 
was  carried  on,  which,  if  we  maintained  a  post  there, 
would  probably  be  resumed. 

It  is  difficult  to  make  the  people  of  this  place 
believe  that  we  are  not  a  party  of  traders ;  and  every 
hour  in  the  day  we  have  calls  to  sell  needles,  thread, 


272  AGUA    PRIETA    TO 

and  a  hundred  little  articles.  They  seem  different  in 
many  respects  from  those  of  the  towns  on  the  Rio 
Grande,  where  contact  with  the  Americans  has  had 
its  effect  (would  that  I  could  say  for  good)  upon  the 
Mexicans.  Their  manners  and  habits  of  living  are 
more  simple,  and  their  hospitality  more  warm  and 
generous,  though  with  much  less  means  for  its  display. 
We  observe  that  the  olla,  or  earthen  pot,  which  is 
almost  their  only  domestic  utensil,  is  different  and 
better  finished  than  that  of  El  Paso.  They  are  also 
borne  differently  when  used  as  water-jars ;  those  of  El 
Paso  being  carried  on  the  shoulder,  and  supported  by 
one  hand,  while  the  women  here,  without  exception, 
walk  with  a  firm  step  and  erect  figure,  with  these  frail 
vessels,  frequently  containing  four  or  five  gallons  of 
water,  balanced  upon  their  heads. 

The  morning  before  we  left,  a  wild  bull  was 
brought  to  us.  These  animals  are  pursued  by  the 
Mexicans  on  horseback,  caught  by  a  lariat,  and 
thrown.  They  are  then  secured  by  the  horns,  the 
tips  of  which  are  first  sawed  off,  to  a  domesticated 
animal ;  and  thus  tied,  they  come  along  quietly 
enough.  We  selected  such  portions  of  this  animal 
as  we  wanted;  and  the  remainder,  including  the  head 
and  offal,  was  eagerly  seized  upon  by  the  people,  who 
had  been  watching  the  process  of  butchering  with  as 
much  delight  as  the  starving  wolf  or  buzzard  does  a 
perishing  mule. 

May  28th.  Took  our  departure  at  seven  o'clock, 
and  at  a  short  distance  passed  the  first  way-side  cross. 
Though  we  met  them  frequently  enough  afterwards, 
we   saw  none  as  striking  as  this.     It  was  about  ten 


ARISPE.  273 

feet  high.,  covered  with  evergreen,  and  supported  at 
the  base  by  a  large  mound  of  loose  stones.  Usually, 
these  crosses  are  simply  two  rough  sticks  bound 
together  in  the  form  of  the  sacred  emblem ;  though 
some  we  saw  were  constructed  with  more  care,  and 
had  inscriptions  carved  on  them.  They  mark  the 
places  where  travellers  have  been  murdered  by  the 
Apaches. 

About  six  miles  from  Fronteras  we  passed  a  small 
stream  running  through  a  little  valley,  on  the  opposite 
side  of  which,  on  the  edge  of  the  plateau,  stood  the 
deserted  village  of  Gocuidrachi.  The  fields  that 
skirted  the  roads,  the  rows  of  pomegranate  trees  in 
full  bloom,  and  the  orchards  of  peach,  pear,  and  mul- 
berry, all  betokened  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  We 
halted  a  few  moments  at  the  place,  and  entered 
many  of  its  tenantless  houses,  which  are  fast  falling  to 
ruin.  The  church  was  in  good  condition ;  for  the 
savages,  though  they  often  burn  and  destroy  the  habi- 
tations of  the  people,  always  spare  their  places  of 
worship.  It  was  indeed  sad  to  see  such  desolation, 
where  but  a  few  years  before  there  had  been  so  much 
happiness.  On  leaving  this  place  we  ascended  a  long 
and  very  steep  hill,  to  accomplish  which  we  had  to* 
double  our  teams.  Continuing  on  the  plateau  for  six 
or  eight  miles,  we  again  descended  into  a  pleasant 
valley,  called  Barbabi,  thickly  covered  with  oaks.  As 
we  were  moving  along  through  these,  a  flock  of  wild 
turkeys  flew  up,  from  which  one  of  the  party  dropped 
a  fine  large  one  with  a  pistol  shot.  Having  now  made 
twenty  miles,  and  finding  ourselves  in  one  of  the  most 

romantic  spots  we  had  yet  seen,  with  fine  grass  and 
VOL.  i. — 18 


274  AGUA   PRIETA    TO 

water  at  hand,  we  pitched  our  tents  beneath  some 
oaks  and  rested  for  the  night.  We  were  in  a  com- 
plete amphitheatre  of  low  rounded  hills,  all  covered 
with  trees,  with  a  high  and  rugged  mountain  on  the 
south.  Taking  it  altogether,  I  had  seen  nothing  that 
reminded  me  so  strongly  of  the  scenery  of  Vermont 
and  New  Hampshire.  Near  the  little  brook  where  we 
encamped  were  some  wild  currant  bushes,  from  which 
we  gathered  an  abundance  of  fine  fruit.  These  made 
into  a  sauce,  and  added  to  our  turkey,  furnished  us 
such  a  supper  as  does  not  often  fall  to  the  lot  of  travel- 
lers. A  deer,  too,  was  killed,  which  was  laid  aside  for 
the  morrow.  This  valley,  owing  to  its  seclusion,  is 
considered  one  of  the  most  dangerous  places  in  the 
country,  a  hundred  persons  having  been  murdered 
here  within  the  last  two  years. 

May  29th.  Owing  to  the  great  heat  during  the 
middle  of  the  day,  I  determined  to  set  off  early.  By 
daybreak,  therefore,  we  were  under  way,  and  soon 
after  entered  a  mountain  pass  or  canon,  which  proved 
to  be  exceedingly  difficult  for  our  animals.  So  long 
and  steep  were  the  ascents,  that  at  each  of  them  we 
were  obliged  to  double  the  teams,  and  at  every  descent 
to  chain  the  wheels.  The  valleys  and  mountain  sides 
were  covered  with  oaks,  while  the  summits,  as  far  as  I 
could  judge,  were  covered  with  pines.  The  whole 
country  during  the  night  had  been  on  fire,  including 
the  mountain ;  so  that  every  thing  around  us  was  now 
black  and  gloomy.  One  of  Colonel  Craig's  wagons 
again  broke  in  this  defile,  causing  a  delay  of  several 
hours.  These  mountains  are  said  to  contain  gold,  and 
we  were  told  that  "  lumps,"  in  comparison  with  which 


ARISPE.  275 

those  of  California  are  but  gravel  stones,  could  be  had 
for  the  picking  up.  Our  Mexican  guide  told  us  that 
he  had  obtained  a  thousand  dollars  there  in  one  week ; 
and  we  afterwards  learned  that  the  placers  had  really 
been  worked  with  great  results,  but  the  frequent  in- 
roads of  the  Apaches  had  caused  them  to  be  abandoned. 
After  leaving  the  canon,  our  course  lay  south-east 
over  a  pleasant  and  well-wooded  country  of  oak,  ash, 
and  mezquit.  The  latter  increases  much  in  size  as  we 
proceed  south.  Reached  a  small  running  stream,  when 
a  beautiful  valley  a  mile  in  width  opened  upon  us,  with 
luxuriant  fields  of  wheat,  corn,  and  pease.  It  was  inter- 
sected by  a  broad  acequia,  the  course  of  which  was 
marked  for  a  mile  or  more  by  a  line  of  cotton-woods 
and  willows.  At  the  western  extremity  of  this  valley, 
on  a  spur  of  the  plateau,  stood  the  village  of  Bacuachi. 
This  is  a  peculiarity  of  all  Mexican  towns  on  the  fron- 
tier. Farmers  do  not  build  their  ranchos  or  houses  on 
their  arable  lands,  but  congregate  on  the  desert  table- 
land, elevated  from  thirty  to  a  hundred  feet  above 
the  adjacent  valley  from  which  they  derive  their 
subsistence.  The  great  end  of  security  is  thus  at- 
tained at  the  sacrifice  of  all  comfort  and  convenience ; 
no  trees  or  shrubbery  grow  about  the  houses,  nor  is  a 
blade  of  grass  to  be  seen,  but  a  glaring  reflection  from 
the  light,  gravelly  soil  strikes  the  eye,  which  is  doubt- 
less one  cause  of  so  many  diseases  of  that  organ.  A 
house  surrounded  by  foliage  with  a  grassy  lawn,  which 
makes  a  country  residence  so  attractive,  even  though 
it  be  but  a  humble  cottage,  is  unknown  here.  Indeed 
these  people  at  present  know  not  what  comfort  is ;  but 
with  their  rich  soil  and  the  advantages  of  irrigation,  a 


276  AGUA    PRIETA   TO 

few  years  only  of  peace  and  safety  would  be  required 
to  make  these  beautiful  valleys  the  most  charming 
abodes  imaginable. 

We  did  not  stop  in  the  village,  but  drove  on  to  the 
banks  of  the  stream  which  ran  at  the  foot  of  the  hill 
beyond,  and  there  encamped.  The  inhabitants,  who 
had  been  in  great  consternation,  came  rushing  down 
the  hill  towards  our  camp,  greatly  relieved  at  ascer- 
taining our  peaceable  character. 

After  arranging  the  camp  we  strolled  up  to  the 
village,  which  turned  out  to  be  a  truly  miserable  place. 
Though  once  prosperous,  it  is  now  nearly  depopulated. 
It  is  surrounded  by  an  adobe  wall  about  five  feet  in 
height,  intended  doubtless  as  an  inclosure  for  cattle, 
rather  than  as  a  work  of  defence.  The  houses  were 
mostly  in  a  dilapidated  state,  and  the  church  itself  was 
roofless,  though  a  few  branches  of  trees  had  been  laid 
from  wall  to  wall  to  keep  the  sun  from  the  heads  of  the 
devout.  But  if  the  church  was  suffered  to  become  a 
ruin,  the  good  people  had  taken  care  of  certain  noisy 
appendages,  without  which  they  could  not  realize  that 
they  worshipped  their  Creator.  Near  their  church  they 
had  suspended  from  a  beam  by  thongs  of  raw  hide, 
resting  on  two  forked  sticks,  three  fine  old  Spanish 
bells,  one  of  them  bearing  the  date  of  1695,  the  other 
of  1721. 

Our  visit  attracted  much  attention,  and  we  were 
soon  surrounded  by  groups  of  the  inhabitants,  eager  to 
know  who  we  were  and  what  had  brought  us  to  this 
secluded  spot.  I  inquired  for  the  alcalde,  and  on 
being  conducted  to  him,  exhibited  my  letters  from 
Generals  Conde  and  Carrasco,  which  quieted  all  fears. 


ARISPE.  277 

We  were  invited  to  take  a  seat  upon  an  adobe  projec- 
tion, a  cool  though  rather  hard  substitute  for  a  settee, 
whereupon  we  entered  into  conversation  with  the 
alcalde,  and  groups  of  inquisitive  followers.  Indian 
depredations  formed  the  sole  topic  of  our  conversation  ; 
and  much  surprise  was  expressed  at  our  boldness  in 
venturing  so  far  with  so  small  a  party.  In  such  con- 
stant fear  do  these  people  live,  that  I  found  it  impossi- 
ble to  hire  two  men  to  take  out  our  mules  to  a  meadow 
half  a  mile  from  the  village.  At  length  I  addressed 
to  the  authorities  a  formal  demand  for  two  herdsmen  ; 
this  was  complied  with,  and  two  men  soon  after  ap- 
peared, armed  to  the  teeth.  But  by  this  time  we  had 
made  arrangements  to  have  some  green  wheat  cut  and 
brought  to  the  camp,  which  enabled  us  to  dispense 
with  the  grazing.  By  scouring  the  town  we  succeeded 
in  purchasing  three  dozen  eggs,  the  entire  stock  on 
hand.  American  coin  would  not  pass.  We  offered  in 
pay  both  half  dollars  and  gold  half  eagles;  but  they 
shook  their  heads.  To  my  question,  "  Is  it  not  good 
gold  and  silver  ?  "  I  received  the  universal  reply  of 
"  Quien  sabe  f  "  Who  knows  ?  Fortunately  we  had  a 
few  Mexican  dollars,  which  we  were  obliged  to  change 
for  the  joles,  or  copper  coin  of  the  State,  128  of  which 
make  a  dollar. 

On  returning  to  camp,  we  found  it  full  of  people  ; 
and  it  was  with  difficulty  that  the  cooks  could  prepare 
our  meal  for  the  crowd  of  wondering  spectators  that 
surrounded  the  fires.  I  thought  I  had  seen  human 
wretchedness  in  its  worst  state,  but  here  was  a  lower 
depth.  A  more  degraded,  filthy,  destitute  population 
than  this,   can  hardly  exist.     Their  number  is  about 


278  AGUA    PRIETA    TO 

one  thousand.  Distance  travelled  to-day,  twenty-one 
miles. 

May  30th.  Soon  after  leaving  Bacuachi,  we  turned 
from  the  valley  and  took  the  bed  of  the  Sonora  River. 
The  mountains  here  approach  so  close  together  that 
the  river  has  barely  washed  its  passage  through,  and 
no  valley  or  bottom  is  again  seen  for  many  miles.  We 
entered  this  canon  by  the  bed  of  the  river,  which  is 
but  a  few  inches  deep,  crossing  and  recrossing  it  a 
hundred  times  during  the  day's  journey.  Sometimes 
for  miles  we  were  so  closely  hemmed  in  by  the  perpen- 
dicular sides  of  this  extraordinary  defile,  which  rose  six 
or  eight  hundred  feet  above  on  either  hand,  that  we 
could  not  see  a  hundred  yards  before  or  behind  us; 
and  at  other  places,  the  dense  foliage  which  sprung  up 
from  little  islands,  hung  like  a  canopy  over  our  heads. 
The  whole  course  of  the  river  through  this  canon 
affords  a  series  of  most  delightful  scenes;  and  the  first 
few  miles  of  the  ride  through  it  will  long  be  remem- 
bered by  those  who  enjoyed  it,  as  the  most  beautiful 
portion  of  our  route.  The  rocks  through  which  the 
stream  has  forced  its  way,  exhibited  the  most  pictu- 
resque and  fantastic  forms.  Columns,  turrets,  towers 
and  pyramids,  as  nature  made  them,  decked  with  bril- 
liant flowers  or  bearing  strange  cacti,  appeared  at 
every  turn.  From  projecting  ledges  sprung  the  yucca 
and  agave,  where  there  seemed  scarcely  soil  enough  to 
give  them  a  foothold.  The  air  was  filled  with  a  deli- 
cious perfume  from  the  grape  and  mellilot ;  and  birds 
of  brilliant  plumage  and  sweetest  song  flitted  across 
our  path. 

It  will  hardly  be  necessary  for  me  to  remark,  that 


ARISPE.  279 

there  is  no  wagon  road  here,  nor  have  we  seen  one 
since  we  left  the  California  road  at  Agua  prieta.  The 
country  admits  of  nothing  but  mule  paths;  and  what  little 
transportation  there  is,  is  carried  on  the  backs  of  mules. 
Yet,  with  a  guide,  we  managed  to  push  our  way  with 
my  carriage  and  six  mule  wagons  through  this  defile, 
by  cutting  away  the  bushes  and  following  the  bed  of 
the  stream.  Had  there  been  any  falls  in  this  perpen- 
dicular canon,  we  should  have  been  in  a  sad  predica- 
ment ;  but  fortunately  the  descent  of  the  river  was  very 
gentle,  creating  only  a  slight  ripple  here  and  there. 
Deer  and  turkeys  were  frequently  seen,  but  there  were 
so  many  places  of  concealment,  that  on  the  first  alarm 
they  eluded  our  search,  and  none  were  killed.  After 
leaving  the  canon  a  valley  opened  upon  us,  still  hem- 
med in  by  mountains ;  this  we  followed  about  nine 
miles,  and  encamped  near  a  cluster  of  adobe  houses, 
which  bears  the  name  of  Chinapi.  Distance  travelled 
about  twenty-two  miles. 

Just  before  reaching  this  place  we  met  some  Mexi- 
cans, from  whom  we  inquired  the  distance.  Wishing 
also  to  obtain  some  information  relative  to  the  products 
and  population  of  the  country,  we  asked,  "  How  many 
people  are  there  in  Chinapi  ?"  The  reply  was,  "  Bas- 
tante"  Enough.  "How  many  are  enough?"  uQuien 
sabe  f  "  Who  knows  ?  In  my  intercourse  and  jour- 
neyings  with  the  lower  class  of  Mexicans,  these  same 
replies  have  been  given  to  me  a  hundred  times.  Had 
I  asked  if  the  place  contained  five  hundred  people,  the 
answer  would  probably  have  been,  "  Quisas"  Perhaps. 
But  when  they  don't  know  what  to  answer,  the  universal 
reply  is,  "  Quien  sabe"    The  proper  expression,  "iVbse," 


280 


AGUA    PRIETA   TO 


I  do  not  know,  is  rarely  heard,  even  among  intelli- 
gent people,  so  habituated  have  they  all  become  to  the 
other  form. 

One  of  the  sandstone  formations  which  lay  directly 
by  our  path,  after  we  had  left  the  canon  and  were 
journeying  along  the  valley,  presented  so  singular  an 
appearance,  that  I  made  a  hasty  sketch  of  it  as  I  passed. 
The  three  columnar  masses  are  about  fifty  feet  in 
height.  A  small  stream  flows  directly  at  their  base, 
where  there  is  a  dam  to  raise  the  water  and  direct  it 
into  an  acequia  which  irrigates  the  valley  around. 


Columnar  Rocks  near  Arispe. 


May  Slst.  Our  route  continued  along  the  bed  of 
the  river  for  about  ten  miles,  the  valley  widening  as 
we  advanced  and  becoming  more  cultivated,  when  at 


ARISPE. 


281 


length  we  reached  Arispe  and  encamped  in  the  Ala- 
meda, a  beautiful  park  about  a  thousand  feet  in  length. 
As  soon  as  our  tents  were  pitched,  Colonel  Craig  and 
Mr.  Cremony  took  my  letters,  and  went  up  into  the 
town  to  pay  their  respects  to  Colonel  Garcia  the  com- 
manding officer.     Several  officers  soon  after  called  on 


Arispe,  Sonora. 


,  me  and  invited  myself  and  party  to  dinner  at  5  o'clock. 
The  invitation  was  accepted  by  Colonel  Craig,  four 
gentlemen  of  the  Commission  and  myself.  The  Padre 
and  several  prominent  citizens  were  present,  and  an 
elegant  dinner  was  set  before  us,  particularly  rich  in 
fruit  and  vegetables,  for  which  we  felt  a  great  craving. 


282  FROM   ARISPE    BACK   TO 


CHAPTER  XII. 


FROM    ARISPE    BACK    TO    THE    COPPER   MINES. 

Description  of  Arispe — Primitive  church  service — Scarcity  of  grain  and 
fruit  and  abundance  of  vegetables — Set  out  on  our  return — Broken  down 
wagon  abandoned — Reach  Fronteras — A  blacksmith's  independence — 
Celebration  of  a  Saint's  day — Manufacture  of  aguardiente — Various 
uses  of  the  Maguay — Doctor's  fees — Broken  wagon  metamorphosed  into 
a  cart — Sorry  plight  of  a  wild  bull — Strike  Cooke's  road — Traces  of  fire 
in  the  Guadalupe  Pass — Mexican  encampment — Story  of  Americans 
attacked  by  Apaches — Reach  the  Copper  Mines — Colonel  Graham  not 
arrived— Visit  General  Conde's  camp  and  consult  with  Lieutenant 
Whipple — Return  to  the  Copper  Mines. 

Arispe  was  formerly  the  capital  of  the  State  of  Sonora ; 
but  becoming  involved  in  the  civil  wars  which  distracted 
that  State  in  1828,  the  seat  of  government  was  in  1832 
removed  to  Ures,  where  it  now  remains.  In  the  time 
of  its  prosperity,  it  is  said  to  have  contained  a  popula- 
tion of  five  thousand  inhabitants  ;  but  the  civil  discords 
and  the  encroachments  of  the  Indians  have  reduced  it 
to  less  than  fifteen  hundred.  The  buildings  are  far 
superior  to  any  we  have  seen  among  the  Mexicans, 
and  particularly  to  those  of  El  Paso.  The  majority 
are  built  of  adobe,  though  there  are  many  of  stone. 
They  are  all  higher  than  any  we  have  observed  else- 
where, and  are  capped  with  a  projection  of  brick, 


THE    COPPER   MINES.  283 

besides  having  a  variety  of  architectural  ornaments 
sufficient  to  impress  one  with  the  former  wealth  of  the 
place  and  taste  of  its  people.  It  is  indeed  melancholy, 
to  walk  through  its  deserted  streets,  and  see  its  dilapi- 
dated tenements,  neglected  courts,  and  closed  stores. 
The  only  building  of  particular  interest  is  the  church, 
which  was  once  a  fine  edifice,  but  is  now  fast  falling 
to  decay.  Its  interior  is  of  unpleasing  proportions,  its 
length,  as  in  most  churches  of  the  frontier  where  large 
timber  cannot  be  procured,  being  too  great  for  its 
breadth.  It  contains  some  fine  pictures  among  the 
hundred  or  more  that  are  suspended  from  its  walls. 
They  are  all  in  beautifully  carved  frames  richly  gilt; 
but  both  pictures  and  frames  are  suffering  from  neglect. 
The  altar  is  covered  with  massive  plates  of  embossed 
silver,  and  there  is  a  profusion  of  this  metal  displayed 
in  the  shape  of  massive  flower  vases,  chandeliers,  cen- 
sers, etc.  We  attended  mass,  and  found  the  church 
filled  almost  exclusively  with  women.  The  music  was 
performed  by  a  band  in  which  clarionets  predominated, 
and  we  recognized  among  the  tunes  several  of  our 
popular  Ethiopian  airs,  such  as  "Dearest  May."  The 
singing  was  performed  by  two  girls,  who  seemed  to 
have  perfected  themselves  in  the  art  under  the  tuition 
of  the  Chinese. 

We  find  the  same  scarcity  of  provisions  here  as  in 
the  other  towns  we  have  stopped  at,  and  that  it  will 
be  impossible  to  procure  any  fruits,  or  vegetables  with 
which  to  load  our  teams  ;  at  least  there  are  none  that 
admit  of  transportation.  It  is  not  the  season  for 
oranges,  lemons,  pomegranates,  or  grapes,  and  we  find 
that  there  is  no  dried  fruit  of  any  kind.     The  more  sub- 


284  FROM   ARISPE    BACK   TO 

stantial  articles  of  food  are  also  scarce  and  high.  Corn 
is  nine  dollars  the  fanega  of  two  and  a  half  bushels, 
wheat  seven  dollars,  and  other  articles  proportionably 
high.  The  reason  given  for  the  scarcity  is,  that  for 
two  years  past  such  numbers  have  emigrated  to  Cali- 
fornia that  scarcely  enough  was  raised  for  the  consump- 
tion of  the  people.  This  year  they  are  returning  to 
their  senses  and  their  homes,  and  there  is  every  pros- 
pect of  an  abundance  in  the  fall.  The  few  stores  in 
the  place  are  miserably  furnished,  their  stocks  being 
chiefly  dry  goods  suited  to  the  Mexican  market.  The 
only  redeeming  feature  of  the  place  is  its  gardens; 
these  were  evidently  established  in  days  of  prosperity, 
and  some  few  are  still  in  tolerable  keeping.  We 
passed  several  hours  in  strolling  through  them.  Lofty 
palms  lift  up  their  heads  of  fan-like  leaves  above  the 
groves  of  pomegranates,  oranges,  and  lemons.  We 
found  apricots  in  perfection,  and  the  apple,  pear,  peach, 
and  quince  trees  full  of  promise.  The  quince  is  said 
to  be  the  best  known  in  the  world,  and  eatable  with- 
out cooking.  We  enjoy  here  what  we  have  been  so 
long  strangers  to — fresh  vegetables ;  and  from  the 
quantity  of  peas,  beans,  etc.,  consumed  by  our  little 
party,  one  would  suppose  they  were  storing  up  a  pre- 
ventive against  the  scurvy  for  a  year  to  come.  Water 
is  carried  about  the  streets  in  bags  of  raw  hide.  These 
have  a  hole  at  the  bottom,  and  into  it  a  horn  is  inserted 
point  downwards,  which  acts  as  a  valve.  Two  of  these 
bags  are  slung  upon  the  back  of  a  donkey. 

During  our  stay  of  three  days  at  this  place  we 
received  much  attention  from  the  officers  as  well  as 
from  several  of  the  citizens.     The  better  class  of  Mexi- 


THE    COPPER    MINES.  235 

cans,  particularly  those  of  pure  Castilian  blood,  are 
every  where  noted  for  their  courteous  manners  and 
hospitality.  All  foreign  tourists  in  Mexico  say  that 
they  never  tasted  good  chocolate  till  they  drank  it 
here ;  an  assertion  in  which  we  fully  agreed.  It  is 
usually  prepared  in  families  from  the  cocoa-nut,  and 
one  accustomed  to  the  Yankee  compound  of  that  name 
would  hardly  recognize  it  as  the  same  article.  The 
same  curiosity  in  regard  to  our  culinary  and  other 
operations  was  manifested  here  as  elsewhere  by  the 
crowds  around  our  tents.  The  use  of  the  tooth-brush 
was  looked  upon  as  something  very  droll,  and  the 
taking  of  a  seidlitz  powder,  a  phenomenon  in  the  way 
of  drinking  which  they  could  not  comprehend.  We 
were  again  beset  here  by  would-be  purchasers,  who 
could  hardly  be  persuaded  that  we  did  not  come  to 
trade.  Like  the  people  of  the  other  towns  we  had 
passed,  they  were  in  constant  fear  of  the  Apaches, 
and  we  were  told  that  no  one  dared  venture  into  the 
Alameda  after  dark. 

June  3d  Set  off  this  morning  on  our  return,  in 
advance  of  the  wagons,  which  required  some  slight 
repairs.  We  followed  as  before  the  bed  of  the  Sonora 
river,  which,  in  our  day's  journey  of  seventeen  miles, 
we  crossed  and  re-crossed  fifty-one  times.  At  12 
o'clock,  having  struck  a  pleasant  spot  where  there  was 
fine  grass,  with  other  necessaries  for  an  encampment, 
we  stopped,  believing  that  it  would  be  quite  as  far  as 
the  teams  could  come  owing  to  the  difficulties  of  the 
road.  At  5  o'clock  the  wagons  joined  us,  the  mules 
showing  great  fatigue. 

June   4:th.    Resumed    our   journey   this    morning 


286  FROM    ARISPE    BACK    TO 

at  half-past  five,  our  route  being  through  the  great 
canon.  Having  less  cutting  to  do  than  before,  and 
being  acquainted  with  the  road,  we  accomplished 
our  task  in  nine  hours,  and  drove  on  two  miles 
beyond  Bacuachi,  where  we  encamped.  In  passing 
the  town  we  endeavored  to  replenish  our  stock  of 
eggs ;  but  a  single  dozen  was  all  the  place  afforded. 
The  wagons  stopped  in  the  canon,  to  rest  and  feed 
the  mules ;  which  prevented  their  reaching  camp  till 
5  o'clock.     Distance  travelled  fifteen  miles. 

June  5th.  Remained  in  camp  till  noon,  to  repair 
one  of  Colonel  Craig's  wagons,  which  had  received 
some  damage  in  the  canon.  We  then  set  off  and 
pushed  on  rapidly,  over  a  pretty  level  and  easy  road 
for  twelve  or  fifteen  miles,  which  brought  us  to  the 
foot  of  the  mountains.  Before  attempting  the  passage 
of  the  defile,  which  would  be  more  difficult  than  it 
was  in  coming  through,  it  being  now  chiefly  on  the 
ascent,  we  doubled  the  teams  at  once,  putting  ten 
mules  to  each  wagon.  All  went  on  very  well  until  we 
came  to  a  steep  hill  with  a  sidelong  slant.  The  car- 
riage led  the  way  ;  but  with  all  the  care  of  my  driver, 
the  mules  unable  to  maintain  their  position  slid  on  their 
haunches,  and  on  coming  to  a  narrow  turn  the  tongue 
snapped  off,  and  the  carriage  was  with  great  difficulty 
saved  from  upsetting.  The  first  wagon  that  followed 
was  one  of  my  own,  driven  by  Jesus.  On  coming  to 
the  same  treacherous  place,  in  spite  of  all  our  efforts 
to  prevent  it,  the  wagon  slid  down,  bringing  the  for- 
ward wheel  suddenly  against  a  rock,  and  crushing  it 
almost  into  atoms ;  the  wagon  turned  bottom  upwards, 
rolling  down  the  ravine,  and  scattering  its  contents  as 


THE    COPPER   MINES.  287 

it  went.  Before  the  other  wagons  were  suffered  to 
descend,  we  filled  up  the  lower  side  of  the  road  as 
well  as  we  could  with  stones ;  then  placing  a  man  at 
the  head  of  each  mule,  with  others  to  hold  back  the 
wagons,  let  them  gradually  down  in  safety. 

It  was  nearly  dark,  and  we  were  in  a  narrow  gorge 
of  the  mountains  where  there  was  barely  room  for  the 
wagons  to  pass.  The  whole  earth  had  lately  been 
burned  over  to  the  very  mountain  tops,  which  were 
even  now  throwing  up  columns  of  flame  and  smoke ; 
not  a  blade  of  grass  was  to  be  seen,  no  water  was 
near,  and  there  was  not  a  level  space  sufficient  to  pitch 
our  tents.  To  remain  here  would  have  been  injudi- 
cious, and  the  only  alternative  was  to  leave  the  broken 
wagon  with  its  contents,  which  was  chiefly  corn,  and 
push  on  to  the  place  where  we  had  encamped  on  our 
journey  down.  By  this  time  Wells,  with  his  usual 
ingenuity,  had  managed  to  splice  the  tongue  of  the 
carriage  with  his  chains  and  halter  ropes.  Such  arti- 
cles of  value  as  we  did  not  wish  to  leave  exposed,  were 
placed  in  the  other  wagons,  and  the  corn  was  piled  up 
by  the  road  side.  All  being  ready,  Dr.  Webb  and 
myself  set  off  on  foot,  unwilling  to  burden  the  carriage 
in  its  weak  state,  as  the  road  continued  bad  ;  besides, 
I  felt  safer  in  having  my  movements  under  my  own 
control  than  in  threading  my  way  in  a  wheeled  vehicle, 
through  such  a  defile  as  we  were  now  passing  after 
dark.  The  horsemen  followed  us,  and  the  carriage 
and  wagons  came  after.  In  this  manner  we  worked 
our  way  slowly  along  by  the  dim  starlight  that  glim- 
mered through  the  forest ;  for  the  canon  was  thickly 
overgrown  with  trees.    It  was  nearly  10  o'clock  before 


288  FROM   ARISPE    BACK   TO 

we  came  upon  the  opening  where  we  had  stopped 
before,  and  half  an  hour  more  brought  us  to  our  old 
camping  ground.  Few  were  disposed,  after  the  fa- 
tigues of  the  day,  to  wait  for  supper ;  for  my  own 
part,  I  had  walked  not  less  than  twelve  miles  over 
rugged  mountains,  and  felt  that  rest  would  do  me 
more  good  than  eating.  The  tents  were  pitched ;  and 
after  a  refreshing  cup  of  tea,  which  our  cook  had 
hastily  prepared,  we  wrapped  ourselves  in  our  blan- 
kets, and  were  soon  lost  in  sleep. 

June  Qth.  We  lay  by  to-day  to  repair  damages. 
The  first  thing  done  was  to  send  a  man  back  some  fif- 
teen miles,  with  a  mule  for  the  forewheel  of  a  broken 
wagon  which  we  had  noticed  in  passing ;  and  to  dis- 
patch others  to  the  scene  of  our  disaster  in  the  canon, 
to  bring  the  wreck  of  the  wagon  and  its  contents  to 
our  camp. 

I  have  before  spoken  of  the  picturesque  spot  where 
we  were  now  encamped,  it  being  the  same  in  which 
we  passed  the  night  of  the  27th  May;  and  as  we  were 
obliged  to  stop  for  a  day,  we  were  most  fortunate  in 
having  reached  so  desirable  a  place.  I  spent  the  day 
in  wandering  about  the  hills  with  my  gun  and  sketch 
book ;  others  who  went  in  pursuit  of  game  got  a  deer 
and  a  turkey.  When  fatigued  with  our  rambles,  we 
returned  and  spent  a  few  hours  in  gathering  wild  cur- 
rants which  abounded  within  twenty  feet  of  our  tents. 
Believing  we  could  not  make  a  better  use  of  our 
panoche  (sugar)  than  in  preserving  the  currants,  the 
cook  appropriated  a  large  portion  of  our  stock  to  this 
purpose. 

In  the  afternoon  Jesus  arrived  with   the  wheel, 


THE    COPPER   MINES.  289 

which,  unfortunately,  would  not  fit  our  axle.  Hoping 
to  repair  our  damage  at  Fronteras,  now  twenty  miles 
distant,  we  put  the  corn  into  the  other  wagons,  and 
trussed  the  broken  one  up  in  a  way  that  would  enable 
us  to  get  there  with  it. 

June  *Ith.  No  event  of  interest  occurred  to-day : 
the  broken  wagon  was  brought  along  very  well,  and 
we  reached  Fronteras  early  in  the  afternoon. 

June  8th.  I  applied  to  a  blacksmith  the  first  thing 
this  morning  to  repair  our  broken  wheel ;  but  as  it 
was  some  Saint's  day,  nothing  could  induce  him  to 
work,  and  he  even  expressed  some  doubts  about  under- 
taking it  on  the  morrow.  In  the  afternoon  the  fellow 
came  to  my  tent,  and  had  the  impudence  to  ask  for  a 
couple  of  dollars  to  spend  at  a  fandango  in  the  even- 
ing, in  which  case  I  should  have  his  services  on  the 
wheel  the  next  day — of  course  by  paying  for  them. 
I  was  so  completely  in  the  fellow's  power,  for  the  order 
of  the  commandante  had  no  effect  upon  him,  that  I 
gave  him  the  two  dollars,  and  took  the  risk  of  getting 
the  work  done. 

The  day  was  one  of  great  jollity  among  the  whole 
population;  and  as  they  had  been  for  a  day  or  two 
engaged  in  distilling  mezcal,  or  aguardiente,  from  the' 
agave,  they  succeeded   in  getting  gloriously   drunk.. 
But  there  is  a  wonderful  difference  between  a  Mex- 
ican and  an  Irishman  in  this  predicament.     The  latter- 
when  intoxicated,  however  mild  his  natural  disposi- 
tion, becomes  frantic  and  is  ready  for  a  fight  or  any 
kind   of  violence.     The   Mexican,    on   the   contrary, 
though  boisterous,  is  seldom  vicious  or  troublesome. 
His  desire  is  then  for  fun  and  frolic  ;  and  nothing  cam 
VOL.  i. — 19 


290  FROM   ARISPE   BACK    TO 

restrain  him  from  indulging  in  these  as  long  as  he  re- 
mains under  the  influence  of  liquor.  Towards  night 
we  heard  noises  approaching,  which  we  finally  decided 
were  intended  for  music.  A  rabble  at  length  reached 
our  camp,  headed  by  two  fellows,  sawing  lustily  upon 
violins  of  domestic  manufacture.  They  performed 
several  pieces,  among  which  I  noticed  "  Oh,  Susannah," 
"  Dan  Tucker,"  and  other  popular  airs  which  had  pro- 
bably been  introduced  by  the  Sonorians,  who  had 
returned  from  California.  Having  entertained  us  suf- 
ficiently, one  of  them  stepped  forward,  and  informed 
us  that  there  was  to  be  a  fandango  in  the  evening,  and 
that  we  were  invited  to  attend.  They  then  gave  a 
few  more  morceaux  and  left  us. 

Mezcal,  or  aguardiente,  is  a  spirituous  liquor  of 
great  strength,  much  more  so  than  our  strongest  whis- 
key. It  is  obtained  from  the  bulb  or  root  of  the 
maguay  or  agave  mexicana,  and  is  the  common  alcoholic 
drink  throughout  the  country.  The  process  of  making 
this  liquor  is  as  follows :  A  hole  is  first  dug  some  ten 
or  twelve  feet  in  diameter,  and  about  three  deep,  and 
is  lined  with  stones.  Upon  this  a  fire  is  built  and 
kept  up  until  the  stones  are  thoroughly  heated.  A 
layer  of  moist  grass  is  then  thrown  upon  the  stones, 
and  on  this  are  piled  the  bulbs  of  the  maguay,  which 
vary  in  size,  from  one's  head  to  a  half  bushel  measure, 
resembling  huge  onions.  These  are  again  covered 
with  a  thicker  layer  of  grass ;  and  the  whole  is  al- 
lowed to  remain  until  they  are  thoroughly  baked.* 
They  are  then  removed  to  large  leathern  bags,  and 

*  My  readers  in  Rhode  Island  and  Massachusetts  will  notice  a  strong 


THE    COPPER   MINES.  291 

water  is  poured  on  them  to  produce  fermentation.  At 
the  end  of  a  week  the  bags  are  emptied  of  the  maguay 
and  its  liquor,  which,  after  undergoing  the  process  of 
distillation,  is  ready  for  use. 

But  the  mezcal  is  the  least  important  of  the  uses 
to  which  the  maguay  is  applied.  When  its  stem  is 
tapped  there  flows  from  it  a  juice  which,  on  being 
fermented,  produces  the  pulque,  a  favorite  beverage  in 
Central  and  Lower  Mexico,  though  little  known  in  the 
Northern  States.  From  the  fibres  of  its  massive  leaves, 
which  grow  to  five  or  six  feet  in  length,  and  two 
inches  in  thickness,  is  spun  a  stout  thread,  which  is 
again  doubled,  and  twisted  into  ropes.  Next,  a  heavy 
bagging  is  made  of  it,  similar  to  that  in  which  our 
coffee  comes  to  market.  Again,  the  more  delicate 
leaves  are  rolled  up  into  balls,  and  these,  on  being 
pounded,  form  a  lather  which  answers  the  purpose 
of  soap.  It  is  likewise  used  to  a  great  extent  as  a 
thatch.  The  younger  leaves  are  eagerly  eaten  by  cat- 
tle ;  and  it  is  said  that  the  minute  particles  of  silica  in 
its  stem  render  it,  when  cut  longitudinally  into  strips, 
an  excellent  substitute  for  a  razor  strop.  But  there  is 
yet  another  use  to  which  it  is  applied,  viz.,  as  an  article 
of  food.  For  this  purpose  the  bulbs  or  roots  are  baked 
in  the  ashes,  or  in  the  same  manner  as  for  making 
aguardiente,  and  the  outer  skin  stripped  off.  It  is  then 
sweet,  and  rather  pleasant  to  the  taste,  and  is  exten- 
sively used  by  the  Indians  on  the  Gila  as  well  as  by 

resemblance  to  their  manner  of  baking  clams  ;  tbe  only  difference  being 
that  for  the  clams,  they  use  the  wet  sea-weed,  when  the  Mexicans  use 
the  green  grass. 


292  FROM   ARISPE   BACK   TO 

the  Mexicans  on  the  Rio  Grande,  who  are  too  lazy  to 
cultivate  the  soil  and  raise  corn.  The  engineers 
attached  to  the  Commission  told  me  that  the  entire 
Mexican  population  at  Presidio  del  Norte,  consisting 
of  a  thousand  souls,  had  no  other  food  for  more  than 
six  months.* 

June  9  th.  In  camp  at  Fronteras.  The  people 
crowded  around  us  as  on  the  previous  visit,  some  to 
see  the  doctor,  and  others  the  cook.  The  doctor 
found  the  bread  he  had  cast  upon  the  waters  return- 
ing ;  bottles  of  aguardiente,  cakes  of  sugar,  and  piles 
of  tortillas,  came  to  him  at  the  hands  of  the  senoras 
and  senoritas  in  such  profusion  as  to  excite  the  envy 
of  the  young  gentlemen  of  the  party,  many  of  whom 
applied  for  the  office  of  hospital  steward  with  the  hope 
of  sharing  some  of  the  perquisites.  But  how  shocked 
were  the  good  people  when  they  saw  to  what  base 
purposes  their  precious  aguardiente  was  converted. 
The  doctor,  although  he  received  the  liquor  readily 
enough,  had  no  idea  of  applying  it  to  the  purposes 
intended  by  the  donors,  but  used  it  for  preserving  his 
beloved  lizards,  frogs,  fishes,  and  other  specimens  in 
natural  history.  As  it  would  have  been  useless  to 
attempt  explaining  to  his  patrons  his  object  in  collect- 
ing and  preserving  these  ill-favored  reptiles,  they  were 
permitted  to  rest  in  the  belief  that  he  was  making  of 
them  some  decoction  for  medicinal  purposes. 

June  lOtJi.  In  Fronteras.  A  wild  bull  was  sent 
to  us  to-day  by  Captain  Gomez,  which  furnished  us 

*  I  afterwards  saw  the  agave  used  as  food  by  the  Apaches,  the 
Pimos,  the  Coco  Maricopas,  and  the  Diegenos,  on  the  shores  of  the 
Pacific. 


THE    COPPER   MINES.  293 

with  all  the  fresh  meat  we  required  to  carry  us  home. 
It  is  true  we  had  on  hand  a  stock  of  dried  beef;  but 
nothing  short  of  dire  necessity  could  induce  us  to 
touch  it.  The  wheel  being  at  length  completed, 
though  in  a  very  bungling  manner,  we  made  prepara- 
tions to  resume  our  journey  in  the  morning. 

June  11th.  Took  an  early  start,  and  moved  rapidly 
over  the  first  portion  of  the  road,  which  was  quite 
smooth,  and  arrived  at  the  mountain  called  Cavoyan, 
around  the  eastern  end  of  which  we  had  to  pass  to 
reach  the  valley  of  the  Agua  Prieta.  On  examining 
the  damaged  wheel,  I  found  it  in  a  dubious  condition, 
the  spokes  having  all  worked  loose.  We  strengthened 
it  as  well  as  possible,  by  inserting  new  ashen  spokes, 
and  lashing  all  together  with  raw  hide  ;  and  then 
pushed  on,  driving  over  the  hills  as  carefully  as  possi- 
ble. We  had  scarcely  proceeded  a  mile,  however, 
when,  on  coming  to  an  uneven  place,  the  wheel 
crushed  down,  splitting  spokes  and  hub  to  pieces,  and 
overturning  the  wagon,  which  deposited  its  contents 
on  the  ground  in  all  directions.  As  the  little  stream 
which  takes  its  rise  at  the  Agua  Prieta  was  but  a  few 
rods  from  us  at  the  time,  we  selected  a  spot  in  a  grove 
of  cotton-woods,  and  stopped  there  for  the  night. 

A  further  examination  of  the  wheel  showed  that  it 
was  impossible  to  mend  it,  and  that  it  must  be  con- 
demned and  abandoned.  In  order  to  make  the  most 
of  the  wreck,  we  took  off  the  hind  wheels  and  put 
them  on  the  forward  axle ;  then,  by  sawing  the  box  in 
two,  the  vehicle  was  converted  into  a  cart.  On  this 
we  placed  the  corn,  and  distributed  the  rest  of  the 
load  among  the  other  wagons. 


294  FROM   ARISPE    BACK    TO 

We  passed  many  wild  cattle  to-day.  In  one  place 
a  large  bull  was  seen  mired  by  his  hind  legs,  which 
were  sunk  deep  in  the  mud,  while  his  free  legs  were 
on  hard  ground.  The  poor  creature  had  evidently 
been  in  this  situation  several  days;  and  the  crows, 
buzzards,  and  wolves  had  already  marked  him  as  their 
prey.  As  we  approached  him  the  wolves  scampered 
off.  The  buzzards  had  actually  commenced  work  on 
his  flanks,  which  they  had  dreadfully  lacerated,  so  that 
the  blood  was  trickling  down  his  haunches.  To  end 
the  misery  of  the  suffering  animal,  a  ball  was  put 
through  his  heart  by  one  of  the  party.  About  half 
the  night  was  spent  in  getting  our  new  vehicle  ready. 

June  12th.  Got  an  early  start,  and  retracing  our 
steps  up  the  valley  of  the  Agua  Prieta,  reached  that 
spring,  ten  miles  distant,  at  eight  o'clock,  where  we 
stopped  to  water.  Found  a  wild  bull  here,  which 
appeared  to  have  been  wounded  in  his  hind  quarters. 
He  seemed  quite  disposed  to  give  us  battle ;  and  fear- 
ing he  might  charge  upon  the  train,  and  stampede  the 
mules,  I  thought  it  the  wisest  course  to  give  him 
room.  Soon  after,  we  struck  Cooke's  California 
road,  which  presented  a  striking  contrast  with  the 
rough  and  trackless  region  we  had  been  traversing 
for  more  than  a  hundred  miles.  It  was  here  perfectly 
smooth ;  and  from  our  late  gait  of  a  slow  walk,  we 
were  enabled  to  move  off  on  a  trot,  thus  reaching  San 
Bernardino  at  two  o'clock,  four  and  a  half  hours  from 
Agua  Prieta. 

June  13th.  Starting  fresh,  we  hastened  over  the 
plateau,  and  soon  entered  the  canon  in  the  Guadalupe 
Pass,  which  had  so  charmed  us  by  its  luxuriant  vege- 


THE    COPPER    MINES.  295 

tation  and  picturesque  beauty.  But  what  a  change 
had  taken  place !  A  fire  had  passed  over  it,  destroy- 
ing all  the  grass  and  shrubbery,  and  turning  the  green 
leaves  of  the  sycamores  into  brown  and  yellow.  The 
surface  of  the  earth  was  covered  with  black  ashes,  and 
we  scarcely  recognized  it  as  the  enchanting  place  of 
our  former  visit.  At  first  we  feared  that  this  devasta- 
tion had  been  caused  by  our  own  neglect ;  but  on 
reaching  the  spot  where  we  had  encamped,  which  was 
separated  from  the  surrounding  hills  by  the  rocky  bed 
of  the  stream,  we  found  the  dry  grass  still  around  the 
place,  which  alone  had  escaped  the  fire.  A  little 
further  on  we  came  to  a  camp  of  two  hundred  Mexi- 
can soldiers,  a  portion  of  the  brigade  of  General  Car- 
rasco.  They  told  me  that  General  Carrasco  had  been 
to  Janos;  and  hearing  that  a  party  of  Americans 
bound  for  California  had  been  attacked  on  the  road 
leading  from  Janos  to  Guadalupe  Pass,  he  divided  his 
force  with  the  view  of  intercepting  the  marauders. 
He  himself  had  taken  the  Babispe  route,  to  the  south 
of  us.  The  party  we  met  had  with  them  a  large  num- 
ber of  pack  mules,  transporting  arms  and  ammunition 
from  Janos  to  Fronteras  and  Arispe,  having  been 
sent  to  the  former  place  by  wagons  from  the  city  of 
Mexico. 

The  particulars  of  the  attack,  as  related  to  me  by 
these  men,  were,  that  a  party  of  ten  Americans,  with 
two  wagons,  was  fired  upon  by  a  band  of  Apaches 
lying  in  ambush;  that  one  was  killed  and  three 
wounded,  when  the  remainder  cut  loose  the  mules 
(each  mounting  one),  abandoned  their  wagons,  and 
escaped  to  Janos.     They  said  the  wagons  were  still 


296  FROM    ARISPE   BACK   TO 

there,  as  well  as  some  of  their  contents.  They  showed 
ns  some  salt  pork  which  they  had  taken  themselves — 
an  article  which  forms  no  part  of  a  soldier's  rations 
in.  Mexico.* 

We  gave  the  Mexican  officers  a  quarter  of  our 
fresh  beef.  It  was  evident  now  how  the  fire  which  I 
have  mentioned  originated.  A  portion  of  the  brigade 
had  passed  the  canon  a  few  days  after  us ;  and  their 
twenty  or  thirty  camp  fires  had,  no  doubt,  communi- 
cated the  flames  to  the  grass,  which  had  afterwards 
extended  over  the  whole  mountain. 

At  two  o'clock  we  reached  the  worst  portion  of  the 
Guadalupe  Pass,  where  the  great  and  sudden  rise  takes 
place.  We  attempted  to  double  the  teams,  but  found 
that  no  more  than  four  mules  could  be  used  to  advan- 
tage, owing  to  the  short  turns  in  the  road.  The  get- 
ting up  these  hills  proved  a  very  difficult  task,  and  it 
was  only  by  every  one  putting  a  shoulder  to  the  wheels 
and  chocking  them  at  every  five  or  six  feet,  that  they 
could  be  surmounted.  It  was  dark  when  we  reached 
the  small  stream  seven  miles  beyond,  which,  though  full 
when  we  passed,  now  furnished  scarcely  water  sufficient 
for  our  mules. 

June  14dh.  The  road  being  good,  we  completed  our 
day's  journey  by  2  o'clock,  p.  m.,  and  encamped  on  the 
banks  of  the  arroyo  where    we  had   nooned  before. 

*  This  statement  was  found  to  be  true  on  our  return  to  the  Copper 
Mines,  where  news  had  been  sent  from  Janos ;  and  on  leaving  for  Cali- 
fornia, two  months  later,  I  took  with  me  a  man  who  had  been  in  the 
affray,  and  substantiated  what  had  been  related  to  us  by  the  Mexican 
soldiers.  On  returning  from  California  a  year  later  we  saw  on  the  spot 
where  this  affair  took  place  the  skeleton  of  a  man. 


THE    COPPER   MINES.  297 

The  stream  was  now  dry,  but  water  was  found  in  the 
spring  near  at  hand. 

June  1 5th.  In  crossing  the  ridge  of  hills  which  sepa- 
rated us  from  Las  Playas,  the  cart  took  a  side  lurch 
and  broke  down,  every  spoke  giving  way  and  the  wheel 
crushing  to  pieces.  As  the  accident  was  past  remedy, 
the  contents  of  the  cart  were  distributed  among  the 
wagons,  and  we  hastened  on,  reaching  Las  Playas  at 
noon.  Here  the  grass  and  water  was  so  good  that  we 
remained  until  4  o'clock,  when  we  pushed  on  in  order 
to  accomplish  that  night  as  much  as  possible  of  the 
long  distance  of  fifty-two  miles  that  lay  before  us  with- 
out water.  Kept  on  till  10  o'clock,  p.  m.,  when  we 
encamped  on  the  arid  plain. 

June  lQth.  The  road  being  excellent,  an  early 
start  and  fast  driving  brought  us  to  Ojo  de  Vaca,  by 
2  o'clock,  p.  m.  There  was  scarcely  grass  enough  here 
to  give  our  animals  a  feed,  which  was  accounted  for  by 
one  of  our  trains  having  stopped  here  on  its  way  from 
the  Copper  Mines  to  Janos. 

June  17th.  Left  at  3  a.  m.  and  rode  to  Pachetehu, 
nineteen  miles,  where  we  gave  the  animals  a  little  rest, 
and  took  breakfast.  Resuming  our  journey,  we  pushed 
forward  and  reached  the  Copper  Mines  before  noon, 
finding  our  party  much  alarmed  at  our  long  absence. 

A  mail  had  arrived  in  the  mean  time,  bringing  a 
large  budget  of  letters  and  newspapers ;  but  to  my 
great  disappointment,  nothing  was  heard  of  Colonel 
Graham.  The  engineers,  with  their  assistants,  were 
still  waiting,  and  could  not  enter  the  field  until  he  ar- 
rived. 

June  20th.     Deeming  it  necessary  that  some  steps 


298  FROM    ARISPE    BACK   TO 

should  be  taken  in  consequence  of  the  continued  ab- 
sence of  Colonel  Graham,  without  whom,  or  his  assist- 
ants, I  could  not  send  another  astronomical  party  into 
the  field,  I  determined  to  visit  the  camp  of  Lieutenant 
Whipple,  who  I  had  been  informed  had  reached  the 
Mimbres  with  his  advanced  parties,  to  consult  with 
him  as  to  future  operations.  I  accordingly  left  this 
morning,  accompanied  by  Lieutenant  Green,  and 
Messrs.  Cremony,  White,  and  Jones.  Reaching  the 
Mimbres,  we  followed  it  down  about  twenty-eight 
miles  below  the  Copper  Mines,  when  at  evening  we 
arrived  at  the  camp  of  General  Conde  and  the  Mexican 
Commission.  '  There  I  learned  that  Lieutenant  Whip- 
ple was  encamped  on  the  plain  near  Cooke's  Spring, 
eighteen  miles  distant ;  so  I  concluded  to  go  no  further, 
but  send  for  him  to  join  us  at  General  Conde's  camp. 

June  21st  Lieutenant  Green  and  Mr.  Cremony  set 
off  this  morning  after  Lieutenant  Whipple.  I  remained 
in  camp  under  a  bower  of  bushes,  keeping  as  quiet  as 
possible  during  the  day,  as  the  heat  was  too  intense  to 
admit  of  stirring  about.  The  general  and  his  party  had 
found  these  bowers  so  much  more  comfortable  than 
their  tents,  that  they  had  constructed  several,  in  which 
they  remained  during  the  day,  resorting  to  their  tents 
only  at  night,  or  at  meal  times.  The  river  near  where 
the  party  was  encamped  was  entirely  dry,  and  water 
could  be  procured  only  by  digging  in  its  bed.  A  little 
pool  remained,  where  the  animals  were  watered.  In 
the  evening  Lieutenant  Whipple,  accompanied  by  Mr. 
Salazar,  the  Mexican  chief  astronomer  and  surveyor, 
Lieut.  Green,  and  Mr.  Cremony,  arrived. 

June  2  2d    We  held  a  consultation  to-day  relative 


THE    COPPER   MINES.  299 

to  the  parties  for  the  survey  of  the  Gila,  which  General 
Conde  was  most  anxious  to  commence  at  once.  Our  sur- 
veying parties  had  long  been  organized, and  were  ready ; 
but  we  had  no  astronomical  corps  to  send  with  them, 
without  which,  it  would  not  be  proper  to  undertake  so 
important  a  work.  Lieutenant  Whipple  was  making- 
rapid  progress  with  his  survey  of  the  line  west  from 
the  Rio  Grande ;  and  he  believed  it  best,  as  we  had 
now  waited  so  long,  to  defer  further  action  until  Colo- 
nel Graham  should  arrive. 

June  23c?.  To  avoid  the  heat  of  the  day,  we  set 
out  on  our  return  at  2  o'clock,  a.  m.,  and  reached  the 
Copper  Mines  at  nine. 


300  INCIDENTS   AT    THE 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

INCIDENTS   AT    THE    COPPER   MINES. 

Visit  from  the  Apaches — Mangus  Colorado — Arrival  of  Mr.  Sanford — 11th 
Article  of  the  treaty  relating  to  captives — Arrest  of  New  Mexican 
traders — Inez  Gonzales  the  Mexican  captive — Examination  of  traders 
— Story  of  the  captive  girl — Pinalenos  Indians — General  Oonde  ar- 
rives— The  11th  Article  of  the  treaty  enforced — Friendly  intercourse 
with  the  Indians — Two  Mexican  boys  taken  from  them — Excitement  in 

consequence Conference  and  dialogue  with  the  Apache  chiefs — 

Amicable  settlement  of  difficulties. 

On  the  day  of  my  return  from  Sonora,  the  first  Apache 
Indians  we  had  seen  paid  us  a  visit,  headed  by  their 
head  chief,  Mangus  Colorado,  or  Red  Sleeve.  He 
was  accompanied  by  twelve  or  fifteen  of  his  tribe,  and 
said  he  had  followed  us  for  several  days ;  that  his 
people  had  seen  us  when  we  went  down  to  Sonora,  and 
were  several  times  near  our  encampments  on  the  jour- 
ney. He  said  they  knew  my  carriage,  and  that  we 
belonged  here.  He  thought  we  ran  a  great  risk  in 
going  so  far  with  so  small  a  party ;  as  there  were  many 
bad  Indians  prone  to  theft  and  murder  in  the  country 
through  which  he  passed,  and  whom  he  could  not 
control.  He  said  he  was  a  friend  of  the  Americans, 
and  that  his  people  desired  to  be  at  peace  with  us.  He 
remembered  General  Kearney  and  Colonel  Cooke,  when 


COPPER   MINES.  301 

they  passed  through  this  country  a  few  years  before. 
I  explained  to  him  the  war  between  the  United  States 
and  Mexico,  and  its  results,  all  of  which  he  pretty  well 
understood  already.  I  told  him  that  we  had  now  come 
out  to  see  this  country,  and  mark  the  line  that  sepa- 
rated the  territory  of  Mexico  from  that  acquired  by  the 
United  States  ;  that  all  the  Indians  who  lived  on  our 
side  of  the  border,  would  have  our  protection  as  long 
as  they  conducted  themselves  properly  and  committed 
no  thefts  or  murders ;  but  that  if  they  stole  any  mules 
or  cattle  belonging  to  the  Americans,  we  should  pursue 
and  punish  them ;  and  by  our  treaty  with  Mexico,  we 
were  bound  to  extend  to  her  people  the  same  protec- 
tion. Our  protection  of  the  Mexicans  he  did  not  seem 
to  relish ;  and  could  not  comprehend  why  we  should 
aid  them  in  any  way  after  we  had  conquered  them,  or 
what  business  it  was  to  the  Americans  if  the  Apaches 
chose  to  steal  their  mules,  as  they  had  always  done,  or 
to  make  wives  of  their  Mexican  women,  or  prisoners 
of  their  children.  I  told  them  the  Americans  were 
bound  to  do  so  and  could  not  break  their  word  ;  and  if 
they  (the  Apaches)  committed  any  farther  depreda- 
tions on  Mexico,  we  should  not  shield  them  from  the 
consequences.  Mangus  Colorado  denied  that  he  had 
ever  injured  the  Americans ;  and  when  I  told  him  I 
had  learned  that  some  of  his  people  had  lately  attacked 
a  party  of  our  countrymen  on  their  way  to  California, 
and  killed  one  man,  he  pretended  to  know  nothing 
about  it  On  a  subsequent  interview  I  brought  this 
affair  again  to  his  notice,  when  it  appeared  that  he  was 
acquainted  with  it,  but  said  it  was  done  by  some  bad 
people  living  in  a  certain  mountain  range,  over  whom 


302  INCIDENTS   AT    THE 

he  had  no  authority.  He  promised  that  his  people 
should  not  trouble  us  or  the  Mexican  Commission,  and 
that  he  would  send  back  any  mules  or  cattle  that  might 
be  taken  by  his  young  men ;  and  furthermore,  if  any 
strayed  away,  he  would  have  them  caught  and  sent  back 
to  us.  I  then  informed  him  and  the  other  chiefs,  that 
to  show  our  good  feelings  towards  them,  I  would  make 
them  some  presents,  and  accordingly  directed  the  Com- 
missary to  distribute  among  them  some  shirts,  cotton 
cloth,  beads,  and  other  articles,  which  pleased  them 
much.  They  asked  for  whiskey,  which  I  positively 
refused,  denying  that  I  had  any.  Although  this  was 
the  simple  truth,  they  did  not  believe  it,  not  being 
able  to  imagine  how  a  party  of  Americans  could  be 
without  that  indispensable  article.*  They  were  con- 
stantly on  the  look-out  for  it,  and  when  they  saw  a 
bottle  they  asked  if  it  did  not  contain  the  coveted 
liquor.  I  one  day  handed  them  a  bottle  of  catsup  and 
another  of  vinegar,  and  told  them  to  ascertain  for  them- 
selves. A  taste  put  a  stop  to  their  investigations,  and 
they  were  afterwards  less  inquisitive.  On  one  occa- 
sion a  party  of  Indians  were  found  to  be  drunk  shortly 
after  coming  in,  which  induced  me  to  believe  they  had 
obtained  liquor  somewhere  about  our  camp;  but  of 
whom,  or  where,  I  could  not  ascertain,  as  all  denied 
having  given  it  to  them  I  communicated  the  fact  to 
Colonel  Craig,  who  was  equally  determined  with  my- 
self to  put  a  stop  to  the  practice.     He  believed  he 

*  In  all  my  intercourse  with  the  Indians,  during  the  two  and  a  half 
years  I  was  in  their  country,  I  never  gave  one  of  them  a  drop  of  ardent 
spirits.  I  also  prohibited  others  from  doing  so ;  but  on  a  few  occasions, 
had  reason  to  suspect  that  my  orders  were  disobeyed. 


COPPER   MINES.  303 

could  trace  it  to  the  sutler's  shop  ;  and  finding  a  bar- 
rel of  whiskey  there,  he  took  possession  of  it  and  had 
it  transferred  to  the  Commissary's  depot. 

On  the  24th  June,  Mr.  S.  P.  Sanford,  bearer  of 
dispatches,  arrived  from  Washington,  and  brought  me 
the  pleasing  news  that  Colonel  Graham,  for  whom  we 
had  so  long  been  waiting,  had  probably  reached  El 
Paso  on  that  day,  accompanied  by  several  officers.* 
Great  joy  was  felt  by  all  at  this  prospective  termina- 
tion to  our  inactive  state.  Many  of  the  engineers  and 
assistants  had  now  been  attached  to  the  Commission 
ready  for  duty  seven  months,  without  having  yet  taken 
the  field. 

On  the  27th  June  an  incident  occurred,  which  will 
long  be  remembered  by  every  one  connected  with  the 
Boundary  Commission.  It  was  such  as  to  awaken  the 
finest  sympathies  of  our  nature  ;  and  by  its  happy 
result  afforded  a  full  recompense  for  the  trials  and 
hardships  attending  our  sojourn  in  this  inhospitable 
wilderness. 

On  the  evening  of  the  day  alluded  to,  a  party  of 
New  Mexicans  came  in  for  the  purpose  of  procuring 
provisions,  &o,  having  with  them  a  young  female  and 
a  number  of  horses  and  mules.  By  what  dropped 
from  them  in  the  course  of  conversation,  it  was  ascer- 
tained that  the  female  and  animals  had  been  obtained 
from  the  Indians  ;  and  that  they  were  taking  the  girl 
to  some  part  of  New  Mexico,  to  sell  or  make  such  dis- 
position of  her  as  would  realize  the  most  money.     As 

*  On  the  30th  June  'I  received  a  note  from  Colonel  Graham,  an- 
nouncing his  arrival  at  El  Paso  on  the  24th. 


304  INCIDENTS   AT   THE 

all  traffic  of  this  kind,  whether  in  mules  or  captives, 
was  strictly  prohibited  by  the  treaty  with  Mexico,  I 
deemed  it  my  duty,  as  the  nearest  and  highest  repre- 
sentative of  the  government  of  the  United  States  in 
this  region,  to  interfere  in  the  matter.  My  authority 
for  so  doing  is  contained  in  the  second  and  third  sec- 
tions of  the  eleventh  article  of  the  treaty  of  Guadalupe 
Hidalgo  referred  to,  where  it  is  declared  that — 

"  It  shall  not  be  lawful,  under  any  pretext  what- 
ever, for  any  inhabitant  of  the  United  States  to  pur- 
chase or  acquire  any  Mexican,  or  any  foreigner  resid- 
ing in  Mexico,  who  may  have  been  captured  by 
Indians  inhabiting  the  territory  of  either  of  the  two 
Republics,  nor  to  purchase  or  acquire  horses,  mules, 
cattle,  or  property  of  any  kind,  stolen  within  Mexican 
territory  by  such  Indians. 

"  And  in  the  event  of  any  person  or  persons,  cap- 
tured within  Mexican  territory  by  Indians,  being  car- 
ried into  the  territory  of  the  United  States,  the  govern- 
ment of  the  latter  engages  and  binds  itself,  in  the  most 
solemn  manner,  so  soon  as  it  shall  know  of  such  captives 
being  within  its  territory,  and  shall  be  able  to  do  so 
through  the  faithful  exercise  of  its  influence  and  power, 
to  rescue  them  and  return  them  to  their  country,  or 
deliver  them  to  the  agent  or  representative  of  the  Mex- 
ican government.  The  Mexican  authorities  will,  as  far 
as  practicable,  give  to  the  government  of  the  United 
States  notice  of  such  captures ;  and  its  agent  shall  pay 
the  expenses  incurred  in  the  maintenance  and  trans- 
mission of  the  rescued  captives,  who,  in  the  mean  time, 
shall  be  treated  with  the  utmost  hospitality  by  the 
American  authorities  at  the  place  where  they  may  be. 


COPPER   MINES.  305 

But  if  the  government  of  the  United  States,  before 
receiving  such  notice  from  Mexico,  should  obtain  intel- 
ligence through  any  other  channel  of  the  existence  of 
Mexican  captives  within  its  territory,  it  will  proceed 
forthwith  to  effect  their  release  and  delivery  to  the 
Mexican  agents,  as  above  stipulated." 

With  this  authority  before  me  I  addressed  a  note 
to  Lieut.  Colonel  Craig,  commander  of  the  escort, 
requesting  him  to  demand  the  surrender  of  the  female, 
and  to  prohibit  the  men,  who  intended  departing  at 
early  dawn,  from  leaving  their  encampment  until 
further  orders.  This  request,  which  was  made  late  in 
the  evening,  was  promptly  complied  with  under  the 
immediate  directions  of  Lieutenant  D.  C.  Green. 

The  ensuing  day  the  three  principal  traders  of  the 
party  were  brought  up  to  the  fort,  and  separately 
examined,  in  reference  to  the  manner  in  which  they 
had  obtained,  and  the  right  they  had  to  the  possession 
of,  the  captive  girl  and  the  animals.  These  three  per- 
sons were  Peter  Blacklaws,  a  trader  in  Santa  Fe, 
Pedro  Archeveque,  a  laborer  of  Algodones,  and  Jose 
Faustin  Valdez,  a  laborer  of  Santa  Fe. 

Their  evidence  was  somewhat  conflicting — more 
particularly  with  respect  to  the  female.  It  appeared 
there  was  a  party  of  about  fifty  men  who  had  been 
trading  with  the  Indians  north  of  the  Gila  ;  a  portion 
of  them  still  remained  there,  whilst  another  portion 
(about  twenty)  were  here,  on  their  way  back  to  Santa 
Fe.  The  whole  had  been  trading  under  one  and  the 
same  license,  although  it  was  acknowledged  that  the 
name  of  none  of  them,  save  Peter  Blacklaws,  was 
inserted  in  it;  he,  however,  declared  that  he  was 
vol.  I.--20 


306  INCIDENTS   AT    THE 

authorized — which  is  hardly  probable — to  add  to  his 
party  as  many  as  he  chose.  This  license  was  called 
for,  but  not  produced,  it  being,  as  was  stated,  in  the 
possession  of  the  other  portion  of  the  party.  They 
seemed  to  consider  themselves  fully  authorized,  by 
virtue  of  the  license,  to  purchase  any  species  of  pro- 
perty held  by  the  Indians,  and  this  without  any  regard 
to  the  manner  in  which  the  latter  obtained  it.  They 
seemed  surprised  that  I  should  question  their  rights 
on  the  strength  of  a  treaty,  the  stipulations  of  which 
they  knew  nothing  about. 

As  respects  the  captive  girl,  who  it  was  acknow- 
ledged was  bought  of  the  Pinal  Indians,  even  placing 
their  conduct  in  the  most  favorable  light,  it  is  quite 
apparent  that  she  was  purchased,  like  any  other  article 
of  merchandise,  as  a  matter  of  speculation.  According 
to  part  of  the  testimony,  the  expedition  was  fitted  out 
for  the  express  purpose  of  buying  her ;  while  others 
declared  that  the  purchase  was  an  incidental  matter. 
It  appeared  that  her  apprehensions  at  being  taken  by 
these  men  still  further  from  her  home,  instead  of  being 
restored  to  her  natural  protectors,  had  been  quieted 
by  assurances  that  her  purchaser  was  acquainted  with 
relatives  of  hers  in  Santa  Fe  ;  although  his  testimony 
showed,  as  might  have  been  anticipated,  that  he  had 
no  such  acquaintances  at  all. 

The  girl  herself  was  quite  young,  artless,  and  inter- 
esting in  appearance,  prepossessing  in  manners,  and 
by  her  deportment  gave  evidence  that  she  had  been 
carefully  brought  up.  The  purchaser  belonged  to  a 
people  with  whom  the  system  of  peonage  prevails, 
and  among  whom,  as  a  general  thing,  females  are  not 


COPPER   MINES.  307 

estimated  as  with  us,  especially  in  a  moral  point  of 
view.  The  fate  that  threatened  her  under  these  cir- 
cumstances, being  too  apparent,  I  felt  under  no  neces- 
sity of  regarding  the  protestations  of  Blacklaws,  as  to 
the  honesty  of  his  intentions,  inasmuch  as  the  treaty 
prohibits  purchases  of  this  kind  "  under  any  pretext 
whatever.'1''  I  therefore  deemed  it  to  be  my  duty — and 
a  pleasant  one  it  certainly  was,  to  extend  over  her  the 
protection  of  the  laws  of  the  United  States,  and  to  see 
that,  until  delivered  in  safety  to  her  parents,  she 
should  be  "  treated  with  the  utmost  hospitality  "  that 
our  position  would  allow. 

The  substance  of  the  following  brief  statement  was 
furnished  by  this  young  captive  : 

Her  name  is  Inez  Gonzales,  daughter  of  Jesus 
Gonzales,  of  Santa  Cruz,  a  small  frontier  town,  near  the 
River  San  Pedro,  in  the  State  of  Sonora.  She  was 
then  in  the  fifteenth  year  of  her  age.  In  the  Septem- 
ber preceding  she  had  left  her  home,  in  company  with 
her  uncle,  her  aunt,  another  female,  and  a  boy,  on  a 
visit  to  the  fair  of  San  Francisco,  in  the  town  of  Made- 
lena,  about  75  miles  distant.  They  were  escorted  by 
a  guard  of  ten  soldiers,  under  the  command  of  an 
ensign  named  Limon.  When  one  day's  journey  out, 
viz.,  on  the  30th  of  September,  1850,  they  were  at- 
tacked by  a  band  of  Pinol  Indians,  who  lay  in  ambush 
in  a  narrow  wooded  canon  or  pass.  Her  uncle  wa,s 
killed,  and  all  the  guard,  save  three  persons,  who 
made  their  escape.  She  with  her  two  female  com- 
panions, and  the  boy,  Francisco  Pascheco,  were  carried 
away  into  captivity.  She  has  been  with  the  Indians 
ever  since.     The  other  captives  she  understands  were 


308  INCIDENTS   AT   THE 

purchased  and  taken  to  the  north  by  a  party  of  New 
Mexicans  who  made  the  Indians  a  visit  last  winter.  No 
improper  freedom  was  taken  with  her  person ;  but  she 
was  robbed  of  her  clothing,  save  a  skirt  and  under 
linen,  and  was  made  to  work  very  hard.  She  spent 
the  whole  period  of  her  captivity  at  two  of  the  regular 
rallying  spots  or  planting  grounds  of  the  Pinols. 

This  tribe  is  also  known  as  the  Pinal,  or  Pinalenos. 
embraces  about  five  hundred  souls,  and  ranges  over 
an  extensive  circuit  between  the  Sierra  Pinal  and 
the  Sierra  Blanca,  both  of  which  mountains  are  near  the 
Upper  San  Francisco  River,  about  five  days'  journey 
north  of  the  Gila.*  Within  this  space  the  young  girl 
knew  of  at  least  twelve  female  captives,  besides  nume- 
rous males.  Generally,  the  Indians  are  very  willing 
to  sell,  that  being  their  object  in  making  the  captures. 
The  men  spend  their  time  in  hunting  and  depredating ; 
and  the  women  are  required  to  do  all  the  work  in  their 
wigwams  and  generally  in  the  field.  All  females  in 
this  respect  being  treated  alike,  their  own  faring  no 
better  than  captives.  Their  food  consists  almost  exclu- 
sively of  the  root  of  the  maguay,  baked  as  I  have 
before  described. 

I  never  saw  any  of  the  Pinal  Indians,  though  a 
band  was  met  by  one  of  the  surveying  parties  on  the 
Gila.  They  were  described  to  me  as  a  fine  looking 
people.  At  first  they  were  shy ;  but  when  they  disco- 
vered that  our  party  were  Americans,  and  were  well 

*  There  are  two  streams  by  this  name  on  Emory's  map,  which 
empty  into  the  Gila ;  I  refer  to  the  eastern  one.  The  western  one  is 
known  on  the  Spanish  maps  as  the  Rio  Verde,  or  Ascencion. 


COPPER   MINES.  309 

disposed  towards  them,  they  became  quite  friendly. 
On  inquiring  of  the  Apache  Chiefs  concerning  them,  I 
learned  that  they  belong  to  the  same  great  tribe,  but 
seldom  have  any  intercourse  with  the  Apaches  proper, 
being  separated  from  them  by  broad  deserts  and  lofty 
mountains. 

General  Garcia  Conde,  the  Mexican  Commissioner, 
being  encamped  about  twenty-six  miles  off,  I  dis- 
patched a  messenger  to  him  requesting  his  presence, 
to  advise  and  co-operate  with  me  in  this  matter.  He 
accordingly  visited  me,  and,  upon  inquiring,  found 
that  he  was  acquainted  with  the  released  captives's 
father,  a  respectable  citizen  of  Santa  Cruz.  He  ap- 
proved warmly  of  my  course,  evincing,  as  it  would,  to 
his  government  a  determination  on  the  part  of  the 
United  States  to  solemnly  and  faithfully  fulfil  its  treaty 
stipulations.  He  also  particularly  solicited  that  the 
young  woman  should  be  kept  under  my  protection 
until  such  time  as  she  could  be  restored  in  safety  to 
her  home. 

The  fair  captive  was  of  course  taken  care  of  by  the 
Commission.  She  was  well  clad  with  such  materials 
as  the  sutler  of  the  escort  and  the  commissary  of  the 
Commission  could  furnish ;  and  besides  the  more  sub- 
stantial articles  of  clothing  provided  for  her,  she 
received  many  presents  from  the  gentlemen  of  the 
Commission,  all  of  whom  manifested  a  deep  interest  in 
her  welfare,  and  seemed  desirous  to  make  her  comfort- 
able and  happy.  But  with  all  the  attentions  extended 
to  her,  her  situation  was  far  from  enviable  in  a  camp 
of  over  a  hundred  men,  without  a  single  female  with 
whom  she   could  hold   any  intercourse.     She   found. 


310  INCIDENTS   AT   THE 

employment  enough  in  making  her  own  garments, 
being  quite  expert  at  her  needle,  and  occasionally 
spent  an  hour  in  reading  the  few  Spanish  books  in  our 
possession. 

Another  incident  upon  which  the  11th  article  of 
the  Treaty  of  Guadalupe  Hidalgo  has  a  direct  bearing, 
occurred  on  the  day  succeeding  that  of  the  event  just 
related. 

Ever  since  my  return  from  Sonora,  the  Apaches, 
with  their  chiefs,  women,  and  children,  had  been  daily 
visitors  to  the  Copper  Mines,  and  to  our  several 
encampments.  The  most  friendly  feelings  had  been 
manifested  by  them ;  and  in  return,  we  had  not  failed 
to  let  them  know  that  it  was  for  their  interest  to  be  at 
peace  with  us,  and,  as  far  as  lay  in  their  power,  to 
restore  to  us  any  mules  or  cattle  that  strayed  away. 
An  additional  evidence  that  there  was  a  sincerity  at 
the  time  in  our  Apache  friends  was  the  freedom  with 
which  their  women  and  children  visited  our  camps  and 
quarters.  They  had  themselves  encamped  about  four 
miles  from  us,  and  had  with  them  large  herds  of 
horses  and  mules. 

On  the  day  referred  to,  when  a  large  party  of  the 
Apaches  were  in,  two  Mexican  boys  suddenly  rushed 
into  the  tent  of  Mr.  Cremony,  which  was  pitched  in 
the  outskirts  of  the  place,  and  sought  his  protection 
from  their  Indian  captors.  He  at  once  brought  them 
to  my  quarters ;  and,  on  being  questioned,  they  stated 
that  they  had  been  stolen  from  their  homes  by  the  Apa- 
ches. One,  named  Saverro  Aredia,  and  about  thirteen 
years  old,  had  been  taken  from  the  town  of  Bacuachi, 
in  the  State  of  Sonora,  six  months  before ;  the  other, 


COPPER   MINES.  311 

Jose  Trinfan,  ten  or  twelve  years  of  age,  belonged  to 
Fronteras,  in  the  same  State,  and  had  been  held  a  pri- 
soner six  years.  Believing,  from  what  they  had  heard 
the  Indians  say,  who  had  visited  the  Copper  Mines, 
that  they  would  find  protection  with  us,  they  sought 
our  camp.  They  were  both  intelligent  looking  boys  ; 
their  hair  was  cropped  short,  and  they  were  entirely 
naked. 

When  these  youths  were  brought  to  me,  Mangus 
Colorado  and  Delgadito,  two  prominent  chiefs  of  the 
Apaches,  and  a  number  of  their  tribe,  were  present ; 
they  already  knew  of  the  escape  of  the  prisoners,  and 
at  once  proposed  that  I  should  purchase  them.  I 
declined,  telling  them  that  the  Americans  did  not  buy 
captives;  and  furthermore,  that  having  sought  my 
protection,  I  should  not  deliver  them  up.  In  vain  I 
endeavored  to  make  the  chiefs  comprehend  our  treaty 
with  Mexico,  and  the  principles  of  justice  and  huma- 
nity on  which  it  was  based.  They  did  not,  or  would 
not,  understand,  and  left  our  camp  evidently  much 
offended.  I  requested  Mangus  Colorado  to  come  to 
me  on  the  following  day,  when  I  would  endeavor  to 
satisfy  him.  The  day  arrived,  but  Mangus  did  not 
appear ;  and  I  began  to  be  fearful  that  the  friendly 
feeling  which  existed  between  the  Commission  and 
the  Indians  would  be  terminated  by  this  event.  I 
received  intimations  that  the  boys  were  not  safe,  and 
that  an  attempt  would  probably  be  made  to  recapture 
them  the  first  opportunity.  Determined,  not  to  be 
thwarted  in  this  way,  I  sent  them  off  at  night,  well 
clothed,  in  charge  of  four  resolute  men,  with  direc- 
tions to  take  them  to  the  camp  of  General  Conde  and 
deliver  them  into  his  hands. 


312  INCIDENTS    AT   THE 

After  the  lapse  of  several  days,  the  chiefs  with  their 
people,  including  the  owner  of  one  of  the  boys,  again 
made  their  appearance.  The  matter  was  again  talked 
over,  but  nothing  was  decided,  and  they  returned  to 
their  camps.  After  several  fruitless  conferences  of  this 
sort,  the  affair  was  at  length  so  arranged  that  the  cap- 
tives should  be  retained  by  us,  and  our  friendly  rela- 
tions not  be  impaired.  As  this  last  discussion  was  one 
of  much  interest,  it  was  taken  down  by  one  of  the  gen- 
tlemen present.  I  give  it  therefore  at  length,  as  the 
arguments  used  by  my  opponents  display  to  good 
advantage  their  natural  shrewdness  of  character.  It 
was  commenced  by  Mangus  Colorado,  who  thus  ad- 
dressed me : 

Mangus  Colorado. — Why  did  you  take  our  captives 
from  us  ? 

Commissioner. — Your  captives  came  to  us  and 
demanded  our  protection. 

Mangus  Colorado. — You  came  to  our  country. 
You  were  well  received  by  us.  Your  lives,  your  pro- 
perty, your  animals,  were  safe.  You  passed  by  ones, 
by  twos,  and  by  threes,  through  our  country ;  you 
went  and  came  in  peace.  Your  strayed  animals  were 
always  brought  home  to  you  again.  Our  wives,  our 
children,  and  women,  came  here  and  visited  your 
houses.  We  were  friends!  We  were  brothers!  Be- 
lieving this,  we  came  amongst  you  and  brought  our 
captives,  relying  on  it  that  we  were  brothers,  and  that 
you  would  feel  as  we  feel.  We  concealed  nothing. 
We  came  not  here  secretly  or  in  the  night.  We  came 
in  open  day  and  before  your  faces,  and  we  showed  our 
captives   to  you.     We  believed   your   assurances   of 


COPPER   MINES.  313 

friendship,  and  we  trusted  them.     Why  did  you  take 
our  captives  from  us  ? 

Commissioner. — What  we  have  said  to  you  is  true 
and  reliable.  We  do  not  tell  lies.  The  greatness  and 
dignity  of  our  nation  forbids  our  doing  so  mean  a 
thing.  What  our  great  brother  has  said  is  true,  and 
good  also.  I  will  now  tell  him  why  we  took  his  cap- 
tives from  him.  Four  years  ago,' we,  too,  were  at  war 
with  Mexico.  We  know  that  the  Apaches  make  a 
distinction  between  Chihuahua  and  Sonora.  They  are 
at  peace  with  Chihuahua,  but  always  fighting  against 
Sonora.  We  in  our  war  did  not  make  that  distinction. 
The  Mexicans,  whether  living  in  one  or  the  other 
State,  are  all  one  nation,  and  we  fought  them  as  a 
nation.  Well,  when  the  war  was  over,  in  which  we 
conquered,  we  made  peace  with  them.  They  are  now 
our  friends,  and  by  the  terms  of  the  peace  we  are  bound 
to  protect  them.  We  told  you  this  when  we  came  to 
this  place,  and  we  requested  you  to  cease  your  hostili- 
ties against  Mexico.  Well,  time  passed,  and  we  grew 
very  friendly  ;  every  thing  went  well.  You  came  in 
here  with  your  captives.  Who  were  these  captives? 
Mexicans — the  very  people  we  told  you  we  were  bound 
to  protect.  We  took  them  from  you  and  sent  them 
to  General  Garcia  Conde,  who  will  set  them  at  liberty 
in  their  own  country.  We  mean  to  show  you  that  we 
cannot  lie.  We  promised  protection  to  the  Mexicans, 
and  we  gave  it  to  them.  We  promise  friendship  and 
protection  to  you,  and  we  will  give  it  to  you.  If  we 
had  not  done  so  to  Mexico,  you  could  not  have 
believed  us  with  regard  to  yourselves.  We  cannot 
lie. 


314  INCIDENTS   AT    THE 

Ponce, — Yes,  but  you  took  our  captives  from  us 
without  beforehand  cautioning  us.  We  were  ignorant 
of  this  promise  to  restore  captives.  They  were  made 
prisoners  in  lawful  warfare.  They  belong  to  us.  They 
are  our  property.  Our  people  have  also  been  made 
captives  by  the  Mexicans.  If  we  had  known  of  this 
thing,  we  should  not  have  come  here.  We  should  not 
have  placed  that  confidence  in  you. 

Commissioner. — 'Our  brother  speaks  angrily,  and 
without  due  reflection.  Boys  and  women  lose  their 
temper,  but  men  reflect  and  argue ;  and  he  who  has 
reason  and  justice  on  his  side,  wins.  I  have  no  doubt 
but  that  you  have  suffered  much  by  the  Mexicans. 
This  is  a  question  in  which  it  is  impossible  for  us  to 
tell  who  is  right,  or  who  is  wrong.  You  and  the 
Mexicans  accuse  each  other  of  being  the  aggressors. 
Our  duty  is  to  fulfil  our  promise  to  both.  This 
opportunity  enables  us  to  show  to  Mexico  that  we 
mean  what  we  say ;  and  when  the  time  comes,  we  will 
be  ready  and  prompt  to  prove  the  good  faith  of  our 
promises  to  you. 

Ponce. — I  am  neither  a  boy  nor  a  squaw.  I  am  a 
man  and  a  brave.  I  speak  with  reflection.  I  know 
what  I  say.  I  speak  of  the  wrongs  we  have  suffered 
and  those  you  now  do  us.  (Very  much  excited.) 
You  must  not  speak  any  more.  Let  some  one  else 
speak  (addressing  himself  to  Mr.  Cremony,  the  inter- 
preter). 

Commissioner. — I  want  you  to  understand  that  /am 
the  very  one  to  speak;  the  only  one  here  who  can 
speak  (peremptorily).  Now  do  you  sit  down.  I  will 
hold  no  more  talk  with  you,  but  will  select  a  man 


COPPER   MINES.  315 

(beckoning  to  Dalgadito).  Do  you  come  here  and 
speak  for  your  nation. 

Dalgadito. — Let  my  brother  declare  the  mind  of 
his  people. 

Commissioner. — I  wish  to  explain  to  our  Apache 
brethren  the  reasons  that  have  actuated  us  in  this  thing, 
and  what  we  can  do  for  the  master  of  these  captives. 
We  know  that  you  have  not  done  this  thing  secretly, 
or  in  the  dark.  You  came  as  braves  in  open  day, 
and  brought  your  captives  amongst  us.  We  are 
obliged  to  obey  the  orders  of  our  great  chief  in  Wash- 
ington as  much  as  you  warriors  are  obliged  to  obey 
your  commanders.  The  great  chief  of  our  nation  says : 
"You  must  take  all  Mexican  captives  that  you  meet 
among  the  Apaches,  and  set  them  at  liberty."  Now 
this  you  must  know  we  cannot  disobey.  For  this  reason 
we  have  taken  your  captives  from  you. 

Dalgadito. — We  do  not  doubt  the  word  of  our 
brave  white  brethren.  The  Americans  are  braves,  we 
know  it  j  and  we  believe  a  brave  scorns  to  lie.  But 
the  owner  of  these  captives  is  a  poor  man  ;  he  cannot 
lose  his  captives,  who  were  obtained  at  the  risk  of  his 
life,  and  purchased  by  the  blood  of  his  relatives.  He 
justly  demands  his  captives.  We  are  his  friends,  and 
we  wish  to  see  this  demand  complied  with.  It  is  just, 
and  as  justice  we  demand  it. 

Commissioner. — I  will  now  tell  my  Apache  brethren 
what  can  be  done  for  them.  The  captives  cannot  be 
restored.  The  Commissioner  cannot  buy  them,  neither 
can  any  American  buy  them ;  but  there  is  here  in  our 
employ  a  Mexican  who  is  anxious  to  buy  them,  and 
restore  them  to  their  homes.      We  have  no  objection 


316  INCIDENTS   AT   THE 

that  this  Mexican  should  do  so  ;  and  if  he  is  not  rich 
enough,  some  of  us  will  lend  him  the  means. 

Dalgadito. — The  owner  does  not  wish  to  sell ;  he 
wants  his  captives. 

Commissioner. — I  have  already  told  my  brother 
that  this  cannot  be.  I  speak  not  with  two  tongues. 
Make  up  your  minds. 

Dalgadito. — The  owner  wauts  twenty  horses  for 
them. 

Commissioner. — The  Apache  laughs  at  his  white 
brother !  He  thinks  him  a  squaw,  and  that  he  can 
play  with  him  as  with  an  arrow !  Let  the  Apache  say 
again. 

Dalgadito. — The  brave  who  owns  these  captives 
does  not  wish  to  sell.  He  has  had  one  of  those  (two) 
boys  six  years.  He  grew  up  under  him.  His  heart- 
strings are  bound  around  him.  He  is  as  a  son  to  his 
old  age.  He  speaks  our  language,  and  he  cannot  sell 
him.  Money  cannot  buy  affection.  His  heart  cannot 
be  sold.  He  taught  him  to  string  and  shoot  the  bow, 
and  to  wield  the  lance.  He  loves  the  boy,  and  cannot 
sell  him. 

Commissioner. — We  are  sorry  that  this  thing  should 
be.  We  feel  for  our  Apache  brother,  and  would  like 
to  lighten  his  heart.  But  it  is  not  our  fault.  Our 
brother  has  fixed  his  affections  on  the  child  of  his 
enemy.  It  is  very  noble.  But  our  duty  is  stern.  We 
cannot  avoid  it.  It  wounds  our  hearts  to  hurt  our 
friends ;  but  if  it  were  our  own  children,  and  the  duty 
and  the  law  said,  "Part  with  them,"  part  with  them 
we  should.  Let  our  Apache  brother  reflect,  and  name 
his  price. 


COPPER  MINES.  317 

Dalgadoto. — What  will  you  give  ? 

Commissioner. — If  my  brethren  will  come  with  me 
I  will  show  them. 

Here  the  council  dissolved  and  repaired  to  the  com- 
missary's stores,  attended  by  the  Mexican  purchaser, 
where  goods  to  the  amount  of  two  hundred  and  fifty 
dollars  were  laid  out,  which  they  accepted,  and  thus 
the  business  was  concluded.* 

Under  no  other  circumstances  would  I  have  been 
instrumental  in  remunerating  these  Indians  for  their 
captives :  but  in  the  present  state  of  the  Boundary 
Survey,  this  affair,  had  it  not  been  amicably  adjusted, 
might  have  proved  a  most  serious  obstacle  to  the  pros- 
ecution of  our  duties. 

The  Indians  remained  encamped  on  both  sides  of 
us  in  large  force.  Mangus  Colorado  with  his  band, 
being  on  the  west  about  four  miles  off,  and  Dalgadito 
at  the  distance  of  eight  miles  near  the  Mimbres,  where, 
on  account  of  the  superior  grass  in  the  valley  of  that 
stream,  the  greater  portion  of  our  horses  and  mules 
were  kept.  It  was  therefore  completely  in  the  power 
of  the  Indians  to  drive  them  all  off,  if  they  were  so 
disposed.  In  promising  them  our  friendship,  I  told 
them  that  they  must  deserve  it  by  protecting  our 
animals ;  and  if  unfriendly  Indians  should  attempt  to 
steal  them,  they  must  restore  them  to  us.  This  they 
promised  to  do,  and  they  faithfully  adhered  to  their 
undertaking.     Once,  some  of  our  animals  were  stolen, 

*  These  boys  were  not  detained  a  moment  at  the  camp  of  the  Mexi- 
can Commissioner,  but  sent  to  Janos,  the  nearest  military  post  in 
Mexico,  from  whence  they  were  taken  to  their  families. 


318  INCIDENTS    AT    THE    COPPER   MINES. 

and  on  several  occasions  they  strayed  away  ;  but  in 
every  instance  the  Indians  brought  thern  back,  and 
sometimes  at  the  expense  of  much  labor  and  trouble 
to  themselves. 


INCIDENTS   AT   THE    COPPER    MINES.  310 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

INCIDENTS  AT  THE  COPPER  MINES. 

Intercourse  with  the  Apaches — Mangus  Colorado  and  his  new  clothes — 
Proper  mode  of  treating  Indians — Treachery  and  Massacre  of  Indians, 
by  an  Englishman — Tribe  of  Copper  Mine  Apaches — Their  numbers — 
Extent  of  their  incursions — Ethnological  Position— Inferiority  of  the 
Tribe — Dress — Visit  from  the  Navajos — Their  Fine  Blankets — Ad 
Apache  shot  by  a  Mexican — Alarm — Arrest  and  Examination  of  Prison- 
er— Death  of  the  Indian — The  Murderer  demanded  by  the  Apaches — 
Conference  with  the  Chiefs,  and  their  Talk — Restoration  of  Friend- 
ship. 

After  the  pleasant  termination  of  our  difficulty  with 
the  Apaches  relative  to  the  captive  boys,  they  con- 
tinued their  daily  visits  as  before,  and  were  subject  to 
no  restraint.  They  always  made  their  first  calls  on 
Colonel  Craig,  who  treated  them  with  the  greatest 
kindness,  or  myself;  after  which  they  strolled  about 
visiting  the  quarters  or  tents  of  the  others,  or  watch- 
ing the  several  mechanics  in  their  labors.  I  had  a 
full  suit  of  blue  broadcloth,  made  for  Mangus  Colo- 
rado, and  gave  all  his  family  clothing  besides.  Some 
of  his  children,  of  which,  I  think  he  had  nine,  gen- 
erally accompanied  him,  and  always  received  some 
little  knick-knacks  to  take  back  with  them.  Mangus 
was  mightily  pleased  with  his  suit,  which  consisted  of 


320  INCIDENTS   AT   THE 

a  frock  coat  lined  with  scarlet  and  ornamented  with 
gilt  buttons.  His  pantaloons,  at  his  request,  were 
open  from  the  knee  downwards,  after  the  fashion  of 
the  Mexicans,  with  a  row  of  small  fancy  buttons  on 
one  side,  and  a  broad  strip  of  scarlet  cloth  on  the 
outer  side  from  the  hip  downwards.  A  white  shirt 
and  red  silk  sash  completed  his  dress.  While  the 
tailor  had  it  in  hand,  he  visited  him  daily  to  watch  its 
progress,  and  a  child  might  have  envied  him  his  de- 
light. But  in  putting  them  on,  his  Indian  character 
was  most  strikingly  displayed.  He  insisted  on  wear- 
ing his  shirt  outside  of  his  pantaloons;  and  all  my 
efforts  to  induce  him  to  reverse  the  arrangement  were 
without  effect.  The  reluctance  of  all  Indians  to  con- 
form to  our  customs  with  regard  to  dress  is  well 
known ;  and  it  is  only  after  many  years  of  constant 
intercourse  that  the  men  will  wear  their  shirts  as  we 
do.  The  women  adhere  with  equal  tenacity  to  some 
of  their  customs.  They  prefer  the  leggin  and  blanket 
to  any  other  dress ;  and  even  after  they  have  become 
completely  domiciliated  among  us,  as  is  the  case  with 
the  Iroquois  tribes  in  the  State  of  New-York,  they 
refuse  to  give  up  their  broad-brimmed  hats  and  fea- 
thers. 

I  often  invited  the  chiefs,  and  in  particular  Mangus 
Colorado,  to  dine  with  me.  On  these  occasions  their 
conduct  was  marked  with  as  much  decorum  as  though 
they  had  been  used  to  civilized  society  all  their  lives ; 
though  it  is  true,  they  sometimes  exhibited  a  curiosity 
to  understand  the  nature  of  the  dishes  that  were  placed 
before  them,  and  generally  wished  to  have  a  taste  of 
every  thing.     After  a  little  while  they  showed  a  dis- 


COPPER   MINES.  321 

position  to  take  more  liberties ;  and  when  my  guest 
had  finished  his  meal,  he  managed  to  leave  his  plate 
pretty  well  filled,  and  beckoned  to  another  to  take  his 
seat.  This  was  submitted  to  once  or  twice ;  after 
which,  finding  it  encroached  too  much  on  my  supply, 
I  no  longer  invited  any  to  my  table.  I  was  willing  to 
give  a  place  to  a  chief  occasionally ;  but  to  have  half 
a  dozen  hungry  fellows  standing  outside  waiting  to 
take  their  turn,  was  more  than  I  was  able  or  willing 
to  put  up  with.  They  knew  that  we  had  killed  seve- 
ral bears,  and  that  we  ate  their  flesh.  They  always 
asked  if  we  had  bear  on  the  table,  for  they  wished  to 
avoid  it,  but,  with  our  cooking,  could  not  tell  it  from 
beef.  I  never  deceived  them,  nor  urged  them  to  eat 
bear's  meat.  I  found  they  had  some  superstitious 
prejudice  against  it,  but  could  never  prevail  on  them 
to  tell  me  what  it  was. 

During  this  time  the  members  of  the  Commission 
went  about  freely  in  small  parties  or  alone,  for  twenty 
or  thirty  miles  around  our  camp,  and  were  on  no  occa- 
sion molested.  They  also  visited  the  Apache  camps, 
where  they  were  well  received.  Our  wagons  with 
stores,  went  unprotected  to  and  from  the  Surveyors, 
and  their  attendants,  who  were  scattered  in  small  par- 
ties for  fifty  miles  along  the  line,  where  the  escort 
could  afford  them  but  little  protection.  Hence  the 
great  importance  {.0  the  success  of  the  Commission  in 
maintaining  friendly  relations  with  these  Indians. 

My  experience  established  the  truth  of  the  opinion 
I  had  always  entertained,  that  kind  treatment,  a  rigid 
adherence  to  what  is  right,  and  a  prompt  and  invaria- 
ble fulfilment  of  all  promises,  would  secure  the  friend- 
VOL.  i. — 21 


322  INCIDENTS    AT    THE 

ship  of  the  Apaches,  a  tribe  of  Indians  which  has  the 
reputation  of  being  the  most  hostile  and  treacherous 
to  the  whites  of  any  between  the  Rio  Grande  and  the 
Pacific.  It  is  the  conduct  of  unprincipled  traders  and 
emigrants,  who  sow  the  seeds  of  intemperance  and 
vice  among  them,  which  has  created  most  of  the  diffi- 
culties before  experienced.  These  men  defraud  them 
of  their  property,  and,  on  the  slightest  pretence,  take 
their  lives.  That  the  Indians  feel  the  deepest  hatred 
towards  the  Mexicans  is  true,  and  they  certainly  have 
reason  for  entertaining  a  strong  antipathy  to  that  peo- 
ple. Acts  of  treachery  of  the  grossest  and  cruelest 
description  have  been  practised  by  the  Mexicans  to- 
wards them  ;  and,  though  years  have  passed  away  since 
these  events  occurred,  they  are  not  forgotten  by  the 
Apaches.  The  desire  of  revenge,  or  as  we  should 
term  it  in  our  own  case,  of  retributive  justice,  seems, 
instead  of  diminishing,  to  acquire  increased  intensity, 
with  the  lapse  of  time.  But  bad  as  the  conduct  of  the 
Mexicans  may  have  been  towards  these  Indians,  they 
never  were  guilty  of  a  more  fiendish  act  than  one  per- 
petrated on  them  by  an  Englishman,  some  twelve  or 
fourteen  years  ago,  in  the  northern  part  of  Sonora. 
The  particulars  as  related  to  me  are  briefly  these  :  and 
having  heard  them  both  at  El  Paso,  and  at  Arispe,  I 
have  no  doubt  of  their  correctness.  It  seems  that  in 
consequence  of  the  depredations  of  the  Indians,  the 
State  of  Sonora  offered  a  premium  of  one  hundred  dol- 
lars for  each  Apache  scalp.  A  disgrace  to  his  nation, 
named  Johnson,  actuated  by  the  reward,  induced  a 
large  party  of  Apaches,  men,  women  and  children,  to 
assemble  around  a  quantity  of  goods,  which  he  had 


COPPER    MINES.  323 

brought  among  them  ostensibly  for  the  purpose  of 
trade.  He  had  concealed  beneath  some  saddles  and  flour 
bags,  a  cannon  heavily  loaded  with  shot  and  a  piece  of 
chain,  near  which  was  stationed  a  man,  pretending  to 
smoke.  At  a  signal  given  by  Johnson,  this  man  sud- 
denly uncovered  the  breech  of  the  gun  and  touched  it 
off,  the  rest  of  his  party  at  the  same  time  discharging 
their  small-arms  among  the  terrified  Indians,  who  fell 
on  every  side.  When  the  survivors  had  collected 
their  senses,  and  saw  the  Americans  preparing  for 
another  volley,  they  rallied,  and  being  the  larger 
party,  put  Johnson  and  his  crew  to  flight.  A  skir- 
mish afterwards  took  place,  in  which  the  Indians  met 
with  further  loss.  After  so  base  and  villainous  an  act, 
it  is  not  suprising  that  the  Apaches  look  upon  all 
white  men  as  their  enemies,  whether  Mexicans  or 
Americans. 

The  Copper  Mine  Apaches  occupy  the  country  on 
both  sides  of  the  Rio  Grande,  and  extend  west  to  the 
country  of  the  Goyoteros  and  Pinalenos,  near  the 
eastern  San  Francisco  River.  This  may  be  called  their 
proper  home,  though  their  incursions  extend  far  into 
the  States  of  Chihuahua  and  Sonora,  where,  during 
portions  of  the  year,  they  reside.  A  favorite  place  of 
resort  for  them  is  near  Lake  Guzman,  to  the  west  of 
El  Paso.  They  do  not  extend  more  than  four  or  five 
days1  journey  north  of  the  Gila.  From  the  best  infor- 
mation I  can  gain,  their  numbers  have  been  greatly 
reduced  within  the  last  five  years.  Omitting  those  east 
of  the  Rio  Grande,  it  is  believed  that  they  cannot  muster 
two  hundred  warriors.  My  information  is  derived 
from  General  Conde,  and  from  Mexicans  who  had  long 


324  INCIDENTS    AT    THE 

lived,  on  the  frontier,  having  frequent  intercourse  with 
them  at  Janos,  and  who  knew  all  their  chiefs.  Ameri- 
can authority  places  their  numbers  much  higher,  esti- 
mating them  by  thousands,  instead  of  hundreds.  But 
notwithstanding  their  depredations,  they  have  from 
time  to  time  been  at  peace  with  the  Mexicans,  receiv- 
ing from  the  military  authorities  at  Janos  monthly 
supplies  of  corn  and  other  articles  of  food.  Hence  the 
latter  have  had  a  better  opportunity  to  judge  of  their 
numbers  than  we  have. 

Between  the  Sacramento  Mountains  and  the  Pecos 
are  other  Apache  tribes  more  numerous  than  those  in 
question,  from  whom  they  are  separated  by  an  unin- 
habited desert  region  between  eighty  and  one  hundred 
miles  in  width,  extending  from  the  Sacramento  Moun- 
tains to  the  Rio  Grande.  The  country  which  they 
occupy  is  believed  to  be  one  of  the  richest  portions  of 
New  Mexico.  It  has  not  yet  been  explored ;  but  I 
have  been  told  by  Mexicans  who  have  crossed  it  at 
various  places,  that  it  has  an  excellent  soil,  is  well 
watered  and  timbered.  They  keep  up  a  show  of 
friendship  with  the  settlements  by  sending  their  old 
women  to  trade  and  beg;  but  the  warriors  rarely 
show  themselves.  It  is  not  my  intention  to  dwell 
largely  on  the  Indian  tribes  in  the  present  work,  but 
merely  to  speak  of  them  as  we  met  them,  to  point  out 
their  localities,  and  to  relate  such  occurrences  as  took 
place  between  us.  There  is  much  to  be  said  relative 
to  them  all,  which  the  limits  of  this  work  will  not 
admit  of,  nor  does  it  seem  proper  in  a  "  personal  narra- 
tive "  of  incidents,  to  enter  into  the  broad  field  of  eth- 
nological investigation  which  presents  itself  west  of  the 


COPPER   MINES.  325 

Rocky  Mountains.  My  materials  in  this  department 
are  copious,  and  will  constitute  the  subject  of  a  future 
memoir. 

The  Apache  nation  as  a  whole  is  one  of  the  most 
widely  disseminated  on  the  North  American  Continent, 
and  embraces  a  great  many  tribes  which  are  as  yet 
only  known  to  us  by  name.  Nor  are  we  even  able  to 
say  with  certainty  whether  all  the  tribes  said  to  be  of 
the  Apache  stock  belong  to  it  or  not.  It  is  only  by  a 
comparison  of  their  languages  that  their  ethnological 
position  can  be  accurately  determined,  In  general 
terms,  they  may  be  said  to  extend  from  the  Pecos  on 
the  east  to  the  desert  bordering  on  the  Gulf  of  Califor- 
nia (the  limit  of  which  is  the  valley  of  the  Santa  Cruz, 
south  of  the  Gila),  and  to  the  Colorado,  north  of  that 
river ;  or  from  the  103d  degree  of  longitude  west  from 
Greenwich  to  the  114th.  From  north  to  south  they 
extend  from  the  country  of  the  Utahs  (Yutas),  in  lati- 
tude 38°  north  to  about  the  30th  parallel.  Beyond 
this  they  have  no  fixed  habitations,  though  they  range 
about  two  degrees  farther  south  in  their  predatory 
incursions  in  the  States  of  Chihuahua  and  Sonora.  On 
the  Colorado  River  of  California  are  many  tribes  only 
known  by  name  ;  but  whether  they  are  allied  to  the 
Apache  nation  or  to  some  of  the  California  families  is 
not  known.  The  great  Navajo  (pronounced  Navaho) 
tribe,  the  most  populous  of  any  west  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  in  the  district  named,  belongs  to  the 
Apache  family  ;  and  I  have  no  doubt  that  when  an 
examination  is  made  of  the  languages  and  other  means 
of  comparison,  tribes  still  further  to  the  north  will  be 
found  to  belong    to   the  same  stock.     In    fact,   from 


326 


INCIDENTS    AT    THE 


analogies  already  selected,  such  has  been  found  to  be 
the  case.* 

The  Apaches  with  which  we  had  intercourse  must 
rank  below  the  Indian  tribes  east  of  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains, dwelling  on  the  tributaries  of  the  Mississippi 
and  Missouri  Rivers.     They  are  without  that  dignified 


Group  of  Apaches. 


bearing,   and  those  noble  traits    of  character,  which 
characterize  the  latter ;  and  as  they  perform  no  labor, 


*  In  an  essay  read  before  the  American  Ethnological  Society  by 
my  friend,  Professor  Wm,  W.  Turner,  he  has  shown  that  a  close  ana- 
logy exists  between  the  languages  of  the  Apaches  and  the  Athapascans, 
a  tribe  on  the  confines  of  the  Polar  Sea. 


COPPER   MINES.  327 

not  even  that  of  hunting,  their  physical  developments 
are  greatly  inferior.  Mangus  Colorado,  and  a  few 
other  prominent  chiefs,  who  live  pretty  well,  and  have 
the  lion's  share  of  their  plunder,  are  rather  good  look- 
ing ;  and  a  finer  set  of  children  than  those  of  Mangus, 
of  Dalgadito,  and  Ponce,  are  not  often  seen.  But 
beyond  these  few  exceptions,  the  Apaches  are  an  ill- 
formed,  emaciated,  and  miserable  looking  race.  As 
those  we  saw  did  not  cultivate  the  earth,  they  depend 
upon  what  they  can  steal  from  the  Mexicans  and  Ame- 
ricans on  the  frontier  for  a  subsistence.  The  supply  thus 
obtained  consists  almost  exclusively  of  mules ;  and 
when  this  fails  they  resort  to  the  bulb  of  the  maguay. 
In  fact,  this  may  be  said  to  constitute  at  all  times  the 
food  of  the  majority ;  for  the  chiefs  take  good  care 
that  they  at  least  shall  have  mule  meat  when  there  is 
any. 

In  saying  that  certain  individuals  w.ere  fine  look- 
ing, I  speak  of  mere  physical  development.  I  do  not 
think  I  ever  saw  a  mild  or  amiable  face  among  them ; 
on  the  contrary,  they  had  all  a  treacherous,  fiendish 
look,  which  well  expressed  their  true  character.  They 
are  in  general  poorly  clothed,  a  majority  wearing  deer 
skins  tied  about  them,  without  any  attempt  to  fashion 
them  into  garments.  If  a  man  could  get  a  shirt,  he 
seemed  quite  content  without  any  other  garment.  Many, 
and  I  should  think  most  of  them,  wore  long  deer-skin 
boots,  with  stout  soles,  turned  up  at  the  toes,  the  legs 
being  either  fastened  around  the  loins  or  turned  over 
at  the  knees.  These  were  well  made,  and  exhibited 
more  taste  and  care  than  any  other  garment  about 
them.     It  is  not,  however,  on  account  of  their  beauty 


328  INCIDENTS    AT    THE 

that  they  wear  these  fine  long  boots,  but  from  neces- 
sity ;  as  they  require  them  to  protect  their  legs  when 
riding  among  the  thorny  chapporal  of  the  plains,  as 
well  as  from  the  venomous  reptiles  which  abound 
there.  The  Apaches  have  their  dandies  as  well  as 
their  civilized  brethren ;  in  fact  I  have  found  among 
every  tribe  of  Indians  men  of  this  class,  whose  minds 
seem  to  dwell  more  on  their  personal  appearance  than 
on  any  thing  else.  They  are  fond  of  remaining  at 
home,  associate  more  than  others  with  the  women, 
and  never  accompany  war  parties.  They  are  looked 
upon  as  drones  by  the  braves.  Those  whom  we  saw 
among  the  Apaches,  were  generally  dressed  in  some 
tawdry  manner,  and  their  faces  covered  with  paint. 
Some,  with  a  truer  sense  of  savage  beauty,  and  who 
have  fine  manly  forms,  wore  nothing  but  a  breech 
cloth  and  boots.  These,  mounted  on  fine  animals,  and 
armed  with  a-  lance  or  bow,  sometimes  made  their  ap- 
pearance among  the  ragged  and  motley  groups  which 
visited  our  camps.  A  helmet-shaped  cap  of  deer  skin, 
fitting  close  to  the  head,  and  covered  on  the  top  with 
a  bunch  of  feathers,  is  worn  by  many  ;  while  others  have 
straw  hats,  taken  from  the  heads  of  Mexicans  whom 
they  have  killed.  Another  and  very  picturesque  orna- 
ment which  the  hatless  and  capless  have  recourse  to,  is 
a  wreath  of  grass  or  leaves,  twined  around  their  heads 
and  projecting  well  over  their  eyes,  to  protect  them 
from  the  sun.  The  Mexican  serape  is  also  worn  by 
those  who  have  become  the  possessors  of  such  a  useful 
article  of  dress  by  murdering  its  former  owner.  The 
women  wear  jackets  or  tunics  of  deer  skin,  more  or 
less  ornamented,  a  profusion  of  beads,  when  they  can 


COPPER   MINES. 


329 


get  them,  and  deer-skin  leggins.  Most  of  them  wear 
unbleached  cotton  or  calico  shirts,  which  they  obtain 
of  the  Indian  traders  or  at  the  settlements. 


Apacho  Head-dress  and 


On  one  occasion  our  camp  was  visited  by  a  band 
of  Navajo  Indians,  four  hundred  of  whom  were 
encamped  on  the  banks  of  the  Gila.  This  is  a  formida- 
ble, warlike,  and  treacherous  tribe,  which  descend  from 
their  strongholds  in  the  canons  west  of  Santa  Fe,  and 
rob  the  inhabitants  of  New  Mexico  of  their  cattle  and 
sheep.  They  had  heard  of  our  party,  and  had  taken 
advantage  of  the  friendly  manner  in  which  the 
Apaches  came  to  us,  to  accompany  them.  With  the 
exception  of  a  different  style  in  their  boots,  and  in  the 
manner  of  arranging  their  hair,  their  dress  appeared 
the  same.  Their  bows,  arrows,  and  lances  were  the 
same,  and  the  helmet-shaped  head-dress  did  not  mate- 
rially differ.  The  Navajos  had  a  very  fine  description 
of  woollen  blanket  of  their  own  manufacture,  which 
they  use  to  cover  their  bodies  when  it  is  cold,  as  well 


330  INCIDENTS    AT    THE 

as  for  saddle  cloths.  These  blankets  are  superior  to 
any  native  fabric  I  have  ever  seen ;  in  fact,  they  are 
quite  equal  to  the  best  English  blankets,  except  that 
they  are  without  any  nap.  I  have  been  told  that 
they  spin  and  dye  the  wool,  which  they  raise  them- 
selves; though  others  assert  that  the  richer  colors  are 
obtained  by  unravelling  fine  scarlet  blankets  of  Eng- 
lish manufacture,  the  threads  of  which  are  then  used 
in  the  weaving  of  their  own.  Whether  this  is  true  or 
not  I  am  unable  to  state.  At  any  rate,  even  if  true, 
this  forms  but  a  very  small  portion  of  the  fabric,  the 
remainder  of  which  is  undoubtedly  spun  and  woven 
by  themselves. 

We  had  some  little  bartering  with  these  people, 
giving  them  shirts  and  other  articles  of  wearing 
apparel  for  their  bows  and  arrows,  and  caps,  and 
some  of  our  party  were  so  fortunate  as  to  obtain  some 
fine  specimens  of  their  blankets.  I  got  a  small  one  of 
inferior  quality,  but  sufficient  to  show  the  style  of  their 
manufacture. 

Many  believed  that  the  Navajos  who  visited  us  on 
the  occasion  referred  to,  were  but  spies  to  learn  our 
numbers,  and  see  whether  any  thing  could  be  gained 
by  attacking  us;  a  belief  in  which  I  participated,  and 
which  subsequent  events  strengthened.  We  never 
saw  them  after. 

July  5th.  One  of  the  cooks  disappeared  last  night, 
taking  with  him  a  fine  horse,  one  of  Colt's  large  revolv- 
ers, and  sundry  articles  of  clothing.  He  was  pursued 
by  Mr.  White  and  another,  who  overtook  him  on 
the  plains  two  days  after,  recovered  the  horse  and 
pistol,  and  left  him  to  find  his  way  to  the  settlements 
as  he  could. 


COPPER   MINES.  331 

On  the  6th  July,  another  incident  of  a  more  serious 
nature  occurred,  which  bade  fair  to  break  up  the 
friendly  intercourse  with  our  Indian  friends,  and  bring 
us  to  open  warfare.  About  one  o'clock  word  was 
brought  to  me,  that  an  Indian  had  been  shot  by  Jesus 
Lopez,  the  Mexican  teamster  to  whom  I  have  before 
alluded.  I  at  once  ran  to  my  door,  and  saw  the 
greatest  consternation  in  the  place.  The  Indians,  of 
which  there  were  many  about  us  at  the  time,  were 
screaming  and  running  in  all  directions,  as  though 
fearful  of  a  general  rising  and  massacre  of  their  people. 
Our  own  party  too  were  in  great  alarm,  and  every 
man  ran  for  his  arms,  not  knowing  but  that  the  Indians, 
who  had  so  often  been  treacherously  dealt  with  by  the 
whites,  might  at  once  attack  us,  to  be  revenged  for 
the  loss  of  their  companion.  Mangus  Colorado,  Delga- 
dito  and  Coletto  Amarillo,*  who  were  in  our  camp, 
seized  their  arms,  and,  mounting  animals,  retreated  to 
a  small  hill  a  few  hundred  yards  from  the  fort,  where 
they  stopped  to  see  what  was  to  follow,  and  make 
their  escape  in  case  of  necessity.  Many  of  their  peo- 
ple crowded  around  them  for  protection  and  guidance. 
Some  remained  many  minutes  beckoning  to  them  to 
come  back  ;  and  assuring  them  that  they  would  not 
be  hurt.  They  remained  quiet  until  Colonel  Craig, 
with  the  courage  and  resolution  which  he  exhibited 
in  every  trying  scene,  advanced  alone  towards  them, 
told  them  he'  and  all  of  us  were  still  their  friends,  and 

*  These  it  will  be  perceived  are  all  Spanish  names  :  Mangus  Colo-, 
rado,  meaning  Bed    Sleeve  ;  Delgadito,  slender  ;  and  Coletto  Amarillo, 
yellmvtail. 


332  INCIDENTS    AT    THE 

invited  them  to  the  garrison  where  the  man  who  had 
shot  one  of  their  people  should  be  brought  before 
them.  They  at  once  came  forward  ;  and  while  we  all 
stood  on  the  parade  ground  in  front  of  the  garrison, 
the  prisoner  was  brought  up  with  his  feet  in  chains, 
by  a  file  of  soldiers.  We  then  passed  in  to  the  quar- 
ters of  Colonel  Craig,  for  an  examination  of  the  case. 
On  questioning  the  prisoner  why  he  had  shot  the 
Indian,  he  made  no  reply,  except  to  say  on  returning 
from  the  Mimbres,  some  Indians  whom  he  met  had 
threatened  to  kill  him ;  although  he  did  not  pretend 
to  say  that  the  man  he  had  shot  was  the  one. 

It  appeared  on  examination,  that  Gordon,  a  cook, 
was  the  only  person  who  witnessed  the  affair.  He 
states  that  there  was  some  dispute  between  Jesus  and 
the  Indian,  about  a  whip  belonging  to  the  latter,  and 
which  the  former  wished  to  buy.  Jesus  had  the  whip 
under  his  arm,  and  on  failing  to  agree  about  it,  the 
Indian  attempted  to  pull  it  from  him.  The  Mexican, 
becoming  enraged,  first  picked  up  a  stone,  and  then 
seized  his  rifle.  He  levelled  it  at  the  Indian,  when 
scarcely  beyond  the  reach  of  the  muzzle,  and  delibe- 
rately shot  him  down,  the  ball  passing  through  his 
body  just  above  the  heart.  Jesus  ran  to  the  Indian's 
horse  which  stood  near  the  tent,  intending  to  make 
his  escape.  Mr.  J.  B.  Stewart,  who  was  not  far  off, 
and  heard  the  report  levelled  his  rifle,  threatening  to 
shoot  him  if  he  stirred.  The  fellow  stopped,  and  the 
next  moment  was  a  prisoner.  When  these  facts  were 
•made  known  to  Mangus  Colorado,  and  the  other 
chiefs  present  they  were  satisfied  that  the  Americans 
were  in  no  way  implicated  in  the  affair,  and  that  it  was 


COPPER   MINES.  333 

a  private  quarrel  between  a  Mexican  and  an  Indian. 
They  were  equally  satisfied  when  assured  that  the 
prisoner  should  be  kept  in  chains,  and  punished  if  the 
man  died ;  and  the  conference  ended  in  good  feel- 
ing. The  chief,  Ponce,  made  a  long  speech  on  the 
occasion,  and  said  they  "all  believed  it  the  work  of 
one  bad  man,  and  that  the  Commission  had  nothing  to 
do  with  it."  "If  the  man  died,  they  should  require 
the  punishment  of  the  murderer.  If  he  lived,  the 
Mexican  should  be  compelled  to  labor,  and  the  pro- 
ceeds of  it  be  given  to  the  family  of  the  wounded  man, 
as  a  remuneration  for  the  loss  of  his  services." 

The  wounded  man  was  taken  to  the  hospital  where 
he  was  attended  by  the  surgeons  of  the  Commission 
and  the  escort,  and  the  best  possible  care  taken  of 
him.  His  wife  and  mother  were  in  constant  attend- 
ance, and  his  friends  had  access  to  him  at  all  times. 
The  chiefs  were  in  daily,  and  expressed  their  satisfac- 
tion with  my  course.  The  poor  man  lingered  for  a 
month  when  he  died.  I  ordered  a  coffin  made  for 
him,  and  intended  having  him  decently  buried;  but 
his  friends,  refusing  both  the  coffin  and  burial,  laid 
him  across  a  mule  and  carried  him  to  their  camp  for 
interment,  according  to  their  own  customs. 

The  Indians  now  waited  upon  us  in  considerable 
numbers,  accompanied  by  their  chiefs,  and  demanded 
that  the  prisoner  should  at  once  be  delivered  into 
their  hands.  I  told  them  that  as  the  offence  was  com- 
mitted in  our  territory,  the  man  must  be  punished 
according  to  our  laws.  Most  of  the  chiefs  were  assem- 
bled on  this  occasion,  and  presented  a  strange  and 
picturesque  appearance,  as  they  were  distributed  about 


334  INCIDENTS   AT    THE 

my  quarters  in  various  attitudes.  Some  standing, 
others  sitting  on  benches,  while  the  larger  number 
adopted  the  common  Indian  position  of  sitting  on  their 
haunches  with  their  knees  drawn  up  before  them, 
clasped  by  their  hands.  Had  there  been  room  to  lie 
down,  that  posture  would  have  been  preferred.  They 
came  professedly  as  advocates  of  the  woman's  cause, 
and  would  listen  to  nothing  but  the  unconditional 
delivery  of  the  murderer,  preferring  their  demand 
with  considerable  eloquence.  Three  or  four  would 
start  upon  the  same  point  together,  and  he  who  could 
talk  the  fastest  would  be  allowed  to  go  on  with  the 
subject.  As  in  the  former  controversy  with  these  peo- 
ple, the  arguments  between  the  chiefs  and  myself  were 
taken  down.  I  began  by  addressing  them  through 
Mr.  John  C.  Cremony,  the  interpreter  of  the  Commis- 
sion, as  follows : 

"  I  feel  sad,  as  well  as  all  the  Americans  here,  and 
sympathize  with  our  Apache  brothers  for  the  death  of 
one  of  their  braves.  We  were  all  friends.  The  dead 
man  was  our  friend,  and  we  regret  his  loss.  I  know 
that  he  had  committed  no  offence ;  that  he  even  did 
not  provoke  the  attack  upon  him.  But  our  Apache 
brethren  must  remember  that  it  was  not  by  the  hand 
of  an  American  that  his  death  was  caused.  It  was  by  a 
Mexican,  though  a  man  in  the  employ  of  the  Commis- 
sion. For  this  reason  it  is  my  duty  to  see  justice  done 
you,  and  the  murderer  punished. 

"  I  am  here,  as  I  have  told  you,  in  command  of  the 
party  engaged  in  making  the  dividing  line  between 
the  United  States,  the  country  of  the.  Americans,  and 
Mexico.     I  have   explained  this  to  you  fully  before, 


COPPER   MINES.  335 

which  you  now  understand.  Beyond  this  I  have  no 
powers.  The  great  chief  of  the  American  people  lives 
far,  very  far,  towards  the  rising  sun.  From  him  I 
received  my  orders,  and  those  orders  I  must  obey.  I 
cannot  interfere  in  punishing  any  man,  whether  an 
Indian,  a  Mexican,  or  an  American.  There  is  another 
great  chief  who  lives  at  Santa  Fe.  He  is  the  governor 
of  all  New  Mexico.  This  great  chief  administers  the 
laws  of  the  Americans.  He  holds  a  court  wherein  all 
persons  charged  with  crimes  are  judged.  He  alone 
can  inflict  punishment  when  a  man  has  been  found 
guilty.  To  this  great  chief,  this  governor,  I  will  send 
the  murderer  of  our  Apache  brother.  He  will  try 
him,  and,  if  found  guilty,  will  have  him  punished 
according  to  American  laws.  Such  is  all  that  I  can 
do.  Such  is  the  disposition  I  will  make  of  this  man. 
It  is  all  that  I  have  a  right  to  do." 

Ponce.  "  This  is  all  very  good.  The  Apaches  know 
that  the  Americans  are  their  friends.  The  Apaches 
believe  what  the  Americans  say  is  true.  They  know 
that  the  Americans  do  not  speak  with  two  tongues. 
They  know  that  you  have  never  told  them  a  lie.  They 
know  that  you  will  do  what  you  say.  But  the  Apaches 
will  not  be  satisfied  to  know  that  the  murderer  is  pun- 
ished in  Santa  Fe.  They  want  him  punished  here,  at 
the  Copper  Mines,  where  the  band  of  the  dead  brave 
may  see  him  put  to  death — where  all  the  Apaches 
may  see  him  put  to  death  (making  the  sign  of  being 
suspended  by  the  neck).  Then  the  Apaches  will  see 
and  know  that  their  American  brothers  will  do  justice 
to  them." 

Commissioner. — "  I  will  propose  another  plan  to 


336  INCIDENTS   AT    THE 

the  chiefs  and  captains  of  the  Apaches.  This  plan  is 
to  keep  the  murderer  in  chains,  as  you  now  see 
him  ;  to  make  him  work,  and  to  give  all  he  earns  to  the 
wife  and  family  of  your  dead  brave.  This  I  will  see 
paid  in  blankets,  in  cotton,  in  beads,  in  corn,  in  money, 
or  in  any  thing  the  family  may  want.  I  will  give  them 
all  that  is  now  due  to  this  man,  and  at  the  end  of  every 
month,  I  will  give  them  twenty  dollars  more  in  money, 
or  in  goods.  When  the  cold  season  arrives,  these 
women  and  children  will  then  come  in  and  receive 
their  blankets  and  cloth  to  keep  them  warm,  and  corn 
to  satisfy  their  hunger." 

Ponce. — "You  speak  well.  Your  promises  are 
fair.  But  money  will  not  satisfy  an  Apache  for  the 
murder  of  a  brave !  No !  thousands  will  not  drown 
the  grief  of  this  poor  woman  for  the  loss  of  her  son. 
Would  money  satisfy  an  American  for  the  murder  of 
his  people  ?  Would  money  pay  you,  Senor  Commis- 
sioner, for  the  loss  of  your  child  ?  No !  money  will 
not  bury  your  grief.  It  will  not  bury  ours.  The 
mother  of  this  brave  demands  the  life  of  the  mur- 
derer. Nothing  else  will  satisfy  her.  She  wants  no 
money.  She  wants  no  goods.  She  wants  no  corn. 
Would  money  satisfy  me,  Ponce  (at  the  same  time 
striking  his  breast),  for  the  death  of  my  son  ?  No !  I 
would  demand  the  blood  of  the  murderer.  Then  I 
would  be  satisfied.  Then  would  I  be  willing  to  die 
myself.  I  would  not  wish  to  live  and  bear  the  grief 
which  the  loss  of  my  son  would  cause  me."* 

*  This  son   of  Ponce  was  the  finest  looking  man  we  saw  at  the 
Copper  Mines,  and  the  greatest  rascal.      In  an  attempt  some  months 


COPPER   MINES.  337 

Commissioner. — "  Your  words  are  good  and  true. 
You  speak  with  a  heart  full  of  feeling.  I  feel  as  you 
do.  All  the  Americans  feel  as  you  do.  Our  hearts 
are  sad  at  your  loss.  We  mourn  with  this  poor  woman. 
We  will  do  all  that  we  can  to  assist  her  and  her  family. 
I  know  that  neither  money  nor  goods  will  pay  for  their 
loss.  I  do  not  want  the  Apache  chiefs,  my  brothers, 
so  to  consider  it.  What  I  propose  is  for  the  good  of 
this  family.  My  wish  is  to  make  them  comfortable. 
I  desire  to  give  them  the  aid  of  which  they  are  de- 
prived by  the  loss  of  their  protector.  If  the  prisoner's 
life  is  taken,  your  desire  for  revenge  is  satisfied.  Law 
and  justice  are  satisfied.  But  this  poor  woman  and 
her  family  get  nothing.  They  remain  poor.  They 
have  no  one  to  labor  for  them.  Will  it  not  be  better 
to  provide  for  their  wants  ?" 

The  chiefs  now  exchanged  views  with  each  other, 
all  having  more  or  less  to  say ;  when  Ponce,  their  prin- 
cipal speaker,  said  they  had  all  agreed  to  leave  the 
matter  entirely  with  the  mother  of  the  deceased,  and 
that  by  her  decision  they  would  abide.  She  evidently 
desired  the  life  of  the  prisoner.  Her  desire  for  revenge 
or  justice,  was  more  to  her  than  money  or  goods.  The 
discussion  was  resumed. 

Ponce. — ■'-  If  an  Apache  should  take  the  life  of  an 
American,  would  you  not  make  war  on  us  and  take 
many  Apache  lives  ?" 

Commissioner. — "  No  ;  I  would  demand  the  arrest 
of  the  murderer,   and  would  be  satisfied  to  have  him 

later  to  run  off  some  mules,  he  received  a  rifle  ball  in  his  thigh,  which 
or  a  while  checked  his  thievish  propensities. 
vol.  i. — 22 


338  INCIDENTS    AT    THE 

punished,  as  the  Apaches  punish  those  who  commit 
murder.  Did  not  a  band  of  Apaches  attack  a  small 
party  of  Americans,  my  countrymen,  very  lately  on 
the  Janos  road?  Did  they  not  kill  one  of  them,  and 
pierce  three  others  with  their  arrows  ?  And  did  they 
not  take  from  them  all  their  property  ?  Yes  ;  you  all 
know  it  to  be  true,  and  I  know  it  to  be  true.  I  passed 
near  the  spot  where  it  took  place,  three  days  after. 
The  Apaches  did  not  even  bury  their  victim  ;  they  left 
him  lying  by  the  road-side,  food  for  the  wolves  and 
crows.  Why  do  not  the  Americans  revenge  them- 
selves on  you  for  this  act  ?  They  are  strong  enough 
to  do  it.  They  have  many  soldiers,  and  in  a  few  days 
can  bring  a  thousand  more  here.  But  there  would  be 
no  justice  in  that.  The  Americans  believe  this  murder 
was  committed  by  your  bad  men  ;  by  cowards.  The 
Apaches  have  bad  men  among  them;  but  you  who  are 
now  with  us  are  our  friends,  and  we  will  not  demand 
redress  of  you.  Yet,  as  I  told  you  before,  you  must 
endeavor  to  find  the  men  who  killed  our  brother,  and 
punish  them.  Our  animals  feed  in  your  valleys  ;  some 
of  your  bad  men  might  steal  them,  as  they  have  already 
done  ;  but  the  Americans  would  not  make  war  on  you 
for  this.  We  hold  you  responsible,  and  shall  call  on 
you  to  find  them  and  bring  them  back,  as  you  have 
done.  While  the  Apaches  continue  to  do  this,  the 
Americans  will  be  their  friends  and  brothers.  But  if 
the  Apaches  take  their  property  and  you  do  not  restore 
it,  you  can  no  longer  be  the  friends  of  the  Americans. 
War  will  then  follow ;  thousands  of  soldiers  will  take 
possession  of  your  best  lands,  your  grass  valleys,  and 
your  watering-places.     They  will  destroy  every  Apache 


COPPER   MINES.  339 

they   find,  and  take  your  women  and  children   cap- 
tives." 

The  discussion  continued  in  this  manner  for  two 
hours,  the  chiefs  showing  much  sagacity  in  arguing 
their  point.  The  matter  was  finally  settled  very  much 
to  my  satisfaction,  and  apparently  to  that  of  the  In- 
dians, by  my  paying  to  the  mother  of  the  deceased 
thirty  dollars  in  money,  that  being  the  amount  due 
the  prisoner.  I  furthermore  agreed  to  pay  her  twenty 
dollars  a  month,  hereafter,  the  amount  of  the  prisoner's 
wages.  Thus  was  terminated  this  unfortunate  affair, 
which,  at  one  time,  seemed  about  to  destroy  the  good 
understanding  which  had  existed  between  the  members 
of  the  Commission  and  our  Indian  friends. 


340  INCIDENTS   AT   THE 


CHAPTER  XV. 

INCIDENTS  AT  THE  COPPER  MINES. 

Arrival  of  Mr.  A.  B.  Gray — Meeting  of  Joint  Commission — Objections  of 
Mr.  Gray  to  initial  point — Mules  missing — Arrival  of  Colonel  Graham 
— Mules  stolen  from  Fronteras — Descent  of  the  Apaches  on  the  Mule 
herd — Organization  of  parties  for  the  Survey — Application  to  Colonel 
Sumner  for  more  troops — Hostile  attitude  of  the  Indians — Second  in- 
cursion of  the  Indians — Mules  taken — Colonel  Craig  goes  in  pursuit — 
Arrival  of  Captain  Buford  with  dragoons  to  our  aid — Indians  pursued 
by  Colonel  Craig  and  Captain  Buford — Third  incursion  of  the  Indians 
— Volunteer  party  go  in  pursuit — Indians  overtaken  and  cattle  re- 
covered— Apache  chief  recognized  among  the  robbers — Determine  to 
set  out  for  the  Gila. 

On  the  19  th  July,  Mr.  A.  B.  Gray,  United  States  Sur- 
veyor, Mr.  Charles  Radziminski,  his  principal  assistant, 
and  Lieutenant  Burnside,  U.  S.  Army,  Quarter- master 
and  Commissary,  arrived.  These  gentlemen  had  come 
in  the  same  party  with  Colonel  Graham,  whom  they  left 
at  El  Paso,  and  I  felt  greatly  disappointed  at  the  non- 
arrival  of  that  officer,  for  whom  more  than  two  thirds 
of  the  Commission  had  so  long  been  waiting  to  enter 
upon  their  duties.  General  Conde,  the  Mexican  Com- 
missioner, with  some  of  his  party,  arrived  at  the  same 
time,  in  order  to  make  arrangements  for  going  on  with 
the  Gila  Survey,  which  had  been  so  long  delayed. 

Mr.  Gray  presented  his  instructions  from  the  Secre- 
tary of  the  Interior,  and  made  known  his  readiness  to 


COPPER   MINES.  341 

go  on  with  his  work.  I  therefore  instructed  him  to 
organize  a  party  for  the  linear  Survey  of  the  Gila, 
and  to  make  the  necessary  arrangements  for  wagons, 
mules,  horses,  camp-equipage,  subsistence,  etc.,  which 
would  be  furnished  him  by  the  Quarter-master  and 
Commissary,  of  the  Commission.  He  lost  no  time  in 
complying  with  my  instructions,  but  at  once  selected 
his  assistants,  and  prepared  to  take  the  field. 

The  day  after  the  arrival  of  Mr.  Surveyor  Gray  and 
General  Conde,  a  meeting  of  the  Joint  Commission 
took  place,  when  arrangements  were  entered  into  to 
commence  the  survey  of  the  Gila,  the  General  and 
his  assistants,  on  the  part  of  the  Mexican  Commission, 
undertaking  the  astronomical  portion,  while  Mr.  Gray, 
with  his  corps  of  engineers  and  surveyors,  was  to 
make  the  linear  survey.  We  now  only  required  the 
arrival  of  Colonel  Graham  to  organize  an  astronomical 
force  on  the  part  of  the  United  States. 

On  the  25th  of  July,  Mr.  Gray  addressed  me  a  let- 
ter objecting  to  the  Initial  Point  agreed  upon  by  the 
Joint  Commission,  at  32°  22' north  latitude  on  the  Rio 
Grande,  which  had  been  established  and  marked  on 
the  24th  of  April  preceding,  and  from  which  the  line 
had  been  extended  west  by  Lieutenant  Whipple.  He 
advised  a  suspension  of  the  work. 

I  replied  to  Mr.  Gray,  that  on  a  further  examina- 
tion I  was  satisfied  that  the  Initial  Point  on  the  Rio 
Grande  had  been  established  according  to  the  treaty, 
and  that  I  should  adhere  to  the  agreement  entered 
into  relating  to  it.  I  soon  after,  on  the  8th  of  August, 
advised  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  of  Mr.  Gray's 
objections. 


342  INCIDENTS   AT   THE 

On  the  receipt  of  my  letter  and  the  objections  of  Mr. 
Gray  to  the  proceedings  of  the  Joint  Commission  and 
the  Initial  Point  as  established  at  32°  22',  the  Secre- 
tary of  the  Interior,  the  Hon.  Alex.  H.  H.  Stuart, 
requested  Mr.  Gray  "  to  remove  the  only  obstacle 
which  now  exists  to  the  completion  of  this  branch  of 
the  work,  by  affixing  his  signature  to  the  requisite 
papers."  As  this  and  other  official  documents  are 
important  for  a  clear  understanding  of  this  question, 
and  as  they  are  inaccessible  to  the  large  mass  of 
readers,  I  have  thought  it  best  to  append  them  at  this 
place  in  the  form  of  notes,  without  entering  into  any 
argument  on  the  subject.  The  official  acts  establishing 
the  Initial  Point  have  been  before  given,  and  would 
be  incomplete  without  the  following  letters,  all  of 
which  have  been  printed  in  the  documents  of  the 
United  States  Senate." 

*  Mr.  Gray's  letter  of  July  25th,  1851,  containing  his  objections  to 
the  Initial  Point  may  be  found  in  Senate  Document  No.  119,  3  2d  Con- 
gress, 1st  Session,  p.  279.  My  letter  to  Mr.  Secretary  Stuart,  relating 
to  the  Initial  Point,  is  contained  in  the  same  document,  p.  145. 

Secretary  Stuart  to  Surveyor  Gray. 

Department  of  the  Interior, 
October  31,  1851. 

Sir  :  In  relation  to  the  temporary  suspension  of  the  work  connected 
with  the  Mexican  Boundary  Survey,  growing  out  of  your  refusal  to  affix 
your  signature  to  the  necessary  papers  establishing  the  Initial  Point  for 
the  demarkation  of  the  line  at  32°  22;,  you  are  informed,  that  inasmuch 
as  the  Commissioners  appointed  by  their  respective  governments  to 
run  and  mark  the  boundary  line  between  the  United  States  and  Mexico 
were  not  necessarily  constrained  to  suspend  all  operations  connected 
with  the  Survey  during  your  absence,  and  until  your  recovery  from  the 


COPPER   MINES.  343 

On  the  28th  July,  several  mules  belonging  to  Colo- 
nel Craig,  disappeared  and  could  not  be  found ;  and  as 
he  believed  the  Apaches  had  been  instrumental  in 
driving  them  off,  he  determined  to  go  in  search  of 

indisposition  with  -which  you  were  afflicted,  those  officers  progressed 
with  the  work  intrusted  to  them,  and  fixed  the  Initial  Point  of  said  line 
on  the  meridian  of  latitude  referred  to. 

As  the  Commissioners  coincide  in  opinion  respecting  the  correct- 
ness of  their  operations  and  their  results,  and  are  satisfied  that  the 
Initial  Point  has  been  accurately  ascertained  and  determined,  it  is  very 
desirable  that  the  official  documents  necessary  to  the  settlement  of  this 
important  point  should  be  at  once  perfected ;  you  are  requested,  there- 
fore, to  remove  the  only  obstacle  which  now  exists  to  the  completion 
of  this  branch  of  the  work,  by  affixing  your  signature  to  the  requisite 
papers. 

I  am,  &c, 

ALEX.  H.  H.  STUART, 

Secretary. 
A.  B.  Gray,  Esq., 

U.  S.  Surveyor,  &c. 

Secretary  Stuart  to  Major  Emory. 

Department  of  the  Interior, 

November  4,  1851. 

Sir:  I  transmit  herewith  your  commission  as  Surveyor,  under 
the  5th  article  of  the  Treaty  of  Guadalupe  Hidalgo,  to  run  and  mark 
the  boundary  line  between  the  United  States  and  Mexico,  also  a  copy 
of  a  letter  this  day  addressed  to  John  R.  Bartlett,  Esq.,  United  States 
Commissioner,  containing  explanations  respecting  your  position  and 
duties. 

I  also  inclose  a  copy  of  my  letter  of  the  31st  ultimo,  to  A.  B.  Gray, 
Esq.,  late  Surveyor ;  and  in  the  event  of  his  persisting  in  his  refusal  to 
affix  his  signature  to  the  necessary  papers  for  the  establishment  of  the 
Initial  Point  for  the  demarkation  of  the  boundary  line  as  ascertained 
and  agreed  upon  by  the  Commissioners  of  the  two  Governments,  I  have 


344  INCIDENTS    AT    THE 

them  at  once.  On  the  morning  of  the  29th,  he  set  off 
with  thirty  soldiers  for  the  Apache  Camp,  on  the  Mim- 
bres.  On  the  appearance  of  a  military  force  among 
them,  the  Indians  became  much  alarmed,  and  assured 

to  request  you  will   sign  the  official  documents  which  have  been  pre- 
pared for  the  purpose,  and  which  only  require  the  signature  of  the  Sur- 
veyor to  settle  this  important  point. 
I  am,  &c, 


Brevet  Major  Wm.  H.  Emory, 

United  States  Surveyor,  &c. 


ALEX.  H.  H.  STUART, 

Secretary. 


Mr.  Gray  having  been  removed  before  he  had  an  opportunity  to  affix 
his  signature  to  the  boundary  document  as  directed ;  Major  Emory 
obeyed  the  instructions  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  as  appears  by 
his  letter  to  that  officer,  which  may  be  found  in  Senate  Doc.  No.  6, 
Special  Session,  1853. 

Extract  from  Major  Emory's  Letter. 

Camp  near  Fort  Duncan, 

October  1,  1852. 

*  *  *  On  my  reaching  the  ground  to  take  charge  of  the  Survey, 
November,  1851,  I  found  that  Mr.  Bartlett  and  the  assistant  Surveyor 
had  agreed  upon  the  Initial  Point,  32°  22;,  and  that  a  great  stone  monu- 
ment had  been  erected,  marking  the  point,  and  having  the  usual  inscrip- 
tions, and  the  names  of  the  American  and  Mexican  Commissioners, 
Astronomers,  and  Surveyors. 

The  Surveyor  (Mr.  Gray)  came  out  long  after  the  Initial  Point  was 
agreed  upon,  and  the  monument  erected  and  the  line  begun,  relieving 
the  acting  Surveyor  (Lieutenant  Whipple),  and  protested  against  the 
point.  With  the  protest  and  the  views  of  the  Commission  before  him, 
both  sides,  it  is  presumed  fairly  stated,  the  Hon.  Secretary  instructed 
the  Surveyor  to  sign  the  maps ;  but  before  the  instructions  reached  him 
he  was  relieved,  and  I  was  appointed  in  his  place,  with  the  same  instruc- 
tions. 

I  therefore  considered  the  matter  as  settled,  and  the  action  of  the 


COPPER   MINES.  345 

the  Colonel  they  had  not  been  instrumental  in  stealing 
his  mules,  nor  did  they  know  any  thing  about  them. 
Upon  their  promise  to  go  in  search  of  them,  and  if 
found  to  bring  them  in,  Colonel  Craig  returned  to  the 
fort. 

Government  as  final.  The  official  documents  which  have  been  prepared 
for  the  purpose,  referred  to  in  my  letter  of  appointment  and  instructions, 
never  having  been  presented,  no  action  has  been  taken  in  the  matter  defi- 
nitely and  finally  to  "  settle  this  important  point."  I  quote  from  my 
instructions,  for  as  I  shall  presently  show,  it  has,  by  the  views  taken  of 
the  subject  by  both  sides,  ceased  to  be  an  important  point. 

But  I  have  done  this  in  compliance  with  the  letter  and  spirit  of 
my  instructions.  Mr.  Salazar,  the  Mexican  Commissioner  and  Sur- 
veyor, met  me  at  the  Presidio  del  Norte,  Aug'ust  1st,  to  sign  the  maps  of  the 
Rio  Grand — forming  the  boundary.  Neither  party  had  the  maps  pro- 
perly prepared,  nor  was  Mr.  Salazar  at  all  prepared  in  money  or  means 
to  go  on  with  the  work  at  the  rate  I  was  progressing.  I  had  already 
signed,  conjointly  with  him,  as  astronomer  and  surveyor,  the  only  maps 
fit  for  signature  ;  but  he  remained  pressing  me  to  sign  other  maps  which 
involve  incidentally  the  Initial  Point  agreed  upon  by  Mr.  Bartlett,  Mr. 
Conde,  Mr.  Salazar,  and  Mr.  Whipple,  from  which  Col.  Graham  had 
started  his  survey  of  the  river.  /  therefore,  on  the  28th  of  August, 
signed  the  maps  according  to  my  instructions,  with  the  reservation  con- 
tained in  the  paper,  a  copy  of  which  is  herewith  sent,  marked  A.,  signed 
conjointly  by  Mr.  Salazar  and  myself,  and  the  statement  therein  refer- 
red to,  setting  forth  on  the  face  of  the  maps  that  it  was  the  "  boundary'''' 
agreed  upon  by  the  two  Commissioners,  April  20,  1851." 

I  presume  it  was  never  intended  I  should  give  my  certificate,  as 
Astronomer  and  Surveyor,  to  the  correctness  of  the  determination  of  a 
point  which  had  been  determined  by  the  observation  of  others,  and  with- 
out consultation  or  advice  of  mine.  On  the  other  hand,  I  do  not  for  a 
moment  doubt  the  power  of  the  Government  to  instruct  me  on  the  subject, 
or  hesitate  as  to  my  duty  to  obey  its  mandates,  which  I  understand  as 
requiring  me  only  to  authenticate  the  Initial  Point  agreed  upon  by  the 
Commissioners  of  the  two  Governments. 

In  reference  to  the  importance  of  the  point,  I  think  it  as  well  to 


346  INCIDENTS    AT   THE 

On  the  2d  August,  Colonel  Graham,  Principal  As- 
tronomer, Lieutenants  Whipple  and  Smith,  and  several 
other  gentlemen  arrived,  and  encamped  near  the  fort. 

On  the  7th  August,  word  was  brought  me  that 
eight  or  ten  of  our  mules  which  were  kept  at  the  As- 
tronomical Observatory  at  Frontera,  near  El  Paso,  had 
been  stolen  by  the  Indians;  and  the  following  day 
Lieutenant  Green  set  off  with  a  file  of  soldiers  for  So- 
corro, in  order  to  intercept  the  robbers. 

Four  days  after  this,  our  camps  were  aroused  with 
the  news  that  the  Indians  had  made  a  descent  upon  the 
mules  belonging  to  Colonel  Craig's  command,  which 
were  grazing,  in  charge  of  three  or  four  men,  about  a 
mile  from  the  fort,  and  had  run  off  about  twenty-five 
together  with  some  valuable  horses.  As  soon  as  a  party 
could  be  got  ready  they  set  off  in  pursuit,  but  after  a 
few  hours  returned  unsuccessful.     One  of  the  men  who 

state  that  the  line  agreed  upon  by  the  Commissioners,  April,  1851,  is 
about  thirty-three  minutes  north  of  the  line  contended  for  as  that  laid 
down  on  Disturnell's  map,  but  reached  about  sixteen  minutes  of  an 
arc  further  west ;  and  as  both  lines  run  three  degrees  of  longitude  west, 
the  difference  of  territory  is  three  degrees  of  longitude,  multiplied  by 
thirty-three  minutes  of  latitude,  minus  sixteen  minutes  of  longitude,  mul- 
tiplied by  about  forty  minutes  of  latitude,  each  having  a  middle  lati- 
tude that  may  for  the  purpose  of  computation  be  assumed  at  thirty-two 
degrees.  Neither  line  gives  us  the  road  to  California,  and  the  country 
embraced  in  the  area  of  difference,  with  the  exception  of  a  strip  along  the 
Rio  Grande  about  nine  miles  long  and  from  one  to  two  wide,  is  barren, 
and  will  not  produce  wheat,  corn,  grapes,  trees,  or  any  thing  useful  as 
food  for  man  or  for  clothing. 

Neither  line  will  give  a  channel  of  communication  for  posts  along 
the  frontier,  without  which  it  is  impracticable  to  comply  with  the  elev- 
enth article  of  the  treaty,  which  engages  the  United  States  to  keep  the 
Indians  out  of  Mexico. 


COPPER   MINES.  347 

was  left  with  the  mules  was  missing  ;  but  whether  he 
was  killed  or  taken  away  prisoner,  is  not  known.  He 
was  never  seen  or  heard  of  after. 

The  manner  in  which  the  theft  was  accomplished, 
was  thus  related  to  me  by  one  of  the  herders:  The 
animals  were  grazing  in  a  little  valley,  surrounded  by 
low  pine  trees  and  scrub  oaks,  when  on  a  sudden  a 
party  of  Indians  who  had  approached  unperceived 
among  the  trees,  which  were  here  very  thick,  rushed 
among  the  herd,  set  up  a  whoop  that  frightened  the 
timid  mules,  and  drove  them  off.  The  Indians  were 
all  mounted ;  and  before  the  herdsmen  could  gain 
their  saddles,  they  had  the  mules  and  horses  on  the 
full  run  before  them.  The  herdsmen  had  no  resource 
but  to  collect  such  animals  as  were  left,  and  hastened 
with  them  to  our  camp. 

On  the  arrival  of  Colonel  Graham,  as  mentioned 
above,  arrangements  were  entered  into  as  soon  as  pos- 
sible for  going  on  with  the  work  which  had  been  so 
long  delayed  in  consequence  of  his  absence,  and  that 
of  Mr.  Gray.  One  astronomical  and  two  surveying 
parties  were  organized  for  the  survey  of  the  Rio  Grande, 
all  of  which  were  to  be  under  the  direction  of  Colonel 
Graham.  The  work  was  to  be  commenced  at  the 
Initial  Point,  and  carried  to  the  mouth  of  that  river. 
The  astronomical  party  for  the  survey  of  the  Gila  was 
placed  in  charge  of  Lieutenant  A.  W.  Whipple ;  while 
that  for  the  linear  survey  remained  under  the  principal 
Surveyor,  A.  B.  Gray,  Esq.*     With  this  organization 

*  Although.  I  have  embraced  in  this  narrative  the  particulars  relat- 
ing to  the  establishment  of  the  Initial  Point,  I  do  not  think  it  proper  to 


348  INCIDENTS    AT    THE 

we  hastened  to  get  our  wagons,  mules,  tents,  camp 
equipage,  provisions,  etc.,  ready  in  order  to  take  the 
field  as  soon  as  possible. 

While  these  arrangements  were  in  progress,  I  sent 
a  messenger  to  Santa  Fe,  with  a  letter  to  Colonel  Sum- 
ner, commanding  the  troops  in  that  military  division, 
with  a  request  that  another  company  might  be  fur- 
nished me  for  an  additional  escort.  This,  on  consul- 
tation with  the  army  officers,  was  deemed  actually 
necessary.  Our  present  escort  had  been  greatly 
reduced  by  desertions  and  sickness,  so  that  there  were 
less  than  forty  effective  men.     We  were  now  about  to 

enter  into  the  particulars  of  the  serious  difficulties  which  took  place 
between  the  Principal  Astronomer,  Colonel  Graham,  and  myself,  imme- 
diately on  his  arrival,  growing  out  of  his  extraordinary  and  inexcusable 
delay  of  more  than  nine  months  from  his  appointment,  in  reaching  the 
field  of  oj>erations,  and  of  his  assumption  afterwards.  Never,  in  the 
whole  course  of  my  life,  have  I  been  placed  in  so  trying  a  position.  But 
such  were  my  instructions,  and  such  my  responsibilities  as  head  of  the 
Commission,  that  I  must  either  maintain  this  position,  or,  in  succumbing 
to  the  demands  of  Colonel  Graham,  make  myself  and  the  Chief  Surveyor, 
Mr.  Gray,  subordinate  to  him,  resign  all  power  and  control  on  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Commission,  and  become  a  mere  nullity.  I  preferred 
the  former  alternative ;  and  in  order  to  lay  the  matter  before  the 
Government,  and  abide  its  approval  or  disapproval,  I  sent  Mr.  Charles 
Radziminski,  the  Principal  Assistant  Engineer,  to  Washington  with  my 
dispatches.  These  unfortunate  difficulties  with  Colonel  Graham,  most 
of  which  was  owing  to  contention  for  rank  and  position  between  Mr. 
Gray  and  himself,  greatly  retarded  the  progress  of  the  Survey,  and  caused 
much  suffering  to  the  parties  engaged  on  the  Gila  portion  of  the  work. 
The  Government  sustained  me  in  my  position,  and  removed  Colonel 
Graham,  appointing  Major  W.  H.  Emory  in  his  place.  The  Correspon- 
dence on  this  subject  maybe  found  in  Senate  Document  No.  119,  32d 
Congress,  1st  Session — and  particularly  in  my  Dispatch  to  the  Hon.  Sec- 
retary of  the  Interior,  No.  21,  page  433  of  the  same  document. 


COPPER   MINES.  349 

enter  a  field  in  the  midst  of  hostile  Indians,  where  we 
should  be  divided  necessarily,  into  several  small  par- 
ties, thereby  subjecting  ourselves  to  the  danger  of 
losing  our  animals'  as  well  as  of  being  attacked  una- 
wares. Before  leaving  Washington,  the  Secretary  of 
War  directed  the  Commanding  Officer  at  El  Paso,  to 
detail  an  additional  company  for  the  escort,  in  case  the 
Indians  "  have  assumed  a  more  hostile  attitude  towards 
the  Americans,  in  the  region  through  which  the  lines 
of  the  Survey  are  to  be  made."  I  now  believed  that 
such  an  exigency  had  occurred ;  for  more  robberies 
had  been  committed  on  the  frontier  than  for  some 
time  previous,  and  the  Commission,  as  well  as  its 
escort  had  met  with  losses  within  a  few  days,  which 
showed  that  either  the  Apaches  or  some  other  tribes 
entertained  inimical  designs  towards  us.  But  my 
request  was  not  complied  with. 

Since  the  visit  of  Colonel  Craig  to  their  camp  in 
search  of  his  mules,  the  Indians  had  been  more 
reserved,  and  for  a  week  previous  to  the  17th  August, 
none  had  visited  us.  On  the  afternoon  of  that  day  a 
man  who  had  been  herding  the  mules  and  cattle  about 
six  miles  from  the  Copper  Mines,  suddenly  rode  in 
with  the  news,  that  a  descent  had  just  been  made  upon 
them  by  a  band  of  Indians,  and  that  about  fifty  of  the 
best  mules  had  been  driven  off.  Our  men  fortunately 
secured  between  seventy  and  eighty,  by  driving  them 
into  a  corral  or  inclosure  as  soon  as  they  discovered 
the  enemy.  But  the  rest  were  past  recovery;  for  had 
the  men  attempted  to  pursue  them,  they  would  have 
been  overpowered,  and  have  lost  the  remainder  of  the 
stock. 


350  INCIDENTS   AT    THE 

As  may  be  supposed,  this  news  produced  a  great 
excitement  in  our  camp.  Immediate  preparations 
were  made  to  pursue  the  robbers,  and  Colonel  Craig 
with  his  usual  promptness  set  off  at  midnight,  with 
between  twenty  and  thirty  men,  which  were  all  that 
we  could  mount.  Unfortunately  we  possessed  few 
good  horses,  and  there  was  no  alternative  but  to 
mount  the  soldiers  on  mules.  My  only  hope  was  that 
the  Indians  would  not  go  far,  finding  they  were 
not  at  once  pursued,  which  would  enable  Colonel 
Craig  to  overtake  them,  or  surprise  them  in  the 
camp.  He  soon  struck  the  trail  of  the  robbers,  to 
which  he  was  guided  by  Tucker,  one  of  the  herders 
who  had  followed  them  for  several  miles.  About 
thirty  miles  beyond  the  Gila,  the  Colonel  surprised 
two  camps ;  but  discovering  his  approach,  the  Indians 
made  off,  and,  by  scattering  in  every  direction,  as  is 
usual  in  such  cases,  eluded  further  pursuit.  Their 
fires  were  still  burning,  with  mule  meat  and  corn  half 
roasted  about  them.  His  men  also  found  some  blan- 
kets such  as  are  made  by  the  Navajos,  which  caused 
him  to  attribute  the  robbery  to  that  tribe.  The  Nava- 
jos were  known  to  be  in  force  to  the  amount  of  about 
four  hundred  near  the  Gila,  and  I  believed  the  Colo- 
nel's inference  to  be  correct. 

On  the  day  this  robbery  took  place,  I  sent  a  mes- 
senger to  Major  Shepard,  commanding  at  Dona  Ana, 
advising  him  of  the  depredation  of  the  Indians,  and 
soliciting  such  aid  as  it  might  be  in  his  power  to 
extend  to  us  in  the  emergency.  He  promptly  attended 
to  my  request,  and  on  the  2 2d  instant  Captain  Buford 
arrived  with  his  company  of  forty  Dragoons. 


COPPER   MINES.  351 

The  following  day  Colonel  Craig  again  set  out  with 
some  eight  or  ten  men,  being  all  that  he  could  mount, 
together  with  Captain  Buford  and  his  command.  A 
few  civilians  joined  the  party  as  volunteers.  All  were 
well  mounted  and  armed,  and  carried  their  provisions 
and  camp  equipage  on  pack  mules.  They  took  no 
tents,  and  as  little  baggage  as  possible. 
I  The  loss  of  so  many  animals  at  this  particular  junc- 
•ture  was  a  most  serious  additional  impediment  to  the 
movements  of  the  Commission.  We  had  had  no  more 
than  were  absolutely  necessary,  and  now  some  of  the* 
parties  must  necessarily  be  delayed  until  others  could 
be  procured.  Nevertheless,  I  was  determined  to  get 
off,  if  we  had  any  means  of  going,  and  the  necessary 
preparations  for  the  journey  proceeded.  That  General 
Conde  might  not  be  disappointed  by  my  not  meeting 
him  at  the  Burro  Mountains  according  to  agreement,  I 
despatched  Mr.  James  Steele  and  Mr.  Scott,  assistants 
in  the  Surveying  corps,  to  his  camp  to  make  known  to 
him  our  losses  by  the  Indians,  which  might  delay  us  a 
few  days  beyond  the  time.  But  we  had  not  yet  got 
through  our  troubles. 

On  the  morning  of  the  24th  August,  the  alarming 
intelligence  was  brought  us,  that  the  Indians  had 
entered  the  valley  where  the  animals  were  grazing, 
about  half  a  mile  from  the  fort,  and  had  run  off  all  the 
mules  and  horses  belonging  to  Colonel  Craig,  together 
with  the  eighteen  mules  used  by  Captain  Buford,  to 
transport  his  wagons  from  Dona  Ana.  Great  conster- 
nation was  caused  by  this  news,  particularly  as  it  was 
followed  by  a  report  that  the  Indians  were  endeavor- 
ing to  drive  off  our  cattle,  of  which  we  had  nearly  a 


352  INCIDENTS    AT    THE 

hundred  head.  We  seized  our  arms,  and  ran  to  the 
hills  near  the  canon,  where  we  discovered  the  cattle 
urged  on  by  the  herdsmen,  and  making  through  the 
trees  and  bushes  for  our  camp,  where  we  soon  had  the 
satisfaction  of  seeing  them  safely  inclosed.  An  hour 
later  we  heard  that  a  descent  had  also  been  made  upon 
the  horses  and  cattle  belonging  to  Mr.  Hay,  who  with 
a  small  party,  was  engaged  in  working  the  gold  mines, 
four  miles  distant ;  and  soon  after  the  family  of  this 
gentleman,  arrived  with  all  their  effects,  corroborating 
what  we  had  heard.  They  informed  us  that  all  Mr. 
Hay's  cattle  had  been  run  off,  and  that  he  and  his 
people  had  armed  themselves  and  gone  in  pursuit.  A 
volunteer  party  from  the  Commission  soon  joined 
them,  embracing  some  fifteen  or  twenty  persons,  and 
among  them  Lieutenant  Whipple.  They  pressed  the 
Indians  so  hard  that  they  overtook  them  just  at  dark, 
after  a  flight  of  thirty  miles.  As  in  the  former  instance, 
they  abandoned  the  cattle,  and  scattered  in  all  direc- 
tions. The  cattle  of  Mr.  Hay,  twenty -two  in  number, 
were  recovered ;  and  a  horse  and  mule  belonging  to 
the  Indians  were  also  taken.  The  party  with  the 
mules  having  two  hours  the  start,  could  not  be  over- 
taken. 

Our  place  was  now  in  a  state  of  siege.  The  camps 
of  the  several  surveying  parties,  which  had  been  scat- 
tered through  the  valley,  were  brought  into  the  neigh- 
borhood of  the  fort ;  picket  guards  were  stationed 
upon  the  commanding  eminences  ;  arms  were  cleaned, 
and  ammunition  distributed ;  and  every  precaution 
taken  to  repel  an  attack ;  for  it  was  thought  that  the 
Indians,  who  are  ever  on  the  alert,  seeing  so  large  a 


COPPER  MINES.  353 

force  leave  the  place,  might  suppose  it  defenceless, 
and  make  a  descent  upon  those  who  remained. 

There  could  be  no  doubt  as  to  who  the  depreda- 
tors were  in  this  case,  as  Mr.  Hay  was  present  when 
his  cattle  were  taken,  and  had  a  parley  with  the  well- 
known  chief,  Delgadito,  who  stood  at  a  distance  beyond 
the  reach  of  his  rifle.  These  robberies  were,  there- 
fore, committed  by  the  very  Indians  who  had  been 
fed  by  us,  and  had  received  every  kindness  at  our 
hands.  We  had  the  charity,  however,  to  believe  that 
they  were  set  on  by  the  Navajos,  as  it  was  predicted 
that  the  appearance  of  this  tribe  boded  no  good. 

About  one  hundred  and  fifty  animals  had  been 
stolen,  a  part  of  them  almost  within  sight  of  the  fort ; 
showing,  if  it  needed  any  demonstration,  the  utter  use- 
lessness  and  inefficiency  of  our  infantry  escort  for  such 
a  service.  Had  my  last  application  for  a  company  of 
dragoons  been  complied  with  we  should  have  saved 
these  animals;  as  my  messenger  had  returned  from 
Santa  Fe  before  any  robberies  had  been  committed, 
except  that  of  the  few  mules  lost  by  Colonel  Craig  in 
July. 

In  consequence  of  our  last  loss,  Lieutenant  Green 
informed  me  that  it  would  be  impossible  to  furnish 
the  escort  required  for  the  protection  of  the  Gila  party, 
as  he  was  deprived  of  all  means  to  transport  their  pro- 
visions and  camp  equipage,  even  though  the  men 
should  walk.  After  the  return  of  Colonel  Craig,. 
who  might  be  absent  two  weeks,  it  would  be  neces- 
sary for  Lieutenant  Green  to  go  to  the  towns  on  the 
Rio  Grande  to  purchase  a  new  outfit   of  mules   and. 

horses.     In  this  state  of  things,  it  was  evident  that  if 
vol.  i. — 23 


354  INCIDENTS  AT   THE   COPPER  MINES. 

I  waited  for  the  escort  I  must  delay  my  departure  at 
least  a  month,  thereby  deranging  the  plans  of  the 
Mexican  Commission  by  failing  to  keep  my  engage- 
ment with  them,  and  retarding  our  own  work  to  so 
laie  a  period  that  it  might  be  impossible  to  complete 
the  survey  of  the  Gila  before  winter  set  in. 

In  the  midst  of  all  these  difficulties,  I  determined 
to  push  forward  with  the  work,  and  notified  Mr.  Gray 
and  Lieute.nant  Whipple,  the  chiefs  of  the  parties  that 
were  to  accompany  me,  to  be  in  readiness  to  leave  on 
the  27th  instant.  Colonel  Graham,  whose  parties  had 
also  been  organized  for  the  survey  of  the  Rio  Grande, 
and  were  then  awaiting  his  orders  to  enter  the  field, 
informed  me  that  he  wouid  accompany  me  to  the  camp 
of  General  Conde,  in  order  "to  pay  his  respects"  to 
that  officer,  and  to  his  friend  Mr.  .Salazar. 

At  this  time  our  supply  of  provisions  at  the  Cop- 
per Mines  was  very  limited  ;  but  as  a  train  of  wagons 
sent  to  our  depot  near  El  Paso  for  provisions  was 
expected  in  three  or  four  days,  with  an  ample  .supply, 
I  determined  to  start  with  only  about  ten  days'  rations 
of  flour,  sugar,  coffee,  pork,  etc.,  leaving  orders  for 
the  remainder  to  be  sent  forward  immediately  on  its 
arrival.  Of  fresh  meat  we  had  an  abundant  supply, 
taking  with  us  twenty-five  head  of  beef  cattle,  and  one 
hundred  and  eighty  sheep. 


THE   COPPER   MINES   TO   RIO   SAN   PEDRO.  355 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

THE  COPPER  MINES   TO  RIO  SAN  PEDRO. 

Organization  of  parties  for  the  Survey  of  the  Gila — Leave  the  Copper 
Mines — Pack-mules — Mode  of  Packing — Ojo  de  Vaca — Camp  in  the 
Burro  Mountains — Ojo  de  Inez — Grizzly  Bear — Violent  rain — Heavy 
travelling — La  Piloncillo,  or  Sugar-loaf  Mountain — Broad  plain — Camp 
at  El  Sauce — Man  missing — Camp  in  the  Chiricahui  Mountains — 
Boggy  road — Want  of  water — Dry  lake — Beach  the  Mexican  Camp — 
Meeting  of  the  Joint  Commission — Mr.  Gray's  objection  to  the  Boun- 
dary— March  resumed — Mules  abandoned — Reach  San  Pedro  Biver — 
Its  character. 

The  journey  we  were  now  about  to  undertake  was 
entirely  different  from  any  we  had  yet  made.  Since 
leaving  the  coast  in  Texas  we  had,  except  for  eight 
days,  followed  a  well  marked  and  beaten  road,  practi- 
cable for  wagons,  and  which  was  constantly  followed 
by  trains  of  emigrants  passing  to  California.  Now  we 
had  first  to  traverse  a  broad  tract  of  country  between 
us  and  the  Gila,  where  there  was  no  road,  or  even  a 
trail ;  ignorant  as  to  the  existence  of  water  or  grass, 
or  even  whether  it  would  be  possible  to  reach  our 
place  of  destination  with  the  wagons.  It  was  neces- 
sary to  strike  the  Gila  near  the  point  where  it  is  inter- 
sected by  the  western  boundary  of  New  Mexico,  or  in 
longitude  109°  47'  west  from  Greenwich.  It  was 
known  that  this  river  had  its  rise  in  lofty  mountains, 
through  which  it  ran  for  nearly  two  hundred  miles  of 


356 


THE    COPPER   MINES 


the  portion  to  be  surveyed;  and  hence  our  uncertainty 
as  to  the  best  mode  to  be  adopted  for  conveying  our 
equipage  and  supplies.  As  the  Copper  Mines  are  at 
an  elevation  of  six  thousand  two  hundred  and  fifty 
feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  there  must  necessarily 
be  great  descents  before  reaching  the  lower  plains. 
But  the  great  advantage  which  wagons  possess  over 
every  other  means  of  transportation,  where  it  is  possi- 
ble to  get  through  with  them,  induced  me  to  use  them 
as  far  as  possible,  at  the  same  time  keeping  well  pro- 
vided with  pack-mules  in  case  of  emergency. 

The  parties  for  the  survey  of  the  Gila  were  organ- 
ized as  follows : 


1st  Assistants. 


2d  Assistants. 


Andrew  B.  Gray,  U.  S.  Surveyor  in  charge  of 
party  for  the  Linear  Survey. 

John  Bull, 

J.  H.  Prioleau, 

Malcolm  Seaton, 

James  Steel, 

James  T.  Scott, 

Wm.  A.  Taylor, 
William  Bausman,  Clerk  and  Assistant. 
Eight  laborers  and  servants;    two  stonecutters;    one 
blacksmith  ;  one  carpenter ;  two  cooks ;  three  arrieros, 
and  one  teamster. 

Lieut.  A.  W.  Whipple,  Topog.  Engrs.  in  charge  of 
the  Astronomical  and  Topographical  party. 

Henry  C.  Force, 

Frank  Wheaton, 

Hugh  Campbell, 

John  O'Donoghue,  d 


■  Assistants. 


TO   RIO   SAN   PEDRO.  357 

Three  instrument  carriers ;  five  laborers  and  servants ; 
two  cooks  ;  three  arrieros  and  herders ;  one  teamster. 
To  drive  the  twenty -five  head  of  cattle  and  one  hun- 
dred and  eighty  sheep,  three  men  were  employed. 

My  immediate  party  consisted  of  the  following : 

Thomas  H.  Webb,  Secretary  of  the  Joint  Commis- 
sion, Surgeon,  and  Mineralogist. 

John  C.  Cremony,  Interpreter. 

Henry  C.  Pratt,  Draughtsman. 

George  Thurber,  Quarter-master,  Commissary,  and 
Botanist. 

John  J.  Pbatt,  Assistant  (afterwards  transferred 
to  Lieutenant  Whipple). 

One  cook;  two  laborers  and  servants ;  three  arrieros. 

The  whole  party,  including  myself,  made  fifty- 
seven  persons,  to  which  I  must  add  the  captive  girl, 
Inez  Gonzales,  whom  I  meant  to  send  to  her  family  at 
Santa  Cruz  when  we  should  be  near  that  place.  My 
original  intention  had  been  to  take  the  larger  portion 
of  the  military  escort  with  me  ;  and  Colonel  Craig  had 
made  his  arrangements  accordingly,  and  intended  to 
accompany  it  himself,  leaving  Lieutenant  Green  with  a 
small  detachment  for  the  parties  on  the  Rio  Grande, 
with  the  hope  that  additions  would  be  made  to  it  as 
soon  as  the  recruits  came  out.  But  his  plans,  as  well 
as  my  own,  were  frustrated  by  the  depredations  of  the 
Indians.  To  have  waited  until  Colonel  Craig  could 
make  good  his  losses  would  have  deferred  the  expedi- 
tion for  a  month  at  least.  I  therefore  thought  it  best 
to  hasten  on  and  fulfil  my  engagements  with  the  Mexi- 
can Commission,  and  then  proceed  to  the  Gila  and 
commence  the  survey.   I  requested  Colonel  Craig  with 


358  THE    COPPER   MINES 

his  escort  to  accompany  the  train  of  provisions,  which 
was  to  follow  by  the  California  road  under  the  charge 
of  Captain  Barry,  and  to  join  the  surveying  parties  at 
or  near  the  Pimo  Villages,  on  the  Gila.  This  would 
enable  him  to  send  to  the  settlements  and  get  his 
mules  before  our  train  would  leave ;  and  the  surveying 
parties  would  merely  be  deprived  of  his  protection 
until  they  should  reach  that  point. 

On  the  morning  of  the  27th  of  August,  every  thing 
was  in  commotion  in  our  several  camps,  each  party 
making  their  own  arrangements  for  departing.  A 
full  day's  march  was  not  contemplated ;  to  leave  our 
camp  and  quarters,  to  get  our  wagons,  mules,  tents 
and  camp  equipage  together,  and  get  a  start,  was  all 
that  we  expected  to  accomplish  the  first  day. 

We  had  not  before  used  pack  mules ;  so  that  this 
portion  of  our  train  and  its  preparation  was  a  novelty 
to  us.*  The  mules  are  first  driven  up,  brought  into  a 
line,  and  tied.  The  packs  for  each  are  arranged,  so 
that  each  may  carry  the  same  weight,  and  such  articles 
are  selected  to  accompany  each  other  as  will  ride  best 
together.  Thus  two  trunks  or  panniers  of  equal  weight 
are  placed  together  for  one  animal — cooking  utensils 
in  hampers  for  another — tents,  poles  and  bedding  for 
a  third — provisions  according  to  their  bulk  and  weight 
for  others,  and  so  on.  These  are  arranged  with  much 
care,  and  the  arriero  or  muleteer,  endeavors  to  pre- 
serve the  same  load  for  each  mule  as  long  as  he  can. 

*  Pack  mules  are  not  used  in  Texas,  in  the  northern  portions  of 
Chihuahua,  and  but  little  in  New  Mexico,  as  the  country  can  be  every 
where  traversed  with  wagons.  The  poor  farmers,  however,  use  them  as 
well  as  jackasses  to  carry  wood,  and  for  transporting  small  loads. 


TO   RIO   SAN   PEDRO.  359 

This  saves  much  time  in  packing,  and  avoids  confu- 
sion. The  aparejo  or  pack-saddle,  is  a  heavy,  clumsy 
affair,  stuffed  with  hay  so  as  to  form  a  large  pad  on 
each  side  of  the  animal,  to  protect  him  from  his  heavy 
burden,  and  weighing  from  thirty  to  forty  pounds. 
When  all  is  ready,  a  blinder  is  slipped  over  the  eyes 
of  the  mule,  which  renders  him  perfectly  docile.  The 
cumbrous  saddle  is  then  thrown  over  his  back,  and 
bound  with  lashings  so  firmly,  that  the  body  of  the 
beast  is  brought  into  the  shape  of  an  hour-glass ;  after 
which  the  load  is  laid  on  and  secured  by  a  mysterious 
combination  of  cords,  which  none  but  an  arriero  can 
comprehend.  These  are  tightened  by  the  united 
efforts  of  two  men,  who,  with  one  foot  against  the  sad- 
dle, pull  away  with  their  utmost  strength.  The  groans 
and  grunts  of  the  animals  as  the  cords  tighten  upon 
them,  the  jokes  and  shouts  of  the  arrieros,  and  occa- 
sionally the  antics  of  a  beast  that  for  a  moment  has 
regained  its  liberty,  form  a  scene  which  is  ever  novel 
and  amusing.  Now  and  then,  after  every  thing  has 
been  arranged,  and  a  mule  has  been  suffered  to  walk 
off  with  his  load,  he  will  lie  down  and  roll,  displacing 
his  pack,  and  putting  every  thing  in  disorder.  All 
has  then  to  be  taken  off,  and  the  process  repeated  de 
novo.  The  arrieros,  who  are  all  Mexicans,  form  a 
peculiar  class,  who  differ  as  much  from  their  country- 
men, as  sailors  with  us  do  from  landsmen. 

Soon  after  12  o'clock  I  left  the  Copper  Mines,  in 
advance  with  my  immediate  party,  intending  to  stop 
at  some  convenient  watering  place  for  the  rest.  We 
were  ail  mounted,  including  the  captive  girl,  who  was 
placed  on  a  very  gentle  mule.     All  the  baggage,  camp 


360  THE    COPPER   MINES 

equipage,  and  a  portion  of  our  subsistence  was  carried 
on  the  mules.  I  also  had  with  me  a  Mexican  lancer, 
whom  General  Conde  had  sent  to  direct  us  to  his 
camp  and  to  the  watering  places  on  the  route.  When 
about  six  miles  out  I  received  word  from  Mr.  Gray- 
that,  owing  to  the  heavy  load  in  his  wagon,  he  should 
be  unable  to  go  as  far  as  we  had  intended,  and  wished 
me  to  encamp  soon ;  besides  which,  one  of  his  team- 
sters had  refused  to  proceed.  As  it  was  impossible  to 
send  him  a  man,  I  ordered  that  the  prisoner  Jesus 
should  be  set  at  liberty,  and  should  join  Mr.  Gray.  I 
felt  no  longer  bound  to  keep  this  man  in  chains  and  at 
work,  for  the  benefit  of  the  Indians,  who  by  their  rob- 
beries had  forfeited  all  claim  on  me.  Nor  could  I  send 
him  to  Santa  Fe  for  trial.  He  had  behaved  himself 
well  ever  since ;  and  as  our  post  at  the  Copper  Mines 
would  soon  be  broken  up,  I  thought  it  best  to  take 
him  with  us. 

Being  near  a  spot  where  there  was  water  and  grass, 
we  made  our  first  encampment.  Lieutenant  Whip- 
ple and  Mr.  Gray,  with  their  parties,  joined  us  in  the 
evening.  One  of  Lieutenant  W.'s  pack  mules  had 
started  off  from  the  train  during  the  march  and  disap- 
peared among  the  hills.  Parties  were  sent  in  search 
but  he  could  not  be  found.  His  pack  contained  the 
clothing  of  some  of  the  party,  and  was  a  serious  loss 
to  them.  We  had  much  trouble  with  our  own  mules, 
which  kept  constantly  breaking  away  ;  but  they  were 
all  finally  brought  in  and  secured. 

August  28th.  After  much  time  spent  in  refitting 
the  packs  to  our  mules,  which  were  not  yet  fairly 
broken  in,  we  again  set  out.     We  were  now  all  toge- 


TO    RIO    SAN    PEDRO.  361 

ther,  including  Colonel  Graham's  party,  which  added 
considerably  to  our  number.  This  officer  had  two 
wagons  and  an  ambulance,  several  assistants,  a  corps 
of  laborers,  servants,  cooks,  and  a  military  escort.  The 
train  now  stretched  out  for  a  long  distance,  as  the  pack 
mules  followed  each  other  in  a  single  file.  The  offi- 
cers and  men  generally  rode  side  by  side;  and  as  the 
whole  party  embraced  upwards  of  seventy  persons, 
our  cavalcade  made  quite  a  respectable  appearance. 
We  stopped  for  an  hour  at  PacJieteju  to  water  our  ani- 
mals, and  then  pushed  on  to  Ojo  cle  Vaca,  where  we 
encamped.  The  plains  to-day  presented  a  very  differ- 
ent appearance  from  what  they  did  when  we  crossed 
them  in  May  and  June  before  the  rains.  They  were 
now  covered  with  a  rich  coat  of  verdure,  and  resem- 
bled the  green  hills  and  grassy  plains  of  the  North. 

August  2d th.  From  this  place  four  roads  diverge. 
To  the  north  is  the  road  to  the  Copper  Mines,  we  had 
just  traversed  ;  eastward  is  the  one  taken  by  emigrants 
from  New  Mexico,  and  first  opened  to  this  place  by 
Colonel  Cooke,  which  continues  south-westwardly  to 
the  Guadalupe  Pass  ;  and  southward  runs  the  road  to 
Janos.  Our  course  lay  westward  near  the  boundary 
line  to  a  mountain  range  about  fifty  miles  distant, 
where  General  Conde  was  encamped  with  the  Mexican 
Commission  awaiting  my  arrival.  Leaving  Ojo  de 
Vaca,  we  struck  across  the  open  plain  due  west,  to 
pass  a  spur  of  the  Burro  Mountains.  Twelve  miles 
brought  us  to  this  mountain,  when  the  Mexican  lancer 
said  that  by  turning  up  a  canon  or  defile  to  the  north- 
ward, wer  should  find  an  excellent  spring  of  water,  and 
that  none  would  be  met  with   again   for  about  forty 


362  THE    COPPER    MINES 

miles.  We  accordingly  left  the  trail  and  followed 
him.  In  a  short  time  we  entered  a  narrow  and  pictu- 
resque defile  thickly  wooded  with  scrub-oaks.  This 
we  followed  for  about  five  miles,  when  it  opened  upon 
a  beautiful  grassy  meadow  about  three  hundred  yards 
wide,  in  which  were  many  fine  springs.  Here  we 
encamped,  near  the  base  of  the  hills,  and  about  three 
miles  north  of  the  line  where  the  Mexican  Astrono- 
mers had  had  their  observing  camp.  After  dinner  I 
followed  the  valley  up  for  a  mile.  The  flat  meadow- 
like appearance  continued  as  far  as  I  could  trace  it 
from  the  tops  of  the  hills,  hemmed  in  on  both  sides  by 
mountains.  This  valley  I  am  inclined  to  think  extends 
to  the  Gila,  and  during  heavy  rains  is  covered  with 
water.  There  is  land  enough  here  to  support  a  few 
families,  with  excellent  water  and  some  wood  ;  and  it 
would  be  a  good  point  for  a  station,  in  case  a  wagon 
road  or  railway  should  be  constructed  across  this 
country. 

The  weather  to-day  was  extremely  warm,  so  that 
our  captive  girl  has  suffered  much  from  the  exposure 
to  the  sun.  Named  this  spring  Ojo  de  Inez,  or  Inez's 
Spring,  after  her.  I  believe  it  is  known  to  the  Mexi- 
cans as  Ojo  de  Gavilan  or  Hawk  Spring. 

In  the  hope  that  we  might  be  able  to  find  a  pas- 
sage across  the  mountains,  without  retracing  our  steps 
through  the  defile  by  which  we  had  entered,  and 
thereby  save  some  six  or  seven  miles  of  a  very  bad 
road,  I  sent  a  small  party  out  to  search  for  a  practica- 
ble route.  Towards  evening  they  returned  and 
reported  that  they  had  found  one. 

August  30th.     The  defile  through  which  we  were 


TO    RIO    SAN    PEDRO.  363 

to  pass,  was  about  half  a  mile  south  of  our  camp.  I 
rode  in  advance  accompanied  by  several  to  reconnoitre, 
and  followed  by  the  pack  mules.  This  enabled  us  to 
select  the  best  route  for  the  wagons,  which  brought  up 
the  rear.  The  course  was  very  tortuous,  but  without 
a  hill  that  required  us  to  lock  our  wagon  wheels. 

As  we  emerged  from  the  mountains  I  rode  up  to 
the  top  of  a  hill  with  two  gentlemen,  in  order  to 
obtain  a  better  view  of  the  country.  While  seated  on 
a  rock  enjoying  the  prospect  before  us,  we  were 
startled  by  the  appearance  of  a  huge  grizzly  bear,  about 
fifteen  rods  distant,  advancing  in  our  direction.  He 
discovered  us  at  the  same  moment  we  did  him,  and 
seemed  quite  as  much  alarmed,  for  he  suddenly  sheered 
and  made  his  escape  at  full  speed  along  the  base  of  the 
hill.  We  ran  for  our  arms,  which  we  had  left  with  our 
horses  a  few  yards  below  ;  but  before  we  could  get 
them  he  was  too  far  off  for  a  shot.  He  crossed 
directly  in  the  rear  of  the  train,  when  he  made  for  the 
hills,  followed  by  several  of  the  party.  Coming  to  a 
steep  ascent,  he  ran  up  it  with  as  much  ease  apparently 
as  he  did  over  level  ground,  and  soon  disappeared. 
The  bear  has  a  great  advantage  over  his  pursuers  in 
this  respect,  as  his  large  and  pliable  feet,  and  huge 
claws,  enable  him  to  climb  up  the  steepest  acclivity  with 
the  same  facility  as  a  cat.  The  color  of  this  animal 
was  of  a  silvery  gray,  with  a  darker  or  a  black  stripe 
down  his  back. 

On  entering  the  plain,  our  course  was  west  to  the 
southern  point  of  a  short  mountain  range.  The  coun- 
try was  quite  rough  and  intersected  with  deep  gulleys. 
On  passing  this  mountain  we  descended  by  an  easy 


364 


THE    COPPER   MINES 


and  gradual  slope  to  a  vast  open  plain,  uninterrupted 
by  hills,  and  bounded  on  the  west  by  a  high  range  of 
mountains  about  twenty-five  miles  distant.  North  and 
south  there  were  no  mountains  to  obstruct  the  view. 
Our  guide   here  pointed  out  to  us  El  Peloncillo,  or 


Barro  Mountains. 


Sugar  Loaf,  a  mountain  of  this  form  in  the  high  range 
alluded  to,  with  an  opening  near  it,  where  he  said 
General  Conde  was  encamped.  He  told  us  we  should 
find  no  water  until  we  reached  there,  which  it  seemed 
impossible  to  do  before  dark.  At  3  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon  we  encountered  a  violent  shower  of  rain.  A 
few  of  the  party  had  been  so  prudent  as  to  have  their 
india-rubber  coats  behind  their  saddles ;  but  many 
had  left  theirs  in  the  wagons  which  were  a  mile  behind, 


TO    RIO    SAN    PEDRO.  365 

and  were  consequently  drenched  to  the  skin.     The  rain 
had  now  made  the  plain  so  muddy,   that   we   could 
evidently    not   reach    General    Conde's    camp   before 
night;  yet  Mr.  Gray  with  some  of  the  party  who  were 
in  advance  pushed  on  with   that  intention.       About 
7  o'clock,  as  we  were  plodding  slowly  along,  we  heard 
the  report  of  a  musket  from  the  wagons  in  the  rear  ; 
and  taking  it  for  a  signal  of  trouble,  we  rode  back  to 
learn  the  cause.     On  arriving,  we  found  that  the  mules 
had  given  out,  that  the  wagons  were  fast  in  the  mud, 
and  that  it  was  impossible  to  proceed  farther  at  pre- 
sent.    It  still  continued  to  rain ;    but  there  was   no 
shelter  at  hand  and  no  alternative  but  to. encamp  where 
we  were.      The  tents  were  accordingly  got  out  and 
pitched  on  the  open  plain,  where  at  every  step  the 
foot  sunk  three  or  four  inches  in   the  mud.     It  was 
with  great  difficulty  that  the  tents  could  be  kept  up, 
as  the  ground  was  so  soft  that  the  pins  would  not  hold. 
But  the  more  serious  question  was  how  to  make  a  fire, 
with  no  fuel  but  wet  bushes ;  for  not  a  particle  of  wood 
could  be  found.     Nevertheless  this  was  accomplished 
after  much  perseverance ;   and  the  cup  of  hot  coffee 
which  was  the  result  had  a  wonderful  effect  in  reviving 
our  spirits.      We  retired  in  the  midst  of  the   storm, 
expecting    every   moment  that  our   tents  would  fall 
upon  us,  but  they  kept  their  position,   and  with  the 
exception  of  being  a  little  wet,  we  passed  the  night 
more  comfortably  than  could  be  expected  under  the 
circumstances. 

August  31st.  Every  thing  having  been  drenched 
with  the  rain,  we  did  not  get  off  till  after  9  o'clock. 
The  travelling  continued  exceedingly  heavy  and  the 


366 


THE    COPPER    MINES 


mules  showed  signs  of  fatigue  and  the  want  of  water. 
Our  course  still  lay  west  for  the  "Sugar  Loaf."  We 
entered  the  defile  by  an  easy  and  almost  imperceptible 
ascent ;  and  after  winding  along  the  valley,  and  cross- 
ing an  arroyo,  we  reached  the  camping  ground  of 
General    Conde.       The    camp,    however,    had    been 


Approach  to  Sugar  Loaf  Mountain. 

deserted,  apparently  within  twenty-four  hours  of  our 
arrival.  On  looking  around,  we  found  attached  to  a 
pole  a  note  from  Mr.  Steele,  the  gentleman  I  had  sent 
from  the  Copper  Mines  to  apprise  the  Mexican  Com- 
missioner of  the  cause  of  my  delay.  Mr.  Steele  stated 
that  in  consequence  of  the  limited  supply  of  water, 
which  could  only  be  obtained  by  digging  in  the  arroyo, 
General  Conde  feared  there  would  not  be  sufficient  for 
us  all,  and  accordingly  had  removed  his  camp  to  El 
Sauce,  about  twenty  miles  to  the  south.     Thither  he 


TO    RIO    SAN   PEDRO.  367 

wished  me  to  follow  him,  believing  there  would  be 
found  an  abundance  of  water  and  grass  at  that  place. 
We  pitched  our  tents  here  for  the  night.  Latitude 
of  the  Sugar  Loaf  Mountain  32°  20'  21"— Longitude 
W.  from  Greenwich  109°  01'. 

September  31s£.  As  our  animals  were  greatly 
fatigued  by  the  two  last  days'  march  without  water, 
and  with  but  little  feed,  it  was  thought  best  to  remain 
here  to-day  to  recruit  them.  Our  bedding,  being 
quite  wet,  was  spread  out  to  dry.  To  employ  our 
time  to  the  best  advantage,  Lieutenant  Whipple  was 
occupied  in  making  astronomical  and  magnetic  obser- 
vations near  the  camp  and  on  the  summit  of  a  high 
mountain  about  three  miles  to  the  north.  This  moun- 
tain was  found  to  be  1750  feet  above  our  camp  and 
2050  above  the  plain  ;  the  party  was  seven  hours  in 
ascending  and  returning.  It  presented  a  picturesque 
appearance,  from  the  columnar  and  basalt-like  position 
of  the  dark  and  light  strata  of  which  it  is  composed. 
I  employed  myself  in  examining  the  hills  near,  and  in 
making  a  few  sketches.  There  were  but  few  trees 
here,  and  these  mostly  live  oak  standing  in  the  valleys. 
The  hills  were  quite  bare.  While  engaged  in  sketch- 
ing, halfway  up  the  mountain,  I  was  overtaken  by  a 
shower,  from  which  I  took  shelter  in  a  large  natural 
opening  in  the  side  of  a  rock  on  the  summit  of  one  of 
the  mountain  spurs.  The  rocks  here  presented  many 
fantastic  forms.  Among  the  crevices  grew  the  fou- 
quiera,  with  an  occasional  cedar,  while  the  Spanish 
bayonet  and  yucca  sprang  up  on  all  sides.  In  the 
distance,  on  the  right,  rose  the  Sugar  Loaf  Hill,  near 
the  base  of  which  was  our  camp. 


368 


THE    COPPER    MINES 


We  found  water  by  digging  in  the  arroyo  near  our 
camp,  though  the  supply  was  but  limited.  In  my 
rambles  among  the  hills  I  discovered  several  springs 
of  running  water  ;  with  a  little  labor  therefore  I  have 
no  doubt  an  abundance  might  be  procured.  In  order 
to  apprise  General  Conde  that  I  was  near,  and  should 
join  him  next  day,  Dr.  Webb,  with  Messrs.  Cremony 
and  Thurber,  rode  forward  to  his  camp. 


Rocky  Cavern,  near  Sugar  Loaf  Mountain. 


September  2d.     Mr.  Steele  and  a  Mexican  soldier 
arrived   this   morning   from   General    Conde's   camp, 


TO    RIO    SAN    PEDRO. 


369 


bringing  ine  word  that  the  General  had  again  removed 
about  twenty -five  miles  farther  to  the  west,  in  order 
that  he  might  be  nearer  the  settlements ;  as  he  was 
getting  short  of  provisions,  and  should  be  compelled 
to  go  himself  or  send  there  very  soon  for  a  supply. 
We  left  camp  at  9  o'clock;  Lieut.  Whipple,  with  the 
wagons,  retraced  his  steps  about  two  miles,  when  he 
found  an  easy  passage  through  the  mountains.  Mr. 
Gray  and  myself  took  the  pack-mules,  and,  with  the 
assistance  of  the  Mexican  guide,  followed  a  shorter 
cut  directly  through  the  defile,  where  it  was  impossi- 
ble for  wagons  to  pass.     Our  route  was  tortuous  and 


Chiricahui  Mountains. 


hilly,   hemmed   in   on  all    sides  by  lofty   mountains. 
Two  or  three  miles  brought  us  to  the  opposite  side  of 


vol.  i. — 24 


370 


THE    COPPER   MINES 


the  mountains,  when  a  broad  open  plain  appeared 
before  us  about  twenty-five  miles  across,  bounded  by 
a  lofty  and  continuons  range  known  as  the  Sierra 
Chiricahui.  Its  course,  like  that  of  all  the  other  long 
ranges  we  had  seen,  was  from  the  northwest  to  the 
southeast,  with  an  irregular  and  jagged  summit,  often 
exhibiting  picturesque  and  fantastic  forms.  The  plain 
that  lay  between  us  and  the  mountains  was  unbroken 
by  a  hill  or  a  tree.  At  the  northwest  the  view  was 
limited  by  a  very  high  mountain  apparently  seventy 
or  eighty  miles  distant,  which  I  supposed  to  be  near 
the  Gila.  Both  east  and  west  of  this  mountain  the 
country  was  open.     In  a  southerly  direction  mountains 


La  Punta  do  Sauz  Cienega. 


were  visible  at  a  great  distance.     We  entered  the  val- 
ley by  a  gradual  descent.    About  one  third  the  distance 


TO    EIO    SAN    PEDRO.  371 

across  the  plain,  we  struck  a  dry  ravine.  Following 
this  some  eight  or  ten  miles,  we  reached  El  Sauce,  or 
the  Willow  Marsh ;  which  seemed  to  be  the  basin 
where  the  waters  collected  from  the  adjoining  moun- 
tains and  slopes.  Here  was  a  great  abundance  of 
water,  which,  from  the  rushes  that  grew  on  its  margin, 
I  suppose  to  be  permanent.  Grass  was  also  plenty 
here.  Lieut.  Whipple  by  observation  found  the  lati- 
tude to  be  32°  05'  09",  longitude  109°  02'  06'. 

September  3d.  There  was  much  alarm  in  camp 
this  morning  in  consequence  of  the  absence  of  John 
O'Donoghue,  one  of  the  computers,  who  left  the  track 
yesterday,  and  did  not  rejoin  us.  It  had  rained  heavily 
during  the  night,  with  thunder  and  lightning,  giving 
us  a  pretty  thorough  drenching,  as  our  tents  were  in 
a  low  and  unprotected  spot.  Sent  three  men  and  the 
Mexican  soldier  back  to  our  last  camp  in  search  of 
O'Donoghue.  The  road  was  now  very  heavy ;  and 
so  deep  did  the  wheels  sink  into  the  earth,  that  it  was 
with  the  greatest  difficulty  the  wagons  could  be  got 
along.  Many  times  they  became  so  deeply  imbedded 
as  to  require  the  aid  of  several  men  to  relieve  them. 
The  pack-mules  also  had  to  struggle  hard  to  make 
their  way  over  the  miry  soil.  Our  perplexities  were 
increased  by  the  many  small  ravines  now  partially 
filled  with  water  from  the  late  rains,  where  the  wheels 
sunk  almost  to  their  hubs,  rendering  it  necessary  to 
double  the  teams  in  order  to  extricate  them.  After 
journeying  in  this  manner  for  six  hours,  and  making 
but  twelve  miles,  we  were  obliged  to  stop  and  en- 
camp without  water.  We  had  expected  to  reach  the 
mountains,  now  but  a  few  miles  off,  and  did  not  take 


372  THE    COPPER    MINES 

the  precaution  to  fill  our  water  kegs.  Fortunately  we 
extracted  enough  from  our  canteens  to  make  our  cof- 
fee. One  of  the  wagons  got  so  completely  bogged 
that  it  could  not  be  extricated ;  so  that  I  was  obliged 
to  send  back  some  pack-mules  to  take  the  load,  and 
let  the  wagon  come  in  empty.  Short  as  this  day's 
journey  had  been,  it  was  a  very  severe  one  on  the  mules. 
Latitude  of  this  camp  32°  08'  33",  longitude  109°  11' 
32"  ;  course  north-west. 

September  4dh.  This  morning  the  party  sent  in 
search  of  O'Donogkue  retured.  They  had  discovered 
his  track,  and  traced  him  to  the  camp  which  General 
Conde  had  just  left,  where  they  found  a  note  announc- 
ing his  safe  arrival  there,  and  that  he  had  kept  on 
with  the  General  and  his  party. 

Continued  our  journey  along  the  base  of  the 
mountains ;  the  road  still  heavy,  with  frequent  arroyos. 
These,  when  the  banks  are  steep,  are  difficult  to  pass ; 
and  in  crossing  one  of  them  a  tongue  of  one  of  Colonel 
Graham's  wagons  was  broken.  The  day  was  quite 
hot,  and  the  poor  mules  seemed  to  suffer  much  from 
thirst.  As  we  drew  near  to  the  mountains  we  disco- 
vered water  gushing  from  their  side.  We  therefore 
halted ;  and  as  the  spring  was  at  some  distance  above 
the  valley,  we  had  to  take  the  mules  from  the  wagons 
and  with  much  labor  lead  them  up  to  drink.  This 
was  so  difficult  that  a  portion  of  the  party  kept  on, 
hoping  soon  to  find  a  place  where  the  precious  beverage 
was  more  accessible.  I  observed  one  of  the  gentlemen 
clamber  up  the  rocks  and  fill  his  leather  cup  with 
water,  which  he  brought  several  times  down  the  steep 
hill  to  give  to  his  suffering  horse.     At  one  o'clock,  we 


TO    RIO    SAN    PEDRO.  373 

turned  short  to  the  left,  and  entered  a  narrow  defile 
with  perpendicular  sides,  and  soon  after  found  our- 
selves in  a  beautiful  amphitheatre  among  the  moun- 
tains. Here  we  found  the  spot  where  the  Mexican 
Commission  had  been  encamped,  and  a  note  from  Mr. 
Thurber,  stating  that  in  consequence  of  the  limited 
supply  of  water  they  had  still  gone  forward.  I  was 
greatly  disappointed  at  this  news,  as  there  was  every 
indication  of  the  proximity  of  water  in  the  many  sur- 
rounding gorges  and  ravines.  All  were  set  about 
searching  for  it  at  once ;  and  after  some  time  thus 
spent,  one  of  the  men  happily  struck  a  trail,  which  he 
followed  half  a  mile  up  a  ravine,  and  there  discovered 
a  spring  and  fine  pool  of  crystal  water.  No  time  was 
lost  in  driving  up  the  mules,  horses,  cattle,  and  sheep, 
and  we  gladly  pitched  our  tents  near  a  beautiful  grove 
of  oaks.  I  regretted  much  that  General  Conde  had 
not  discovered  this  fine  spring,  the  vicinity  of  which 
afforded  the  most  eligible  camping  ground  we  had  yet 
met  with.  Lieutenant  Whipple  observed  here,  and 
found  the  latitude  to  be  32°  08'  43",  longitude  109° 
24'  33". 

September  5th.  After  a  few  hours'  detention  to 
repair  Colonel  Graham's  wagon,  we  moved  forward, 
and  found  the  mountains  more  difficult  to  pass  than 
any  we  had  encountered  before,  consisting  as  they  did 
of  continuous  hills,  which  required  much  care  on  the 
part  of  the  teamsters;  yet,  with  locking  the  wheels 
two  or  three  times,  and  a  little  assistance  by  hand,  we 
soon  got  through.  The  length  of  the  pass,  with  all  the 
sinuosities  of  our  route,  did  not  exceed  three  miles. 

On  emerging  from  the  opposite  side  a  broad  plain 


374  THE    COPPER   MINES 

again  opened  to  our  view  as  before,  with  a  range  of 
mountains  bordering  its  western  side,  about  thirty-five 
miles  distant,  and  running  parallel  with  those  we  had 
just  left. 

This  plain  appeared,  as  it  subsequently  proved  to 
be,  destitute  of  shrubbery  or  trees,  and  covered  with 
grass.  It  was  without  a  hill,  and  extended  in  both 
directions  from  sixty  to  eighty  miles.  A  dry  lake 
appeared  about  midway  in  the  plain ;  and  a  closer 
examination  made  by  some  of  the  party  showed  that 
there  was  water  in  some  portions  about  two  inches 
deep,  but  so  brackish  and  muddy  that  even  the  cattle 
would  not  drink  it.  From  our  present  elevation  above 
the  lower  plain,  we  had  a  most  extended  prospect.  At 
the  south-west  we  saw  a  long  line  of  trees  marking  a 
water  course  or  arroyo,  which  we  at  first  believed  to  be 
the  San  Pedro,  though  we  afterwards  found  it  was  not 
the  case.  The  plain  being  hard  and  smooth,  with  a 
slight  descent,  we  pushed  rapidly  forward,  and  late  in 
the  afternoon  perceived  with  our  glasses  the  camp  of 
General  Conde,  yet  a  great  distance  from  us.  Those 
who  were  mounted  hurried  on  in  advance  of  the 
wagons,  and  at  six  o'clock  reached  the  camp,  having 
been  in  the  saddle  eleven  hours,  without  taking  food, 
and  exposed  to  a  broiling  sun.  The  wagons  could  not 
get  in,  but  stopped  about  five  miles  back,  when  they 
were  overtaken  by  the  darkness  of  the  night.  The 
mules  too  were  greatly  fatigued. 

The  water  here,  which  was  taken  from  pools  a  mile 
from  the  camp,  was  found  to  be  very  bad.  Not  a 
shrub  was  to  be' seen;  the  grass  was  poor;  rounded 
heaps  of  white  sand,  or  patches  of  bare  clay,  appeared 


TO    RIO    SAN   PEDRO.  375 

in  all  directions.  On  the  whole,  we  had  not  before 
been  encamped  in  so  miserable  a  place.  The  General 
had  been  led  here  by  the  report  of  the  existence  of  a 
large  lake,  which  turned  out  to  be  the  dry  bed  I  have 
mentioned.  Finding  it  impossible  to  stop  there,  his 
men  in  searching  further  discovered  the  pools  near 
which  we  were  now  encamped. 

General  Conde  gave  us  all  a  warm  reception,  and 
invited  the  officers  to  his  tent,  where  refreshments 
were  served  to  us.  Mr.  Salazar,  the  Chief  Astronomer 
of  the  Mexican  Commission,  arrived  here  to-day, 
having  finished  running  the  line  of  the  southern  boun- 
dary of  New  Mexico  through  its  entire  length  of  three 
degrees,  as  agreed  upon  by  the  Joint  Commission. 

September  6th.  We  were  all  glad  to  have  a  day 
of  rest  after  our  fatiguing  journey,  even  in  so  desolate 
a  spot.  The  weather  was  quite  warm,  and  we  felt  the 
heat  more  than  when  moving.  Our  cooks  had  the 
greatest  cause  for  complaints;  as  no  fuel  could  be 
found  but  dried  grass  and  stalks  of  the  yucca.  These 
would  answer  for  nothing  but  to  boil  a  pot ;  to  bake 
bread  was  impossible. 

General  Conde  had  with  him  the  whole  Mexican 
Commission,  consisting  of  seventy  men,  besides  his 
officers.  This  included  his  military  escort,  who  per- 
formed the  duty  of  laborers,  and  assisted  the  engineers 
in  the  field.  He  informed  us  that  he  had  been 
attacked  by  the  Apaches  when  encamped  at  the 
Sugar  Loaf  Mountain.  They  approached,  unperceiv- 
ed,  within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  his  tent,  and  drove 
off  his  saddle-horses.  Another  party  on  the  opposite 
side   made   a   dash   at   his    mule   herd,    which   they 


376  THE    COPPER   MINES 

attempted  to  stampede ;  but  the  herders  were  so  fortu- 
nate as  to  get  the  start  of  them,  and  succeeded  in 
driving  the  animals  safely  into  camp.  On  hearing  of 
our  loss  at  the  Copper  Mines  the  General  had  increased 
the  guard  over  the  mules,  but  for  which  he  would  have 
lost  the  whole. 

A  meeting  of  the  Joint  Commission  was  held 
to-day,  at  which  all  the  members  were  present.  On 
this  occasion  Mr.  Gray  first  made  known  his  dissent 
from  the  agreement  entered  into  relative  to  the  south- 
ern boundary  of  New  Mexico,  stating,  moreover,  that 
"  his  reasons,  and  his  interpretation  based  upon  them, 
had  been  referred  to  the  Government,  in  pursuance  of 
the  21st  article  of  the  treaty."  General  Conde  re- 
marked, that  "this  course  did  not  agree  with  the 
stipulations  of  the  5th  article  of  the  treaty  ;  and  that 
the  Initial  Point  had  been  determined,  and  the  deci- 
sion could  not  be  reversed." 

September  7t7i.  The  Joint  Commission  met  again 
in  my  tent ;  but  in  consequence  of  Mr.  Gray's  illness, 
adjourned  to  his,  where  he  and  Mr.  Salazar  presented 
a  plan  for  continuing  the  survey.  This  was  adopted, 
and  it  was  determined  to  enter  upon  the  duty  at  once. 
Mr.  Gray  and  Lieutenant  Whipple,  with  their  parties, 
were  to  run  the  Gila  portion  of  the  work  on  the  part 
of  the  United  States ;  while  the  Chief  Astronomer  was 
to  have  the  entire  charge  of  the  Rio  Grande  survey  on 
the  part  of  the  same.  Mr.  Salazar  was  to  operate  with 
the  latter,  and  General  Conde  and  his  officers  with  the 
former. 

The  Mexican  Commissioner  announced  his  inten- 
tion to  proceed  at  once  to  Santa  Cruz,  the  nearest  set- 


TO    RIO    SAN    PEDRO.  377 

tlenient  in  Sonora,  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  a  supply 
of  provisions  before  he  could  go  on  with  the  work.  As 
the  American  Commission  was  in  a  similar  destitute 
predicament,  and  there  was  nothing  here  but  brackish 
water,  no  wood,  and  very  poor  grass,  it  was  determined 
to  proceed  without  delay  to  the  San  Pedro  River,  one 
day's  journey  distant,  and  there  await  the  arrival  of 
the  provisions  which  were  to  follow  us  from  the  Copper 
Mines ;  or,  if  supplies  could  sooner  be  got  from  Santa 
Cruz,  to  obtain  them  and  then  go  to  the  Gila.  The  lati- 
tude of  this  place  is  32°  02'  38",  longitude  109°  48'  54". 
September  8th.  The  backs  of  two  of  the  pack-mules 
so  much  galled  that  they  were  abandoned  here ;  and 
General  Conde  kindly  loaned  me  two  of  his,  to  carry 
their  packs.  At  8  o'clock  a.  m.  we  again  set  off  in  a 
westerly  direction,  ascending  very  gradually  to  a  gap 
in  the  mountain  range,  about  fourteen  miles  distant, 
through  which  we  hoped  to  find  an  easy  passage.  The 
opening  did  not  disappoint  us,  as  it  was  very  level ; 
but  it  was  an  arroyo  deeply  cut  by  mountain  torrents 
rather  than  a  defile,  and  consequently  presented  a  con- 
tinuous bed  of  sand  and  gravel  for  nearly  twelve  miles. 
Its  precipitous  banks  excluded  the  air,  so  that  the  jour- 
ney was  a  most  disagreeable  one.  On  emerging  from 
the  arroyo,  we  entered  a  plain,  thickly  overgrown  with 
large  mezquit  bushes,  but  destitute  of  grass.  We 
looked  in  vain  for  a  line  of  trees,  or  of  luxuriant  vege- 
tation to  mark  the  course  of  the  San  Pedro,  and  began 
to  fear  that  we  might  have  still  another  mountain  ridge 
and  another  plain  to  cross  before  reaching  it,  when  all 
of  a  sudden  we  found  ourselves  upon  its  banks.  The 
stream  which   resembled    the   Pecos    in   appearance,. 


378  THE    COPPER   MINES 

though  much  smaller,  was  here  about  twenty  feet 
across,  about  two  feet  deep,  and  quite  rapid.  The 
water,  though  muddy,  was  pleasant  to  the  taste.  We 
were  all  exceedingly  fatigued  with  this  day's  march, 
having  been  eleven  and  a  half  hours  in  the  saddle  and 
travelled  upwards  of  thirty  miles.  The  latitude  of  this 
place  by  observation  was  31°  54'  31";  longitude,  west 
from  Greenwich  110°  11'  41". 


RIO  SAN  PEDRO  TO  SANTA  CRUZ.        379 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

RIO  SAN  PEDRO  TO  SANTA  CRUZ. 

The  valley  of  the  San  Pedro  -  Decide  on  going  to  Santa  Cruz  for  provisions 
and  mules — Departure  of  General  Conde — Leave  the  San  Pedro — Take 
the  trail  of  the  Mexicans — Deserted  Indian  village — Leave  the  trail — 
"Wild  horses — Santa  Rita  Mountain — Beautiful  valley — Progress  ar- 
rested— Critical  situation — Mr.  Thurber  goes  in  search  of  Santa  Cruz — 
Arrival  of  Colonel  Graham — Ruined  hacienda  of  Calabasa — "Wild 
scenery — On  short  allowance — Return  of  Mr.  Thurber — Retrace  our 
steps  towards  the  San  Pedro — Mustangs—  Camp  on  the  Babocomori — 
Arrival  of  Mexican  soldiers — General  Conde  loses  his  way — Sufferings 
of  his  party — Mexicans  hunting  cattle  on  the  San  Pedro — The  father 
and  friends  of  Inez  Gonzales  arrive — Set  out  again  for  Santa  Cruz — 
Meeting  of  the  captive  girl  and  her  mother — Arrival  at  Santa  Cruz. 

September  9th.  The  valley  of  the  San  Pedro  River 
near  our  camp  was  any  thing  but  luxuriant.  It  con- 
sists of  a  loam,  which  if  irrigated  might  be  productive  ; 
but  as  the  banks  are  not  less  than  eight  or  ten  feet 
high,  irrigation  is  impracticable,  except  by  digging  a 
canal  a  very  long  distance.  The  grass  of  the  vicinity 
is  miserably  thin  and  poor,  growing  merely  in  tufts 
beneath  the  mezquit  bushes  which  constitute  the  only 
shrubbery,  and  in  some  instances  attain  a  height  of  ten 
or  twelve  feet.  Low  hills  approached  within  a  mile  of 
the  river  on  the  east  side,  and  on  the  west  within  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  of  that  distance.     Finding  it  impossi- 


380  RIO    SAN    PEDEO 

ble  to  graze  our  animals  here,  I  sent  men  up  and  down 
the  stream  in  search  of  better  grass,  which  tney  suc- 
ceeded in  discovering  about  three  miles  further  south, 
with  springs  of  water  near.  I  therefore  directed  the 
camp  to  be  removed  there  the  next  day. 

General  Conde  called,  and  said  he  was  about  to  leave 
with  five  men  for  Santa  Cruz.  In  consequence  of  his 
offers  of  service,  I  requested  him  to  engage  for  me  some 
flour  and  beans,  both  of  which  I  had  been  informed  could 
be  procured  there ;  also  to  get  me  twelve  mules,  as  I 
had  just  learned  that  four  more  of  ours  had  proved  unfit 
for  use.  General  Conde  said  he  had  an  officer  with  him 
who  had  resided  in  Santa  Cruz  some  years  before,  and 
was  well  acquainted  with  the  country  ;  that  we  were 
not  more  than  twenty -five  miles  off;  and  that  he  should 
reach  there  before  night.  I  told  him  that  I  would  fol- 
low him  in  the  afternoon. 

Having  now  decided  to  proceed  myself  to  Santa 
Cruz  for  provisions  and  mules  for  the  surveying  par- 
ties, I  directed  the  camp  to  be  removed  to  the  springs, 
three  miles  above,  and  there  await  my  return,  which  at 
the  farthest  I  believed  would  be  in  a  week.  This 
journey,  too,  would  enable  me  to  deliver  to  her  parents 
the  captive  girl,  who  was  yet  with  us.  I  took  leave 
of  Lieutenant  Whipple,  Mr.  Gray,  and  Colonel  Graham, 
when  the  latter  informed  me  that  he  should  strike 
Cooke's  California  road,  which  we  believed  came  within 
a  short  distance  from  our  camp,  and  return  to  the  Cop- 
per Mines  that  way.  At  his  request  I  furnished  him 
with  some  sheep  for  his  journey. 

That  no  time  might  be  lost,  I  directed  the  mules 
to  be  hitched  up  at  once,  intending  to  take  one  wagon 


TO    SANTA    CRUZ.  381 

for  the  flour,  and  a  few  pack-mules  to  carry  our  tents, 
cooking  utensils,  and  baggage.  I  hoped  to  overtake 
General  Conde,  but  a  shower  came  up,  which  made  it 
necessary  to  delay  our  departure  for  a  few  hours.  In 
order  to  cross  the  river,  it  was  necessary  to  level  the 
banks  on  both  sides,  and  let  the  wagon  down  by  hand. 
Our  baggage,  tents,  &c,  were  all  carried  over  on  mules, 
so  that  it  was  live  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  before  we 
got  off.  Soon  after,  it  commenced  raining,  rendering 
it  very  difficult  for  the  wagon  to  get  along.  Our  route 
lay  along  the  valley  due  south,  through  a  thick  mezquit 
chapporal.  There  was  no  road  ;  but  the  trail  of  Gene- 
ral Conde's  train  was  a  sufficient  guide.  We  had  now 
a  gloomy  prospect  before  us ;  the  rain  was  pouring 
down  in  torrents,  the  travelling  was  becoming  more 
and  more  heavy,  and  the  whole  surface  of  the  valley 
was  completely  deluged  with  water.  Towards  even- 
ing, finding  a  little  gravelly  knoll  just  large  enough  to 
pitch  a  couple  of  tents  upon,  we  encamped.  Ditches 
were  now  dug  to  lead  off  the  water,  and  earth  was  re- 
moved to  within  the  tents  so  as  to  make  them  tolerably 
dry.     During  the  night  it  rained  very  hard. 

September  10th.  Mr.  Salazar  arrived  in  camp  during 
the  night,  and  remained  with  us.  He  was  on  his  way 
to  Santa  Cruz.  Resumed  our  journey  at  8  o'clock. 
My  party  now  consisted  of  Dr.  Webb,  Messrs.  George 
Thurber,  J.  C.  Cremony,  Henry  C.  Pratt,  John  J.  Pratt, 
Inez  Gonzales,  the  captive  girl,  and  myself.  We  had 
also  one  servant,  one  cook,  one  laborer,  one  teamster, 
and  three  Mexican  arrieros,  making  altogether  four- 
teen persons.  Our  course  continued  due  south  through 
thick  mezquit  chapporal,  following  the  trail  of  General 


382  RIO    SAN    PEDRO 

Conde's  party.  After  marching  about  eighteen  miles 
the  trail  turned  abruptly  to  the  west,  along  the  base  of 
some  high  detached  hills  ;  these  we  followed  about 
five  miles,  when  we  encamped  near  a  water  hole. 
.There  was  here  a  collection  of  twenty  or  thirty  wig- 
wams, made  of  poles,  bent  over  in  a  circular  form  and 
well  thatched  with  straw,  the  whole  so  completely  done 
that  they  must  have  been  a  permanent  abode  for  their 


Indian  Wigwam. 


occupants.  From  all  appearances  the  place  had  been 
deserted  a  year  or  more.  In  the  midst  of  these  wig- 
wams was  a  circular  pit  lined  with  stones,  where  the 
distilling  of  mezcal  had  been  carried  on,  on  a  large 
scale.  Inez  said  she  had  never  seen  such  wigwams 
among  the  Apaches,  and  that  it  must  have  been  a  vil- 
lage of  the  Papagos  Indians.  There  were  many  frag- 
ments of  pottery  scattered  about. *  Dr.  Webb  rode 
ahead  with  Mr.  Salazar  this  morning,  and  did  not  re- 
join us.  He,  doubtless  reached  General  Conde's 
party. 

*  I  afterwards  learned  that  this  was  a  place  where  Papagos  Indians 
resorted  annually  to  collect  the  Maguay,  and  distil  the  liquor ;  and 
that  about  a  year  before  our  visit,  they  were  surprised  by  the  Apaches 
and  some  fifty  men,  women  and  children,  killed  or  taken  prisoners. 


TO    SANTA    CRUZ.  383 

September  11th.  We  followed  the  wagon  trail  for 
several  miles,  till  at  length  it  turned  off  in  a  north- 
westerly course.  At  this  I  became  uneasy,  knowing 
that  Santa  Cruz,  whither  we  were  bound,  lay  to  the 
south.  Not  knowing  but  General  Conde  might  have 
gone  that  way  to  avoid  some  deep  ravine,  although  I 
could  see  none,  I  came  to  a  halt,  and  sent  Mr.  Cremo- 
ny  ahead  for  a  mile  or  two  to  see  whither  the  trail 
we  were  following  led.  He  reported  that  it  kept  the 
same  north-westerly-course,  and  seemed  to  be  follow- 
ing a  well-marked  Indian  trail.  I  now  became  satisfied 
that  General  Conde's  party  had  mistaken  their  route, 
and  that  by  following  it,  they  must  reach  Tucson,  a 
military  post  towards  the  Gila.  I  had  now  come,  since 
I  changed  my  course  yesterday,  about  eight  miles  out  of 
the  way.  I  determined  therefore  to  leave  the  trail  and 
go  south  over  an  open  plain,  towards  a  high  mountain ; 
and  this  direction  we  pursued  until  four  o'clock,  when 
we  encamped  near  a  little  pool  of  water.  The  whole 
face  of  the  country  had  changed  to-day,  in  fact  since 
we  had  left  the  valley  of  the  San  Pedro.  From  that 
river  we  had  ascended  to  a  plateau  of  an  undulating 
character,  similar  to  the  western  prairies.  It  was 
covered  with  short  grass ;  and  in  the  depressions, 
some  of  which  were  fifty  or  a  hundred  feet  lower  than 
the  plain,  we  found  pools  of  water,  more  luxuriant 
grass,  and  groves  of  small  oaks. 

We  saw  for  the  first  time  to-day  a  herd  of  mus- 
tangs, or  wild  horses.  They  at  first  caused  us  much 
alarm,  as  we  took  them  for  a  party  of  Indians ;  but  a 
,close  examination  with  a  spy-glass  disclosed  what  they 
were.     When  within  half  a  mile  of  them  they  dis- 


384  RIO    SAN    PEDRO 

covered  us,  and  soon  disappeared  from  view.  Many 
deer  and  antelope  were  also  seen. 

On  our  right,  about  ten  or  twelve  miles  distant,  a 
lofty  range  of  mountains,  one  of  which,  towering  far 
above  the  others,  terminated  in  a  peak.  We  after- 
wards learned  that  this  was  called  the  Santa  Rita 
Mountain.  It  was  altogether  the  most  magnificent 
that  we  had  seen.  Spurs  extend  from  it  five  or  six 
miles  towards  the  plateau,  and  its  sides  are  deeply 
furrowed  with  gorges  and  ravines.  At  sunset,  when  a 
deep  shadow  was  thrown  over  it,  its  appearance  was 
truly  grand.  We  all  went  up  on  the  plateau  to  enjoy 
the  scene,  and  Mr.  Pratt  devoted  the  daylight  that 
remained  to  taking  a  sketch  of  it. 

September  12th.  On  setting  out  we  ascended  the 
plateau  again  from  our  encampment,  but  dropped 
down  soon  after  into  a  valley  which  extended  several 
miles  towards  the  south,  its  banks  studded  with  oaks. 
The  grass  continued  rich  and  abundant,  with  frequent 
pools  of  water  from  the  washings  of  the  adjacent  hills. 
Six  miles  brought  us  to  a  hill  some  five  or  six  hundred 
feet  high,  which  lay  directly  across  our  path.  In 
every  direction,  except  around  the  western  base  of  the 
hill  on  which  we  stood,  arose  higher  hills  and  lofty 
mountains  intersecting  each  other,  and  presenting  an 
impassable  barrier  to  our  progress.  After  three  hours' 
detention  spent  in  search  of  a  passage,  we  retraced 
our  steps  for  a  short  distance,  and  by  surmounting 
several  low,  though  very  steep  hills,  crossing  many 
ravines,  over  which  it  was  necessary  for  every  man  to 
put  his  shoulder  to  the  wagon,  and  wading  through  a 
swamp,  where  the  rank  grass  reached  above  our  heads, 


TO    SANTA    CRUZ.  385 

we  succeeded  in  rounding  the  hill  before  referred  to 
on  its  western  side,  and  in  dropping  into  the  valley 
beyond.  Here  we  found  a  small  stream  of  clear  and 
sweet  water  running  through  the  valley.  Pursuing 
still  a  course  nearly  south  for  about  ten  miles,  we 
approached  the  base  of  the  high  and  isolated  moun- 
tain, when  the  stream  and  valley  turned  suddenly  to 
the  west.  Continuing  along  it  for  a  mile,  we  encamp- 
ed near  a  grove  of  large  cotton-woods,  in  the  midst  of 
tall  grass,  within  a  little  nook  protected  on  three  sides 
by  steep  hills.  Here  we  were  admirably  concealed 
from  an  enemy,  except  in  front,  where  lay  the  valley 
and  stream.  The  latter,  increased  by  rains  from 
the  adjoining  mountains,  had  now  become  a  rapid 
stream,  and  was  closely  hemmed  in  by  willows,  which 
rendered  it  difficult  of  approach.  The  valley  for  the 
last  ten  miles  of  our  march  resembled  an  old  and 
highly  cultivated  place,  from  which  the  people  and 
their  habitations  had  suddenly  disappeared.  Large 
cotton-wood  trees  and  willow  bushes  lined  the  stream, 
while  here  and  there  in  little  groves  were  beautiful 
oaks  and  large  mezquit  trees  ;  for  the  latter,  although 
adapted  to  every  soil,  becomes  a  large  tree  in  a  rich 
soil  like  this.  It  seemed  that  each  grove,  as  we  ap- 
proached it,  must  conceal  some  dwelling  place  and 
cultivated  grounds ;  but  in  reality  all  was  solitude, 
and  there  was  no  evidence  that  a  furrow  had  ever 
turned  the  virgin  soil,  or  a  seed  had  even  been  sown 
there. 

September  13th  Believing  that  by  following  the 
stream  we  should  strike  a  road  or  path:  that  would 
guide  us  to  our  place  of  destination,  we  continued  our 

vol.  i. — 25 


386  RIO   SAN    PEDRO 

course  along  the  base  of  the  low  hills  which  bound  the 
valley,  but  were  very  soon  arrested  in  our  progress.  The 
valley  gradually  became  contracted  as  the  two  great 
mountain  ranges  approached  each  other,  leaving  only 
a  defile,  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in  breadth, 
through  which  the  water  had  burst  a  passage.  This 
defile  was  filled  with  gigantic  cotton-woods,  with  an 
undergrowth  of  rank  grass,  weeds,  and  jungle,  rising 
above  our  heads  even  when  on  horseback.  Among 
them  grew  a  vine,  binding  all  together ;  so  that  it  was 
impossible  to  force  a  passage  through.  Farther  pro- 
gress here  was  therefore  at  an  end.  But  perceiving 
on  the  elevated  ground  of  the  side  of  the  valley,  a 
cluster  of  deserted  adobe  buildings,  I  sent  a  party 
across  to  see  if  there  was  any  egress  in  that  direction ; 
while  I  went  with  Mr.  Cremony  and  Mr.  Pratt  over 
the  hills,  and  along  the  valley  ahead.  A  few  hundred 
yards  before  us  a  perpendicular  wall  of  rock  rose 
directly  from  the  valley,  or  rather  from  the  stream 
which  ran  at  its  base.  The  hills  on  all  sides  were 
steep,  high,  rocky,  full  of  the  most  frightful  chasms,  and 
utterly  impassable  for  a  wagon.  For  the  half  mile  that 
I  went  I  had  to  lead  my  horse  ;  and  I  doubted  whe- 
ther an  animal  under  a  heavy  pack  would  be  able  to 
clamber  the  steep  and  rocky  crags  that  lay  in  our  way. 
The  valley  too,  where  I  depended  chiefly  on  finding  a 
passage,  had  become  an  impenetrable  swamp.  From  a 
high  hill,  which  I  ascended,  it  could  be  traced  for  a 
long  distance  by  the  bright  green  hue  of  its  vegeta- 
tion ;  but  the  rugged  mountains  hemmed  it  closely  in, 
their  summits,  from  the  bird's-eye  view  I  had  of  them, 
appearing  like  the  huge  waves  of  a  tempestuous  ocean, 
suddenly  turned  to  stone.     Frightful   chasms   where 


TO    SANTA    CRUZ.  387 

mighty  convulsions  had  rent  the  mountain  asunder, 
and  deep  ravines  worn  by  the  torrents  of  centuries, 
appeared  on  every  side.  Bare  rocks  projected  here 
and  there,  gray  and  mossy  with  age,  and  appearing 
like  ruined  castles.  But  amid  all  this  sterile  grandeur 
there  was  a  rich  and  varied  vegetation.  The  graceful 
agave  thrust  up  its  tall  and  slender  stem  from  among 
the  rocks ;  the  yucca  and  Spanish  bayonet  monopo- 
lized as  usual  every  spot  where  there  was  a  few  inches 
of  earth  or  gravel ;  while  the  fouquiera  with  its  thorny 
stems  was  well  represented.  Cedar  and  stunted  oaks 
jutted  from  many  little  depressions  where  there  was 
sufficient  soil  to  give  them  a  foothold. 

Mr.  Thurber,  who  went  to  examine  the  opposite 
side  of  the  valley,  reported  that  a  passage  for  mules 
might  be  found  in  that  direction  by  following  an  old 
Indian  trail  which  passed  the  ruined  hacienda;    but 
for  a  wagon  no  egress  could  be  discovered.     No  alter- 
native now  remained  but  to  retrace  our  steps  with  the 
wagon,  or  to  transfer  its  contents  to  the  banks  of  the 
mules    and    abandon    it.     I   decided    on    the    latter 
course.     Being  without  pack-saddles,  we  took  as  sub- 
stitutes our  tents  and  wagon  cover,  which  were  folded 
in  a  convenient  form  and  laid  over  the  mules1  backs. 
Our  blankets  were  converted  to  the  same  use ;  and 
then  five  mules  were  prepared  for  their  loads.     The 
contents  of  the  wagon  were  then  put  upon  the  mules 
and  fastened  as  securely  as  possible.     The  next  thiug 
to  be  done  was  to  cut  a  passage  through  the  jungle  with 
axes,  to  enable  us  to  cross  the  stream  and  valley.    This 
-  being  accomplished,  we  moved  off,  leaving  the  wagon, 
harness,  tables,  camp-stools,  and  such  other  articles  as 
we  could  dispense  with  without  serious  inconvenience. 


388  RIO    SAN    PEDRO 

On  reaching  the  stream,  one  of  the  men  led  the 
way,  followed  by  one  of  the  pack-mules.  The  crea- 
ture sank  deep  into  the  mud ;  but  with  a  good  deal 
of  struggling  on  its  part,  and  urging  on  that  of  the 
arrieros,  it  got  safely  across,  the  pack  turning  as  soon 
as  the  mule  reached  the  bank.  The  next  two  fell  in 
the  middle  of  the  stream,  and  became  fast  in  its  soft 
and  muddy  bottom,  their  packs  falling  over  into  the 
water.  After  unavailing  efforts  to  get  them  along, 
and  fearing  they  would  drown  themselves  in  their 
struggles,  the  packs  were  cut  loose .  and  taken  off ; 
and  then,  with  several  men  in  the  water  lifting,  and 
others  on  the  bank  pulling,  the  mules  were  released 
from  their  miry  beds  and  brought  back  to  the  firm  soil. 
My  own  baggage  and  papers  got  drenched  as  well  as 
most  of  the  blankets  and  bedding  of  the  party.  Some 
of  the  horsemen  in  attempting  to  cross,  also  mired; 
and  as  we  had  six  more  pack-mules  to  get  over,  I 
abandoned  my  efforts ;  not  so  much  from  the  difficulty 
of  passing  the  stream,  as  of  keeping  the  packs  on  the 
mules  without  ropes.  The  straps  and  rigging  of  two 
mules  had  been  ruined  in  our  exertions  to  save  the 
animals.  We  now  returned  to  our  abandoned  wagon ; 
and  finding  it  impossible  to  proceed,  I  determined  to 
send  a  party  by  the  trail  discovered  near  the  old  haci- 
enda, to  Santa  Cruz,  for  a  guide,  and  such  aid  as  would 
enable  us  all  to  reach  there.  I  believed  that  this  place 
was  now  within  ten  or  twelve  miles  of  us,  and  that  a 
party  going  south,  must  strike  the  emigrant  road  to 
California,  which  passes  through  it. 

Mr.  George  Thurber  at  once  volunteered  on  this 
duty,  in  which  he  was  joined  by  Mr.  J.  J.  Pratt.     A 


TO    SANTA    CRUZ.  389 

Mexican  arriero  accompanied  them  to  take  care  of 
their  animals,  and  render  such  aid  as  they  might  stand 
in  need  of.  Within  an  hour  after  this  had  been  deter- 
mined on  the  party  were  off;  and  as  they  believed 
they  could  reach  Santa  Cruz  before  night,  they  took 
with  them  merely  a  supply  of  bread  for  a  couple  of 
days.  When  they  had  left,  we  removed  from  the  dense 
thicket  around  us,  and  retraced  our  steps  about  half  a 
mile ;  we  then  pitched  our  tents  between  two  spurs  of 
the  mountain,  where  we  could  not  be  discovered, 
except  from  the  front.  The  cotton-wood  trees  in  the 
spot  where  our  march  was  arrested  were  the  largest 
we  had  ever  seen.  I  measured  the  girth  of  one,  about 
five  feet  above  the  ground,  and  found  it  twenty-eight 
feet.  Its  limbs  spread  full  forty  feet  on  every  side, 
and  a  large  party  might  have  encamped  beneath  its 
ample  shade. 

In  the  afternoon  we  were  surprised  by  the 
appearance  of  a  man  on  horseback  coming  at  full 
speed  towards  our  camp.  He  proved  to  be  Guada- 
lupe, one  of  Colonel  Graham's  servants,  who,  greatly 
to  my  surprise,  informed  me  that  the  Colonel  was  fol- 
lowing my  trail  on  the  way  to  Santa  Cruz ;  that  he 
was  very  short  of  provisions ;  and  that  he  (Guadalupe) 
had  hoped  to  reach  there  in  advance  and  obtain  some, 
in  case  I  could  not  furnish  them. 

September  lith.  We  now  found  ourselves  very 
short  of  provisions ;  for,  relying  on  the  Mexican's 
assurances  on  the  San  Pedro  that  we  were  within 
twenty-five  miles  of  Santa  Cruz,  I  had  provided  myself 
with  only  five  days'  supply  of  flour,  and  three  of  meat, 
with  other  necessaries  for  a  week.     As  soon  as  I  dis- 


390  RIO   SAN    PEDRO 

covered  that  we  should  not   reach  there  as  soon  as 
anticipated  I  cut  down  the  daily  allowance  of  flour 
one  half.     Our  meat  being  fresh,  was  soon  exhausted ; 
so  that  by  this  time  our  supply  of  every  thing  was 
very  scanty.     Several  of  us  set  out  in  search  of  game  ; 
but  although  deer  were  seen,  we  were  not  fortunate 
enough  to  kill  any.     I  perceived  the  traces  of  turkeys 
among  the  cotton- wood,  and  watched  for  hours  beneath 
them ;  but  they  came  not.     Mr.  Pratt  rigged  up  a  fish- 
ing line  to  try  what  he  could  find  in  the  brook.     His 
labors  were  attended  with  success;    and   our  dinner 
table  was   served  with   a   plentiful   supply  of  trout, 
which,  though  small,  were  a  welcome  addition  to  our 
bill  of  fare.     We  also  found  near  the  camp  an  abun- 
dance of  purslain  (portulacca).    This  was  collected  and 
boiled,  and  formed  our  chief  food.     In  the  absence  of 
vegetables,  which  we  had  not  tasted  for  a  long  time, 
we  all  relished  it  very  much. 

September  \5th.  Colonel  Graham  and  his  party 
joined  us  this  morning.  He  came  a  few  hours  in 
advance,  with  Messrs.  Wright  and  Clarke,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  sad  tale  brought  back  by  Guadalupe, 
who  told  him  we  were  "  half  starved  and  living  on 
roots."  The  Colonel  brought  us  his  haversack  filled 
with  bread  and  meat,  and  a  bottle  of  wine.  He  him- 
self was  quite  short  of  provisions,  though  much  better 
off  than  we  were ;  and  having  killed  a  bear  in  his 
journey,  he  had  had  an  abundant  supply  of  fresh  meat. 
This  kind  of  meat,  however,  will  not  keep,  and  is  not 
good  after  the  second  day,  except  in  cold  weather. 

I  took  my  rifle  and  went  out  again  in  search  of 
game,   following  a  deep  ravine  far  up  towards   the 


TO    SANTA    CRUZ.  391 

Santa  Rita  Mountain,  and  was  so  fortunate  as  to  get  a 
shot  at  a  turkey,  which  I  brought  down.  He  proved 
to  be  a  very  large  one,  and  a  pretty  good  load  to 
trudge  over  the  hill  and  rocks  with.  This  gave  us  all 
a  fine  dinner.  Sent  all  hands  out  towards  evening  after 
game,  but  none  was  found. 

September  IQth.  On  examining  his  provisions,  Col. 
Graham  found  he  had  sufficient  to  give  all  half  allow- 
ance of  flour  for  six  days,  which  was  accordingly  dis- 
tributed, and  proved  very  acceptable.  He  also  had  a 
little  salt  pork,  but  no  sugar,  tea,  or  coffee.  These 
things  we  had  not  tasted  for  many  days.  But  with 
half  an  allowance  of  flour,  and  as  much  purslain  as  we 
could  eat,  we  did  not  suffer  much.  Our  fare  to  be 
sure  was  humble  enough ;  but  I  am  sure  we  relished 
it  infinitely  more,  and  felt  more  thankful  for  it  too, 
than  those  whose  tables  are  loaded  with  every  luxury, 
and  still  have  to  resort  to  artificial  means  to  increase 
the  appetite.  My  mess  was  now  reduced  to  four,  viz., 
Mr.  Cremony,  Mr.  Pratt,  the  fair  captive,  Inez,  and 
myself. 

Colonel  Graham  set  off  this  morning  to  reconnoitre 
the  country  a  few  miles  to  the  south,  while  Mr.  Pratt 
and  myself  crossed  the  stream,  and  ascended  the  moun- 
tain on  the  opposite  side.  We  also  examined  the 
ruined  hacienda,  before  spoken  of,  which  seemed  to 
have  been  abandoned  many  years  before,  as  much  of  its 
adobe  walls  was  washed  away.*  Our  reports  coin- 
cided as  to  the  utter  imposibility  of  forcing  our  way 

*We  afterwards  learned  that  this  was  a  noted  cattle  hacienda, 
known  as  Calabasa,  i.  e.,  the  pumpkin  or  gourd.  Why  so  named,  I 
know  not,  except  from  the  quantity  that  grow  wild  in  the  valley  near. 


392  RIO    SAN    PEDRO 

through  the  mountains,  except  with  pack-mules.  Mr. 
Pratt  made  some  sketches  of  the  wild  and  picturesque 
scenery  around  us.     No  game  was  seen  to-day. 

September  17th.  Began  to  feel  much  anxiety  for 
the  return  of  Mr.  Thurber  and  his  party,  as  they  took 
but  a  small  supply  of  bread  with  them.  I  did  not 
think  it  proper  to  move  until  they  rejoined  us  ;  for  in 
case  they  had  not  succeeded  in  procuring  aid,  they 
would  be  in  a  sad  strait  for  food. 

About  ten  o'clock  they  were  discovered  slowly 
wending  their  way  among  the  hills,  and  were  soon  after 
among  us.  Their  journey  had  been  unsuccessful. 
They  had  traversed  the  country,  as  they  estimated, 
some  thirty  miles  west  and  north-west,  till  they  struck 
a  well-beaten  wagon  road ;  and  had  visited  many  de- 
serted ranchos,  and  two  depopulated  towns,  in  both  of 
which  were  churches.  They  had  suffered  much  for 
want  of  food,  having  subsisted  chiefly  upon  peaches, 
which  they  found  in  abundance  in  the  orchards  of  the 
deserted  towns,  and  upon  the  fruit  of  the  prickly  pear 
and  yucca.  In  returning  they  followed  the  road  some 
twenty  miles  in  the  opposite  direction,  but  found  not 
a  living  soul. 

No  time  was  now  to  be  lost.  Our  provisions,  even 
on  half  allowance,  were  fast  diminishing ;  and  the  only 
alternative  was  to  retrace  our  steps  as  fast  as  possible 
to  our  camp  on  the  San  Pedro.  The  wagon  and  pack- 
mules  were  at  once  got  in  readiness ;  and  by  noon  we 
bade  adieu  to  our  "lost  camp."  Made  about  fifteen 
miles,  and  encamped  in  a  fine  oak  grove,  with  wood, 
grass,  and  water. 

September  18th.     Got  an   earlv  start ;  and  instead 


TO    SANTA    CRUZ.  393 

of  following  the  roundabout  way  we  had  come,  I  deter- 
mined to  make  a  short  cut  across  the  prairie,  which 
seemed  quite  open  to  the  base  of  a  conical  hill,  thereby 
saving  eight  or  ten  miles.  Found  the  country  undu- 
lating and  quite  smooth  ;  and  the  grass,  though  green, 
was  short,  presenting  no  obstruction  to  the  wagon. 
Small  oaks  appeared  in  every  depression  ;  with  a  few 
on  the  plain.  At  noon  we  struck  the  sources  of  a  small 
stream  running  eastward,  bounded  by  a  broad  and  beau- 
tiful valley,  into  which  we  descended.  This  proved  to 
be  the  Rio  Babocomori,  a  tributary  of  the  San  Pedro. 
We  followed  it  until  three  o'clock,  when  we  encamped 
near  the  ruins  of  a  large  hacienda,  which  stood  imme- 
diately on  its  banks. 

I  would  have  gone  further,  but  Colonel  Graham, 
with  his  party,  instead  of  taking  the  shorter  cut  with 
us,  had  followed  the  trail  which  he  took  out,  thus 
lengthening  the  distance  considerably.  As  we  were 
in  a  very  good  place,  with  water,  wood,  and  grass, 
near  at  hand,  I  sent  the  arrieros  across  the  hills,  to 
intercept  the  Colonel  when  he  came  along,  and  direct 
him  to  our  camp.     At  six  o'clock  he  arrived. 

When  passing  the  stream  to-day,  we  were  startled 
by  a  singular  cry  from  the  top  of  a  cotton-wood  tree, 
which  overhung  our  path.  It  was  found  to  proceed 
from  a  young  panther ;  when  a  well-directed  shot  by 
Mr.  Cremony,  brought  the  animal  down.  It  proved  to 
be  not  much  larger  than  a  cat,  and  of  light  brown,  or 
tawny  colour.  Another  incident,  was  the  meeting 
with  a  herd  of  about  a  dozen  wild  horses.  They  gazed 
on  us  for  some  time,  with  heads  and  tails  erect ;  they 
finally  got  our  wind,  when  they  bounded   gracefully 


394  EIO    SAN    PEDRO 

over  the  prairie  in  a  single  file,  led  by  a  large  bladk 
stud.  Before  we  had  our  tents  pitched,  Mr.  Pratt  got 
out  his  fishing-tackle  to  see  what  the  stream  could 
furnish  ;  and  his  industry  was  rewarded  with  a  good 
mess  of  fish,  which  helped  to  eke  out  our  scanty  din- 
ner. 

September  YQih.  Deeming  it  advisable  still  to  go 
to  Santa  Cruz,  to  deliver  up  our  fair  captive,  as  well  as 
to  procure  some  mules  and  provisions,  in  case  those 
expected  from  the  Copper  Mines  had  not  arrived,  I 
sent  two  men  off  this  morning  before  day -light  with  a 
note  to  Mr.  Gray  at  the  camp,  on  the  San  Pedro,  which 
I  judged  to  be  from  twenty  to  twenty-five  miles  dis- 
tant. Informed  him  of  our  situation,  and  requested  that 
he  would  send  us  four  sheep,  and  some  sugar,  coffee 
and  biscuit,  from  my  private  stores,  all  of  which  they 
could  bring  upon  their  mules. 

Soon  after  breakfast  two  Mexican  soldiers  came  in 
on  the  run,  and  presented  me  a  letter.  It  was  address- 
ed "  To  any  person  connected  with  the  Mexican  or  the 
American  Boundary  Commission,"  and  proved  to  be 
from  General  Conde.  The  General  stated  that,  after 
eight  days  wandering  among  the  mountains  and  on  the 
plains,  he  had  reached  Santa  Cruz ;  and  not  having 
seen  or  heard  of  the  Mexican  or  American  Commission 
since  he  left  the  camp  on  the  San  Pedro,  he  had  sent 
couriers  to  trace  them  out,  inform  them  of  his  safe 
arrival,  and  guide  them  to  Santa  Cruz.  He  and  his 
party,  consisting  of  four  of  his  officers,  had  left  in  ad- 
vance of  the  main  body,  and  failing  to  reach  their 
place  of  destination,  had  slept  in  the  mountains.  Ex- 
pecting to  reach  Santa  Cruz  before  night,   they  had 


TO    SANTA    CRUZ.  395 

supplied  themselves  with  but  two  days'  provisions  and 
one  blanket ;  and  hence  had  suffered  greatly  for  the 
want  both  of  food  and  covering.  The  first  day  and 
night  it  had  rained  hard,  as  will  be  remembered.  It 
seems  that  they  crossed  the  Santa  Rita  mountains  some- 
where, and  reached  the  deserted  ranchos  and  towns 
where  Mr.  Thurber  had  been.  Taking  the  California 
road,*  they  followed  it  southwardly,  and  first  fell  in 
with  a  settled  place  at  Imuriz,  a  town  about  seventy- 
five  miles  south  of  Santa  Cruz.  They  had  subsisted 
meanwhile  on  peaches,  which  they  found  in  the  deserted 
villages  and  ranchos,  and  upon  the  bean  of  the  mezquit. 
These  couriers  had  left  Santa  Cruz  but  the  day 
before,  and  soon  after  they  fell  upon  a  trail  which 
proved  to  be  ours.  They  told  us  that  we  had  been 
only  some  ten  or  twelve  miles  from  that  place  ;  and 
that  had  Mr.  Thurber  pushed  his  search  to  the  left  of 
the  mountain,  instead  of  following  the  stream  to  the 
right,  he  would  in  three  or  four  miles  have  struck  a 
valley  and  trail  leading  to  his  place  of  destination.  I 
now  began  to  feel  anxious  on  account  of  Dr.  Webb 
and  Mr.  Salazar,  but  hoped  they  had  joined  the  main 
body  of  the  Mexican  party,  which  I  still  believed  had 
gone  to  Tucson. 

*  I  have  before  stated  that  the  California  road  goes  through  Santa 
Cruz.  The  direct  road  it  appears  passed  the  mountains  three  miles 
north  of  the  town,  thereby  saving  a  detour  of  about  ten  miles.  The 
emigrants  however  that  traverse  this  road,  generally  visit  the  town ;  but 
as  few  had  gone  this  way  the  present  season,  the  turn  off  to  Santa  Cruz, 
which  is  at  San  Lazaro,  had  become  almost  obliterated,  and  General 
Conde  overlooked  it,  keeping  along  the  main  road,  which  continues  to 
Imuriz,  and  Santa  Madelena. 


396  RIO    SAN    PEDRO 

I  proposed  to  Colonel  Graham,  to  send  one  of  his 
men  to  the  San  Pedro  camp,  advising  Lieutenant  Whip- 
ple and  Mr.  Gray  of  the  information  we  had  received ; 
and  in  case  any  of  the  Mexican  Commission  had  found 
its  way  back,  to  apprise  them  of  General  Conde's  arri- 
val in  Santa  Cruz,  and  direct  them  to  our  camp,  where 
they  would  find  the  couriers  and  guides.  As  the  Colo- 
nel required  a  supply  of  fresh  meat  to  carry  him  back 
to  the  Copper  Mines,  I  sent,  at  the  same  time,  for  eight 
sheep  for  him  and  his  party.  Colonel  Graham  accord- 
ingly dispatched  one  of  his  soldiers  to  the  San  Pedro 
camp. 

A  few  fish  were  taken  to-day ;  and  fortunately  we 
found  near  the  old  hacienda,  a  plentiful  supply  of  purs- 
lain,  so  that  with  the  little  flour  we  had,  we  got  along 
very  well  and  without  much  complaint  from  the  men. 
I  felt  quite  ill  myself  from  the  exposure  to  the  sun  and 
insufficient  food  :  and  lay  most  of  the  day  in  the  shade 
beneath  the  bushes  which  grew  on  the  river's  bank. 

The  valley  of  the  Babocomori,  is  here  from  a  quar- 
ter to  half  a  mile  in  breadth,  and  covered  with  a  luxu- 
riant growth  of  grass.  The  stream,  which  is  about 
twenty  feet  wide,  and  in  some  places  two  feet  deep, 
winds  through  this  valley,  with  willows,  and  large  cot- 
ton-wood trees  growing  along  its  margin.  Some  of  our 
men  followed  it  about  seven  miles,  to  its  junction  with 
the  San  Pedro.  This  hacienda,  as  I  afterwards  learned, 
was  one  of  the  largest  cattle  establishments  in  the  State 
of  Sonora.  The  cattle  roamed  along  the  entire  length 
of  the  valley  ;  and  at  the  time  it  was  abandoned,  there 
were  not  less  than  forty  thousand  head  of  them,  besides 
a  large  number  of  horses  and  mules.     The  same  cause 


TO    SANTA    CRUZ.  397 

which  led  to  the  abandonment  of  so  many  other  ram 
chos,  haciendas,  and  villages,  in  the  State,  had  been 
the  ruin  of  this.  The  Apaches  encroached  upon  them, 
drove  off  their  animals  and  murdered  the  herdsmen ; 
when  the  owners,  to  save  the  rest,  drove  them  further 
into  the  interior,  and  left  the  place.  Many  of  the  cattle, 
however,  remained  and  spread  themselves  over  the  hills 
and  valleys  near ;  from  these,  numerous  herds  have 
sprung,  which  now  range  along  the  entire  length  of 
the  San  Pedro,  and  its  tributaries. 

September  20th.  The  soldier,  whom  Colonel  Gra- 
ham had  sent  to  the  San  Pedro  camp  yesterday  after- 
noon, returned  this  morning,  and  reported  that  when 
he  had  got  within  a  short  distance  of  the  camp,  he  dis- 
covered a  party  of  thirty  or  forty  Indians,  and  in  order 
to  avoid  them,  he  had  concealed  himself  in  a  ravine, 
where  he  had  passed  the  night.  From  this  place  he 
had  made  his  way  back  to  our  camp,  without  reaching 
Lieutenant  Whipple.  I  questioned  this  man  as  to  the 
certainty  of  the  people  whom  he  saw,  being  Indians. 
He  said  tliey  were  a  mile  off'  but  seeing  feathers  in 
their  hair,  the  peculiarities  of  their  dress,  and  their 
galloping  with  speed  over  the  plain,  he  felt  sure  they 
were  such.  Colonel  Graham  manifested  much  uneasi- 
ness, and  now  proposed  that  we  should  all  proceed  to  the 
camp  on  the  San  Pedro,  return  with  Messrs.  Whipple 
and  Gray  to  the  Copper  Mines  to  refit,  and  take  a  new 
start ;  or  that  all  should  go  to  Santa  Cruz  for  the  same 
purpose.  I  did  not  believe  the  people  seen  were  In- 
dians ;  and  as  the  engineering  parties  were  but  two  or 
three  days'  journey  from  the  point  where  they  would 
begin  their  survey,  I  could  see  no  advantage  in  retrac- 


398  RIO    SAN    PEDRO 

ing  our  steps  to  the  Copper  Mines.  We  had  no  time 
to  lose ;  and  if  our  supplies  were  not  sent  us,  I  believed 
that  we  could  get  flour  and  such  articles  as  were  abso- 
lutely necessary  at  Santa  Cruz,  or  some  other  place  in 
Sonora,  so  as  to  enable  us  in  a  few  days  to  proceed  to 
the  Gila.  Mr.  Cremony,  who  doubted  the  soldier's 
story,  volunteered  to  go  to  the  San  Pedro  camp  with  a 
single  man,  if  I  would  permit  him.  On  my  accepting 
his  services,  he  selected  a  trusty  and  courageous  Mexi- 
can named  Leonidas,  and  started  at  once  on  his  errand. 
Mr.  Cremony  had  scarcely  left,  when  Antonio  and 
Carroll,  the  two  men  I  had  sent  off  early  yesterday 
morning  for  the  sheep,  returned.  They  had  followed 
the  San  Pedro  to  the  mouth  of  the  Babocomori,  think- 
ing we  should  move  our  camp  that  way;  and  had 
fallen  in  with  a  party  of  thirty  or  forty  Mexicans,  who 
had  a  camp  and  a  corral  near  the  San  Pedro,  and  were 
engaged  in  hunting  wild  cattle.  They  told  the  Mexi- 
cans who  we  were,  and  of  our  desire  to  get  to  Santa 
Cruz ;  for  when  they  left  us,  the  couriers  had  not 
arrived  from  General  Conde.  They  also  informed  them 
that  we  had  with  us  a  captive  girl  named  Inez  Gon- 
zales, whom  we  were  about  restoring  to  her  family. 
The  Mexican  party  were  all  from  Santa  Cruz  ;  and, 
singularly  enough,  the  father,  uncle,  and  many  of  the 
friends  of  Inez,  were  among  them ;  in  fact,  there  was 
scarcely  one  of  the  number  to  whom  she  was  not  known. 
This  was  the  first  intimation  that  they  had  received 
that  the  poor  girl  was  living,  and  had  been  rescued 
from  her  savage  captors.  They  required  no  urging, 
but  to  a  man  left  their  hunting  ground,  and  accom- 
panied Carroll  to  our  camp. 


TO    SANTA    CRUZ.  399 

The  joy  of  the  father  and  friends  in  again  behold- 
ing the  face  of  her  whom  they  supposed  was  forever 
lost  from  them,  was  unbounded.  Each  in  turn  (rough 
and  half  naked  as  many  of  them  were),  embraced  her 
after  the  Spanish  custom  ;  and  it  was  long  ere  one 
could  utter  a  word.  Tears  of  joy  burst  from  all ;  and 
the  sun-burnt  and  brawny  men,  in  whom  the  finer  feel- 
ings of  our  nature  are  wrongly  supposed  not  to  exist, 
wept  like  children,  as  they  looked  with  astonishment 
on  the  rescued  girl.  She  was  not  less  overcome  than 
they  ;  and  it  was  long  before  she  could  utter  the  name 
of  her  mother,  and  ask  if  she  and  her  little  brothers 
yet  lived.  The  members  of  the  Commission  who  wit- 
nessed this  affectionate  and  joyful  scene,  could  not  but 
participate  in  the  feelings  of  the  poor  child  and  her 
friends ;  and  the  big  tears  as  they  rolled  down  their 
weather-beaten  and  bearded  faces,  showed  how  fully 
they  sympathized  with  the  feelings  of  our  Mexican 
friends. 

The  captain  or  leader  of  the  party  was  Don  Ilarion 
Garcia,  a  gentleman  of  intelligence,  from  whom  we 
obtained  much  interesting  information  about  the  coun- 
try. He  was  a  merchant  and  government  contractor ; 
had  been  in  California ;  and  was  well  acquainted  with 
Colonel  Fremont,  and  the  pioneers  of  that  State.  He 
told  us  of  mines  in  Sonora  that  produced  ores  of  gold, 
silver,  cinnabar,  and  copper,  in  several  of  which  he  pos- 
sessed an  interest. 

After  leaving  our  Mexican  friends  awhile  to  them- 
selves, I  returned  to  my  tent,  to  learn  the  news.  They 
all  assured  me  that  the  restoration  of  a  young  female 
to  her  family,  after  being  carried  off  by  the  Indians, 


400  RIO    SAN    PEDRO 

was  an  event  unknown  to  them.  Boys  occasionally 
escape  from  their  captors,  and  find  their  way  again  to 
their  homes ;  but  young  women  are  generally  forced 
to  marry,  and  when  they  become  mothers,  they  have 
no  desire  to  return.  It  was  gratifying  to  the  fair  cap- 
tive to  learn  that  her  mother,  brothers  and  sisters,  were 
well ;  though  her  mother  still  pined  for  the  loss  of  her 
daughter,  under  such  painful  circumstances. 

Two  of  the  party  dined  with  me  on  the  scanty  fare 
I  could  offer  them ;  after  which  they  all  returned  to 
their  camp,  except  the  father  and  uncle  of  Inez,  who 
remained  to  accompany  us  to  Santa  Cruz.  Finding 
that  we  were  short  of  provisions,  they  sent  us  a  fine 
quarter  of  beef. 

Mr.  Cremony  returned  at  nine  o'clock  in  the  even- 
ing, and  reported  that  all  were  well  at  Lieut.  Whip- 
ple's camp.  Mr.  Gray,  with  two  or  three  others,  had 
left  several  days  before  for  Santa  Cruz.  We  felt  con- 
siderable anxiety  on  their  account ;  for  as  they  had  not 
reached  there  when  the  couriers  left,  it  was  pretty  cer- 
tain, that,  like  the  rest  of  us,  they  had  missed  their  way. 

September  21st  It  rained  all  day,  making  it  impos- 
sible to  move.  More  of  the  hunting  party  on  the  San 
Pedro,  visited  our  camp,  to  see  the  captive  girl.  The 
men  who  were  unprovided  with  tents,  and  the  cook, 
took  up  their  quarters  in  the  old  hacienda,  where  they 
were  sheltered  from  the  rain. 

September  22d.  Set  off  once  more  for  Santa  Cruz, 
recrossing  the  stream,  and  passing  around  the  north- 
western extremity  of  the  Sierra.  Our  course  was  then 
due  south  to  a  range  of  hills,  through  the  valleys  of 
which  we  pursued  our  way  among  scattering  live  oaks, 


TO    SANTA    CRUZ.  401 

which  greatly  impeded  travel.  There  was  a  well- 
marked  trail  here,  but  no  wagon  road.  We  were  often 
brought  to  a  stand  by  the  overhanging  limbs  of  the 
trees,  which  it  was  necessary  to  cut  away ;  and  in 
spite  of  all  our  precautions,  the  wagon  bows  were 
broken.  Met  a  party  in  a  thicket  engaged  in  drying 
beef,  who  invited  us  to  help  ourselves  to  as  much  meat 
as  we  wanted  from  a  bull  they  had  just  killed  ;  a  per- 
mission of  which  we  thankfully  availed  ourselves.  At 
5  o'clock,  encamped  among  the  hills  in  a  thick  woodr 
near  a  small  rivulet. 

September  23d     Resumed  our  march  at  8  o'clock,, 
our  course  still  south,  through  a  wood  quite  difficult 
for  the  wagons.     A  few  miles  brought  us  to  thepuerta, 
or  gate  in  the  mountain ;   passing  which,  we  emerged 
into  a  very  broad  and  open  plain  of  remarkable  beauty. 
From  the  elevation  where  we  first  saw  this  valley,  the 
prospect  was  exceedingly  picturesque.   Around  us  grew 
the  maguay,  the  yucca,  and  various  kinds  of  cacti,  toge- 
ther with  small  oaks  ;  while  beneath  us,  the  valley  spread 
out  from  six  to  eight  miles  in  width,  and  some  twelve 
or  fifteen  in  length.     Unlike  the   desolate  and  barren 
plains  between   the  mountain   ridges,  which    we   had 
crossed  between  the  Rio  Grande  and   the   San  Pedro, 
this  valley  was  covered  with  the  most  luxuriant  herb- 
age, and  thickly  studded  with  live   oaks ;  not  like  a 
forest,  but  rather  resembling  a  cultivated  park.    While 
the  train  was  passing  down  the   mountain,   I  stopped 
with   Mr.  Pratt  to   enjoy   the  scene,  which   he  hastily 
transferred  to  his  sketch-book.      Opposite  from  where 
.  we  stood,  and  not  more  than  five  miles  distant,  were 
the  mountain  and  gorge,  where  we  had  been  encamped 
vol.  i. — 26 


402  RIO    SAN    PEDRO 

for  five  days,  endeavoring  to  find  a  passage  through. 
At  the  further  end  of  the  valley  into  which  we  were 
descending,  lay  Santa  Cruz.  I  now  saw  that  if  I  had 
continued  my  course  due  south,  as  I  first  intended  on 
leaving  the  San  Pedro  camp,  I  should  have  struck  this 
valley  the  second  day ;  but  by  following  the  trail  of 
the  Mexican  Commission,  I  was  led  about  eight  miles 
too  far  west.  This  brought  us  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  Sierra,  and  led  us  into  the  gorge  from  which  there 
was  no  egress.  In  passing  down  the  valley,  we  met 
Mr.  Salazar  and  Mr.  Henry  C.  Force,  with  a  small 
party  from  Santa  Cruz  bound  for  the  camp  on  the  San 
Pedro,  and  the  Gila.  They  informed  us  of  the  safe 
.arrival  at  Santa  Cruz  of  the  Mexican  Commission,  Dr. 
Webb  and  Mr.  Gray. 

Before  setting  out  this  morning,  two  men  started 
in  advance  to  advise  the  mother  of  Inez  of  our  ap- 
proach, and  when  within  two  miles  of  the  town,  we 
saw  a  small  party  approaching,  partly  on  mules  and 
partly  on  foot,  among  whom  were  the  fair  captive's 
■mother,  brothers,  and  uncle.  As  we  drew  nearer,  Mr. 
Cremony  helped  Inez  from  the  saddle,  when  in  perfect 
ecstacy  she  rushed  to  her  mother's  arms.  Words  can- 
not express  the  joy  manifested  on  this  happy  occasion. 
Their  screams  were  painful  to  hear.  The  mother 
could  scarcely  believe  what  she  saw ;  and  after  every 
embrace  and  gush  of  tears,  she  withdrew  her  arms  to 
gaze  on  the  face  of  her  child.  I  have  witnessed  many 
scenes  on  the  stage,  of  the  meeting  of  friends  after  a 
long  separation,  and  have  read  highly-wrought  narra- 
tives of  similar  interviews,  but  none  of  them  approached 


N 


TO    SANTA    CRUZ.  403 

in  pathos  the  spontaneous  burst  of  feeling  exhibited 
by  the  mother  and  daughter  on  this  occasion.  Thanks 
to  the  Almighty  rose  above  all  other  sounds,  while 
they  remained  clasped  in  each  other's  arms,  for  the 
deliverance  from  captivity,  and  the  restoration  of  the 
beloved  daughter  to  her  home  and  friends.  Although 
a  joyful  scene,  it  was  a  painfully  affecting  one  to  the 
spectators,  not  one  of  whom,  could  restrain  his  tears. 
After  several  minutes  of  silence,  the  fond  parent  em- 
braced me,  and  the  other  gentlemen  of  the  party,  in 
succession,  as  we  were  pointed  out  by  her  daughter ; 
a  ceremony  which  was  followed  by  her  uncle,  and  the 
others,  who  had  by  this  time  joined  us.  We  then  re- 
mounted our  animals  and  proceeded  towards  the  town 
in  silence  ;  and  it  was  long  before  either  party  could 
compose  themselves  sufficiently  to  speak. 

As  we  journeyed  on,  we  met  other-villagers  coming 
out  to  meet  us,  and  among  them  two  little  boys  from 
eight  to  twelve  years  of  age.  They  were  the  brothers 
of  Inez ;  and  when  they  saw  their  sister,  they  sprung 
upon  the  saddle  with  her,  clasping  their  little  arms 
around  her,  and  like  their  mother,  bursting  into  tears. 
Eeleasing  their  embrace,  Inez  pointed  to  us,  when  the 
little  fellows  ran  up  to  our  horses  and  eagerly  grasped 
our  hands,  trotting  along  by  our  sides,  while  the  tears 
rolled  down  their  cheeks.  A  little  further,  we  were 
met  by  another  lad  about  twelve  years  of  age.  He  too, 
embraced  the  returning  captive,  and  like  the  others, 
burst  into  tears.  But  those  tears  were  excited  by  feel- 
ings very  different  from  those  awakened  in  the  other 
boys,  the  brothers  of  Inez.     They  were  tears  of  des- 


404  RIO    SAN    PEDRO 

pair — of  long  cherished  hope  checked  in  the  bud ; — 
of  disappointment — of  pain — of  misery  !  This  poor 
boy  was  the  child  of  the  woman  who  was  made  a  cap- 
tive by  the  Apaches,  at  the  same  time  with  Inez.  She 
and  Inez  had  left  their  homes  together,  one  year  ago 
this  very  day,  for  the  fair  of  Madelena,  where  their  party 
was  when  attacked  by  the  Apaches,  and  all  but  three 
killed  or  taken  prisoners.  Of  the  three  who  were  made 
captives,  no  news  had  ever  been  heard ;  and  the  poor 
girl  now  returning,  was  the  first  intelligence  that  either 
was  in  existence.  The  little  orphan  wrung  his  hands 
with  despair  as  he  raised  his  eyes  first  to  the  compan- 
ion of  his  mother,  and  then  to  us,  thinking  perhaps  that 
we  might  have  regained  his  parent,  as  well  as  her.  I 
was  much  affected  when  Inez  told  me  who  this  lad  was, 
and  resolved  that  I  would  make  an  effort  for  her  resto- 
ration too,  as  soon  as  I  could  communicate  the  particu- 
lars to  the  government,  as  she  is  the  person  who  was 
bought  by  the  New-Mexican  traders,  and  taken  to 
Santa  Fe,  a  short  time  before  the  purchase  of  Inez. 

As  we  drew  near  the  town,  numbers  of  the  inhabi- 
tants came  out  to  meet  us,  and  welcome  back  the  re- 
stored captive.  When  about  half  a  mile  distant,  Inez 
wished  to  dismount  and  walk  thence  to  the  church, 
that  she  might  first  offer  up  her  prayers  for  her  deliv- 
erance from  captivity,  before  going  to  her  home.  Ac- 
cordingly we  all  dismounted  and  accompanied  her  to 
the  door  of  the  church  ;  and  there  she  was  met  by 
many  more  of  her  friends,  when  they  all  passed  for- 
ward and  knelt  down  before  the  altar.  We  left  them 
engaged  in  prayer,  and  waited  outside  the  church  until 
their  devotions   were   concluded.     They  then  passed 


TO    SANTA    CRUZ.  405 

out,  and  escorted  Inez,  her  parents,  brothers  and  sister, 
to  their  home.* 

We  pitched  our  tents  just  beyond  the  walls  of  the 
town,  preferring  them  to  the  adobe  houses  which  Gen- 
eral Conde  had  kindly  placed  at  my  disposition. 

*  I  have  spoken  of  the  father  of  Inez  Gonzales.  He  was  in  fact,  her 
step-father,  and  named  Jesus  Ortis.  He  seemed  ardently  attached  to 
her,  and  told  me  he  loved  her  as  his  own. 


406  SANTA    CKUZ 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

SANTA    CRUZ    TO    LA    MAGDALENA. 

Account  of  the  missing  parties — Description  of  Santa  Cruz,  and  its  popu- 
lation— Departure  of  Colonel  Graham — Set  out  for  La  Magdalena — In- 
crease of  party — San  Lazero — Cocospera — Its  beautiful  Valley — The 
canon  where  Inez  Gonzales  was  taken — First  sight  of  the  Cereus  Gigan- 
teus — Babasaqui — Wild  cattle — Iinuris — Terrenati — San  Ignacio — Its 
church — Abundance  of  Pomegranates — Passports  demanded — Proceed 
to  Magdalena— Summoned  before  the  Alcalde — Legend  of  the  origin  of 
the  town — Festival  of  San  Francisco — Religious  Devotees — Offerings 
to  the  Saint — Consecration  of  ribbons — Booths — Gambling — Perpetual 
fandango — Vegetable  productions  near  the  town — Fine  scenery— 'Grand 
torchlight  procession — Close  of  the  Festivities — Description  of  La 
Magdalena. 

September  24th.  General  Conde  informed  me  that  he 
had  engaged  for  me  fifteen  hundred  pounds  of  flour, 
but  that  no  other  provisions  could  be  obtained,  so 
great  was  the  dearth  caused  by  the  frequent  incursions 
of  the  Apaches.  I  called  on  Captain  Barragan,  the 
Commanding  officer,  to  procure  a  portion  of  this  flour 
at  once,  to  send  to  Lieut.  Whipple  and  the  party  on 
the  San  Pedro.  There  was  a  small  grist-mill  here 
under  the  charge  of  the  Commandante ;  but  there  was 
no  stock  of  flour  on  hand,  and  he  was  then  grinding 
some  for  the  Mexican  Commission.  Consequently  he 
could  only  spare  me  a  small  quantity  for  the  parties  in 


TO    LA   MAGDALENA.  407 

Santa  Cruz,  but  promised  that  he  would  let  me  have 
some  the  following  day. 

Some  account  of  the  several  missing  parties  may 
not  be  improper  in  this  place.  The  Mexican  Com- 
mission, on  whose  trail  I  depended,  and  which  led  me 
out  of  my  proper  course,  followed  an  Indian  trail  the 
second  day  after  leaving  the  San  Pedro,  which  led  them 
to  the  town  of  Tucson,  a  military  post  ninety  miles 
from  the  Gila  and  about  one  hundred  from  Santa  Cruz. 
They  met  with  great  difficulties  in  crossing  the  Santa 
Rita  mountains,  and  were  compelled  to  abandon  their 
wagon.  From  there  they  took  the  road  to  Santa  Cruz, 
which  they  reached  in  five  days.  Doctor  Webb  and 
Mr.  Salazar,  who  proceeded  in  advance  the  day  after 
we  left  the  San  Pedro,  overtook  the  main  body  of  the 
Mexican  Commission,  as  we  had  supposed,  and  con- 
tinued with  it.  Mr.  Gray,  in  his  attempt  to  reach 
Santa  Cruz,  followed  the  same  trail,  and  also  brought 
up  at  Tucson,  from  which  he  took  a  new  start  and 
arrived  at  the  former  place. 

Santa  Cruz  is  one  of  the  nine  presidios  or  military 
posts  on  the  frontier  of  the  State  of  Sonora,  the  others 
being  Tucson,  Fronteras,  Babispe,  Bacuachi,  Tubac, 
Altar,  San  Carlos,  and  Hermosillo.  It  was  formerly  a 
place  of  considerable  importance,  with  about  fifteen 
hundred  inhabitants ;  but  at  present  its  population 
does  not  exceed  three  hundred.  It  possesses  a  fine 
valley  and  bottom  land  of  the  richest  soil,  and  is  irri- 
gated by  a  small  stream  bearing  its  own  name,  which 
has  its  rise  in  springs  about  ten  miles  to  the  north,  in 
the  beautiful  valley  through  which  we  entered  the 
place.       It  is  admirably   adapted  for  the  raising  of 


408 


SANTA    CRUZ 


cattle  and  horses,  as  well  as  for  all  kinds  of  grain. 
Wheat,  in  particular,  does' remarkably  well  here.  The 
Chili  Colorado  (red  pepper),  of  which  such  quantities 
are  consumed  in  Mexico,  grows  here  in  perfection, 
and  is  said  to  be  preferred  on  account  of  its  superior 
piquancy  to  any  raised  in  Sonora.  The  climate  is 
milder  than  in  either  the  southern  or  northern  parts 
of  the  State.     In  the  winter  it  is  subject  to  severe 


Santa  Cruz,  Sonora. 

frosts,  so  that  the  river  freezes  and  snow  often  lies  on 
the  ground  for  several  days.  It  is,  however,  a  very 
sickly  place,  the  inhabitants  suffering  from  bilious 
fevers,  in  consequence  of  the  proximity  of  a  large 
marsh  three  miles  west  of  the  town.  Many  were  ill 
at  the  time  of  my  visit,  and  I  was  desirous  to  get  away 
as  soon  as  possible. 


TO    LA    MAGDALENA.  409 

This  place  has  suffered  more  than  any  other  on  the 
frontier  from  the  inroads  of  -the  Apaches,  it  being  on 
the  principal  route  of  communication  with  the  interior 
from  the  north,  as  well  as  with  the  settlements  of  the 
civilized  Indians.  The  place  had  become  much  re- 
duced and  impoverished  by  the  frequent  incursions  of 
the  Apaches,  which  prevented  the  inhabitants  from 
cultivating  the  soil,  except  in  the  immediate  vicinity 
of  the  town.  If  they  suffered  their  cattle  to  stray  two 
miles  off,  a  band  of  skulking  savages  would  emerge 
from  some  thicket  where  they  lay  in  ambush,  and 
drive  them  off.  If  but  two  or  three  men  were  tending 
them,  they  were  either  murdered  or  compelled  to  seek 
safety  in  flight.  In  such  a  miserable  state  of  existence 
were  these  people,  that  they  could  scarcely  venture  be- 
yond the  walls  of  their  town,  except  in  parties  of  six 
or  eight,  who  must  then  be  well  armed ;  and  if  they 
wanted  to  go  any  considerable  distance,  it  was  neces- 
sary to  form  large  parties  for  mutual  protection.  It 
was  in  September,  1850,  when  the  party  with  Inez 
were  cut  off  about  twenty  miles  from  Santa  Cruz, 
which  led  to  the  complete  abandonment  of  the  place. 
A  few  months,  however,  before  our  arrival,  a  brigade 
was  raised  by  General  Carrasco,  for  the  protection  of 
the  frontier.  The  presidios  were  then  strengthened;  and 
Fronteras,  Santa  Cruz,  and  others,  which  had  been 
abandoned,  were  again  occupied  by  their  poor  and 
wretched  inhabitants. 

I  was  detained  here  until  the  29th,  waiting  for  the 
flour  and  pinole  for  the  Gila  parties.  A  portion  had 
been  procured  and  sent  forward  several  days  before, 
and  Mr.  Gray  remained  behind  for  the  remainder.     But 


410  SANTA   CRUZ 

two  mules  could  be  obtained  here,  for  which  I  paid 
seventy -five  dollars  each.  I  also  procured  some  flour 
for  Colonel  Graham.  On  the  28th,  he  took  his  depar- 
ture for  the  Copper  Mines,  where  his  engineers  and 
the  party  for  the  survey  of  the  Rio  Grande,  were  still 
awaiting  his  return. 

During  our  stay  here,  Dr.  Webb  was  engaged  three 
quarters  of  his  time  in  attending  the  sick  ;  for  in  addi- 
tion to  the  many  that  were  suffering  with  fever,  there 
were  cases  of  a  more  complicated  nature,  which  re- 
quired the  performance  of  surgical  operations.  For 
his  services  he  made  no  charge.  One  would  suppose 
that  after  attentions  of  this  kind,  and  the  restoration  of 
one  of  their  number  from  captivity,  some  little  grati- 
tude would  have  been  shown  us  by  the  people  of  this 
place ;  instead  of  which,  however,  depredations  were 
nightly  committed  in  our  camp.  Meat  was  stolen  from 
the  pot  in  which  it  was  cooking ;  blankets  were  taken 
from  the  men  while  asleep ;  and  all  the  ropes  and  iron 
stake-pins  that  secured  our  animals  were  carried  off. 
These  last  were  a  serious  loss  to  us,  and  could  not 
be  replaced.  We  were  finally  compelled  to  keep  the 
people  away  from  our  camp  ;  and  I  felt  it  my  duty  to 
complain  to  the  Ciira  of  the  pilfering  propensities  of 
his  flock.  He  was  fully  aware  of  their  thievish  dispo- 
sition, but  was  unable  to  restrain  them.  Many  wanted 
to  be  employed  as  arrieros ;  but  after  the  examples  we 
had  of  their  dishonesty,  I  thought  it  prudent  to  have  as 
little  to  do  with  them  as  possible.  I  engaged,  how- 
ever, Jesus  Ortis,  the  father-in-law  of  Inez,  to  be  our 
guide  to  Magdalena,  and  further  if  necessary. 

September  2dth.  Being  unable  to  procure  any  thing 


TO    LA   MAGDALENA.  411 

at  Santa  Cruz  but  flour,  I  determined  to  go  to  Magda- 
lena,  a  town  seventy-five  miles  further  south,  where  I 
was  told  I  could  find  mules,  and  such  articles  of  pro- 
visions as  I  required.  The  annual  fair  of  San  Fran- 
cisco was  to  take  place  in  a  few  days ;  and  there,  it  was 
believed,  would  be  a  supply  of  every  thing,  particu- 
larly mules,  of  which  I  was  most  in  need.  I  believed 
I  could  get  back  in  ten  days,  and  immediately  after 
join  the  parties  on  the  Gila. 

When  we  came  to  get  the  mules  in,  we  found  that 
one  was  missing.  I  suspected  that  some  of  our  dishonest 
friends  had  concealed  it  until  after  we  should  leave, 
and  requested  Captain  Barragan  to  secure  it,  if  it  should 
be  seen. 

My  journey  to  Magdalena  was  taken  advantage  of 
by  many  of  the  people  of  Santa  Cruz,  who  wished  to 
go  to  the  fair ;  so  that  when  my  party  was  ready  to 
move,  I  found  it  increased  by  fifteen  men  and  two 
women,  all  mounted  on  horses,  or  mules,  like  ourselves, 
making  altogether  a  cavalcade  of  thirty-one  persons, 
besides  our  pack-mules.  The  Mexicans  were  all  clad 
in  their  holiday  dresses,  and  presented  quite  a  pictu- 
resque appearance.  The  men  wore  chiefly  roundabout 
jackets,  with  pantaloons  open  at  the  sides,  showing 
their  large  white  cotton  drawers  beneath.  Some  of 
their  pantaloons  were  lined  with  pink  or  sky-blue ;  and 
in  every  case  they  were  decorated  with  a  row  of  bell- 
buttons,  or  clasps,  extending  from  the  hip  to  the  ankle. 
Suspenders  they  never  wear,  a  red  silk  sash  being 
generally  used  to  keep  the  pantaloons  in  their  place. 
"  Every  man  also  carries  with  him  a  serajoe,  or  blanket, 
which  in  the  cool  of  the  morning  and  evening  is  thrown 


412  SANTA   CRUZ 

gracefully  over  his  shoulders,  and  at  night  is  used  to 
cover  his  body.  During  the  heat  of  the  day,  it  is 
folded  up  and  laid  across  his  saddle,  or  fastened  on 
behind.  The  women  always  wear  the  reboso,  a  scarf 
which  covers  the  head  and  neck.  In  other  respects, 
there  is  nothing  peculiar  in  their  dress,  except  that 
they  prefer  very  gaudy  colors. 

Our  road  was  said  to  be  infested  with  Apaches, 
who  were  wont  to  conceal  themselves  in  a  canon 
some  ten  miles  in  length,  where  they  attacked  small 
parties.  Every  man,  therefore,  took  the  precaution 
to  be  well  armed.  We  did  not  get  away  until  three 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  when  a  ride  of  six  miles  to  the 
south-west  brought  us  to  San  Lazaro,  a  large  ruined 
hacienda,  on  the  banks  of  the  Santa  Cruz  River,  where 
an  extensive  soap  manufactory  was  formerly  carried 
on.  The  buildings  were  beautifully  situated  in  the 
valley,  amid  a  grove  of  large  cotton-woods,  with  an 
extensive  orchard  of  peach  and  quince  trees  ;  but  the 
fruit  had  all  been  gathered  by  parties  who  had  passed 
before  us,  or  by  the  Indians.  I  walked  through  the 
tenantless  chambers  of  the  hacienda,  which  seemed  to 
have  been  built  with  a  view  to  comfort  and  conve- 
nience unusual  in  the  country.  It  had  been  deserted 
for  six  years ;  and  in  this  short  period,  the  rain  had 
washed  away  some  of  its  walls,  and  portions  of  the 
roof  had  fallen  in.  An  adobe  building  will  last  many 
years  with  care ;  but  it  must  be  closely  watched 
during  the  rainy  season  :  for  when  once  the  water  has 
found  its  way  through  a  wall,  it  very  soon  makes  for 
itself  a  wider  passage ;  next  the  timber  in  the  roof  gives 
way ;  and  in  a  short  time,  the  whole  building  becomes 


TO    LA   MAGDALENA.  413 

a  ruin.  The  stream  here  takes  a  short  turn  towards 
the  north,  passing  through  Tubac  and  Tucson ;  soon 
after  which  it  loses  itself  in  the  desert,  without  reach- 
ing the  Gila.  Since  leaving  Santa  Cruz,  our  course  had 
been  along  the  banks  of  this  stream,  in  many  places 
thickly  overgrown  with  willows  and  cotton-woods,  and 
hemmed  in  on  both  sides  with  mountains.  Many  de- 
serted and  ruined  ranchos  were  seen  in  the  valley,  for 
it  had  not  a  single  inhabitant  beyond  the  walls  of  Santa 
Cruz.  Rode  about  six  miles  further  south  and  encamped. 
September  2>0th.  Eight  miles  from  camp,  brought 
us  to  Cocospera*  an  old  mission  at  the  head  of  the  kjj^n 
Miguel  River,  which  was  abandoned  about  six  years 
before  in  consequence  of  the  inroads  of  the  Apaches. 
Here,  rising  from  a  spur  of  the  plateau,  and  overlook- 
ing the  valley,  stands  a  church,  a  building  which  pre- 
sents quite  an  imposing  appearance,  with  its  towers 
and  dome  still  in  a  good  state  of  preservation.  It  is 
surrounded  by  houses  or  stalls  with  fronts  open  towards 
the  church,  which  were  probably  occupied  by  those 
who  came  from  a  distance  to  worship ;  or  they  may 
have  been  intended  for  the  Indians,  many  of  whom 
were  formerly  connected  with  all  these  frontier  mis- 
sions, and  employed  as  laborers  upon  the  lands  belong- 
ing to  them.  The  interior  of  this  church  must  have 
been  very  beautiful  in  its  time,  when  its  numerous 
niches  were  filled  with  statues,  and  its  walls  covered 
with  paintings.     The  gilded   and  painted  ornaments 

*  This  place  has  since  become  somewhat  notorious  from  its  hav- 
ing been  colonized  anew  by  the  party  of  Frenchmen  from  California, 
who  subsequently  attempted  to  set  up  a  government  of  their  own, 
and  for  a  while  gave  the  authorities  much  trouble. 


414  SANTA    CRUZ 

upon  the  walls  and  ceiling  still  remained,  consisting 
of  crucifixes,  doves,  and  other  sacred  emblems,  sur- 
rounded by  inscriptions,  scrolls,  and  flowers,  which 
displayed  more  taste  than  we  had  before  seen  in  such 
buildings.  Several  wooden  figures  still  stood  about 
the  altar  ;  but  the  pictures  were  all  gone.  Bats  were 
already  in  full  possession  of  the  edifice,  and  hung  from 
the  projecting  walls  and  corners,  like  so  many  black 
ornaments;  while  the  swallows  which  were  flitting 
about  us  had  also  taken  up  their  abode  here,  and 
added  their  mud-built  nests  to  its  interior  decorations. 
Tigs  was  one  of  the  richest  missions  in  Sonora ;  and 
its  property  in  cattle  was  so  extensive,  that  (as  we  were 
afterwards  told)  the  increase  of  a  single  year  amount- 
ed to  ten  thousand  head.  In  the  valley  below  and  im- 
mediately adjoining  the  building,  stood  the  orchard ; 
well  stocked  with  apples,  pomegranates,  peaches,  and 
quinces.  These  last  we  found  in  the  greatest  profu- 
sion, the  trees  still  bending  with  their  loads  of  fruit. 
There  are  two  varieties  of  the  quince  here,  one  hard 
and  tart  like  our  own,  the  other  sweet  and  eatable 
in  its  raw  state,  yet  preserving  the  rich  flavor  of  the 
former.  The  Mexicans  gathered  and  ate  them  like 
apples ;  but  I  found  them  still  too  hard  for  my  diges- 
tive organs.  We  gathered  a  few,  which  we  afterwards 
stewed ;  they  were  then  very  palatable,  and  in  a  meas- 
ure supplied  the  place  of  vegetables.  The  valley  here 
is  more  than  half  a  mile  wide,  and  seems  once  to  have 
been  well  cultivated. 

Proceeding  down  the  valley,  we  noticed  many 
ruined  ranchos,  corrals,  and  other  remains  of  a  civil- 
ized community,  now  overgrown  with  tall  grass  and 


TO    LA    MAGDALENA.  415 

shrubbery.  Cotton-wood  trees  and  sycamores  of  a 
large  size  grew  along  the  margin  of  the  stream,  and 
at  intervals  were  found  in  groups.  The  grass  every 
where  was  rich  and  abundant.  It  was  really  sad  to 
see  so  beautiful  a  region  reverting  to  the  condition  of  a 
wilderness  in  consequence  of  the  attacks  of  ruthless 
marauders.  We  now  approached  the  dreaded  canon, 
where  our  fair  captive,  Inez  Gonzales,  had  been  taken 
and  her  companions  murdered,  one  year  and  seven 
days  before.  Our  Mexican  companions  had  been  talk- 
ing of  it  all  the  morning ;  and  as  we  drew  nearer  and 
were  about  to  enter  the  defile,  they  huddled  more 
closely  together,  each  fearful  of  taking  the  lead,  or  of 
being  ten  feet  from  the  rest.  They  were  going  to  the 
same  fair  as  before ;  and  it  was  believed  that  the  Apa- 
ches, knowing  of  the  large  numbers  that  annually  col- 
lected at  Magdalena,  were  on  the  watch  for  their  victims 
in  all  the  mountain  passes,  where  they  could  lie  in  ambush 
and  throw  their  lances  or  arrows  at  the  passing  travel- 
ler. We  soon  came  to  a  spot  where,  in  a  dense  thicket 
of  forest  and  shrubbery,  our  attention  was  directed  to 
a  rude  cross.  Here  was  the  fatal  spot  where,  on  the 
occasion  above  referred  to,  the  savages  rushed  from 
their  ambuscade,  shooting  several  of  the  Mexicans  with 
their  muskets,  and  piercing  others  with  their  long 
lances,  before  they  could  recover  themselves  and  act 
on  the  defensive.  Within  twenty  feet  of  the  path  ran 
the  stream,  whose  mysterious  murmuring  beneath  the 
dense  foliage  seemed  a  fit  appendage  to  such  a  deed 
of  blood.  The  mountains  here  on  either  side  of  the 
defile  approached  within  a  hundred  feet  of  the  path ; 
though  in  some  places  they  are  much  nearer,  and  rise 


416  SANTA    CRUZ 

from  five  to  eight  hundred  feet,  either  abruptly  or  with 
steep-sloping  banks. 

We  saw  here,  for  the  first  time,  the  giant  Cereus 
(  Cereus  giganteus),  or  petahaya,  of  the  Mexicans.  This 
monster  of  the  cactus  family  assumes  various  forms ; 
sometimes  rising  in  a  single  fluted  column  to  the  height 
of  thirty  or  forty  -feet ;  sometimes,  at  eight  or  ten  feet 
from  the  ground,  it  divides  into  two  or  more  branches, 
which  turn  upwards  like  the  prongs  of  an  inverted 
fork ;  others  again  throw  off  four  or  more  arms,  dis- 
posed with  great  symmetry,  and  having  the  appearance 
of  gigantic  candelabra.  These  covered  the  rocks  on 
both  sides  for  miles ;  and  among  them  grew  numerous 
humbler  species  of  the  same  family,  some  loaded  with 
rich  red  fruit,  and  others  trailing  their  snaky  branches 
over  the  ground,  altogether  forming  a  striking  and 
peculiar  vegetation,  unlike  any  thing  we  had  before 
seen. 

After  winding  our  way  about  ten  miles  through 
this  defile,  we  again  emerged  into  a  plain  or  broad 
valley,  through  which  still  coursed  the  beautiful  little 
stream  which  we  first  met  at  Cocospera ;  though  by 
what  name  to  call  it,  I  hardly  know.  Like  many  of 
the  largest  streams  which  wind  among  the  mountains 
and  across  the  plains  of  Mexico,  this  bears  several 
names,  according  to  the  towns  which  stand  upon  its 
bank.  Cocospera,  Imuriz,  San  Ignacio,and  San  Miguel, 
have  been  applied  to  it  in  turn  ;  and  I  cannot  find,  from 
the  maps  which  I  have  consulted,  that  it  bears  any 
general  name.  It  forms  the  western  branch  of  the 
Sonora  River,  one  of  the  principal  streams  in  the  State. 

When  we  again  found  ourselves  in  the  open  coun- 


TO    LA    MAGDALENA.  417 

try  and  beyond  the  dreaded  canon,  our  Mexican 
friends  showed  themselves  less  desirous  of  keeping 
as  close  to  us  as  they  had  done.  Soon  after  they 
told  us  they  wished  to  reach  Imuriz  before  night, 
when  we  took  leave  of  them;  and  having  already 
come  thirty  miles,  we  thought  best  to  stop  near  the 
little  town  of  Babasaqui.  Our  general  course  during 
the  day  had  been  south  south-west  We  passed  many 
deserted  ranchos  with  fine  orchards  near  them;  but 
not  a  living  being  had  been  seen  until  we  reached 
this  settlement.  In  the  orchards  we  found  more  fruit 
than  we  had  seen  before — from  the  fact,  probably,  that 
there  were  but  few  travellers  this  way,  and  people  did 
not  dare  venture  so  far  from  their  homes  for  the  luxury. 
We  gathered  a  supply  of  delicious  peaches,  with  which 
we  filled  our  haversacks  and  pockets.  Many  wild  cat- 
tle were  seen  to-day,  some  of  which  crossed  our  path 
quite  near  us.  A  bull  gave  chase  to  Mr.  Thurber,  and 
pursued  him  until  he  regained  our  camp. 

After  the  tents  were  pitched,  we  strolled  up  to  the 
village,  where  we  found  an  uncle  of  Inez.  He  had  not 
before  heard  of  the  restoration  of  his  niece,  and  express- 
ed  a  thousand  thanks  to  us  all.  In  the  evening,  her 
with  several  others,  came  to  our  camp,  bringing  milk, 
cheese,  tortillas,  and  peaches,  which  they  begged  us  to 
accept.  It  was  all  they  had  to  give  except  their 
thanks,  and  they  seemed  much  pleased  at  our  accept- 
ing them.  The  people  here  seemed  very  quiet  and 
well  disposed,  with  well  cultivated  fields,  which  showed 
that  they  devoted  a  portion  of  their  time,  at  least,  to 
labor.  A  man  living  here  who  had  a  contract  to  furnish 
the  government  with  five  hundred  head  of  cattle,  told 
vol.  i. — 27 


418  SANTA    CRUZ 

us  that  so  abundant  were  they  in  this  valley  and  the  ad- 
jacent plains,  that  he  had  not  yet  begun  to  collect  them, 
although  all  were  to  be  delivered  on  the  10th  of  October. 
His  mode  of  catching  them  was  that  before  alluded  to, 
viz.,  to  lasso  them  by  the  head  or  horns,  then  fasten 
them  to  the  heads  of  domesticated  cattle,  and  drive  them 
to  a  corral  or  pen.  During  the  night,  we  heard  the 
bellowing  of  the  wild  bulls  quite  near  us,  and  felt  some 
apprehension  that  they  might  make  a  charge  upon  us, 
and  stampede  our  mules,  if  they  did  no  other  mischief. 

October  1st.  A  south-easterly  course  of  three  miles 
brought  us  to  Imuriz,  a  miserable  looking  village. 
There  was  an  improvement  which  I  noticed  in  the 
adobe  houses  here  ;  they  were  all  capped  with  brick 
or  tiles,  which  gave  them  an  air  of  finish  and  durability 
above  those  that  are  simply  capped  with  mud.  Here 
we  rounded  a  mountain,  and  then  followed  a  valley  in 
the  same  direction.  Every  thing  now  around  us  indi- 
cated an  approach  to  a  civilized,  or  rather,  I  should 
say,  a  settled,  country.  Ranchos  with  cultivated 
grounds,  fields  of  wheat  and  corn,  orchards  teeming 
with  peaches  and  pomegranates,  met  us  with  every 
expansion  of  the  valley.  The  contracted  foot-path,  or 
mule  trail,  however,  still  showed  that  we  had  not  yet 
reached  the  country  of  wheeled  vehicles,  all  the  trans- 
portation being  carried  on  by  means  of  pack-mules. 
We  met  many  people  to-day  passing  from  one  village 
or  rancho  to  another;  and  not  a  little  curiosity  was 
manifested  at  seeing  such  a  group  of  white  faces  with 
long  beards  wending  our  way  among  them. 

Riding  up  to  the  church,  which  appeared  quite 
new,  we  dismounted  and  hitched  our  animals,  to  take 


TO    LA    MAGDALENA. 


419 


a  brief  inspection  of  it.  Like  the  other  buildings  of 
the  country,  it  was  constructed  of  adobe,  but  had 
neither  steeple  nor  tower.  Three  bells  were  sus- 
pended from  a  frame  in  front,  on  one  of  which,  I 
noticed  the  date  1680.  There  was  nothing  of  interest 
here;  so  we  journeyed  on  to  Terrenati,  a  village  of 
three  or  four  hundred  souls,  two  miles  distant.  Con- 
tinuing our  ride  six  or  eight  miles  further  still,  and 
following  the  same  stream  that  we  first  met  at  Coco- 
pera,  we  reached  San  Ignacio.  We  rode  into  the  plaza 
facing  the  church,  and,  dismounting,  applied  at  an  ad- 
joining house  for  admission  into  the  sacred  edifice. 


Door-way  of  the  Church,  San  Ignacio. 


We  were  received  with  much  politeness,  and  con- 
ducted by  a  young  woman  through  an  entrance  near 
the  altar  into  the  church,  which  did  not  meet  my  ex- 
pectations, as  it  was  by  no  means  in  keeping  with  the 
exterior  of  the  building.     There  were  but  few  pictures 


420  SANTA    CRUZ 

on  the  walls;  and  the  statues,  which  are  of  wood, 
and  from  two  to  four  feet  high,  were  quite  ordinary. 
Among  the  latter,  1  noticed  two  Chinese  figures, 
intended  doubtless  for  mandarins,  but  here  metamor- 
phosed into  saints.  These  images  reminded  me  at 
once  of  our  proximity  to  the  Pacific,  with  its  opposite 
shore  formed  by  the  Celestial  Empire,  between  which 
and  Mexico,  there  was  formerly  a  flourishing  com- 
merce. I  asked  the  attendant  if  those  figures  were 
not  from  China ;  to  which  I  received  the  usual  and 
unsatisfactory  reply  of  "  Quien  sabef  I  suppose  she 
knew  as  little  of  China  as  of  the  topography  of  the 
moon ;  and  as  to  the  personages  they  originally  repre- 
sented, it  was  a  matter  of  perfect  indifference  to  her 
and  the  people  who  worshipped  there.  The  church  is 
built  entirely  of  brick,  being  the  first  edifice  of  that 
material  we  had  seen.  It  has  two  towers,  and  is  on 
the  whole  a  picturesque  looking  structure.  This  was 
one  of  the  earliest  missions  established  in  Sonora,  and 
was  founded  about  the  year  1687.  Though  the  mis- 
sion has  been  abandoned  for  many  years,  the  results  of 
Jesuit  industry  are  still  apparent  in  the  shape  of  some 
pomegranate  orchards. 

We  had  heard  much  of  the  superiority  of  the  pome- 
granates of  this  place,  for  they  are  famed  in  all  the 
region  round  about;  and  for  once  in  this  country  we 
met  with  something  that  really  came  up  to  our  expec- 
tations. They  were  delicious  beyond  comparison. 
Some  specimens  measured  sixteen  inches  in  circum- 
ference, and  they  were  sold  at  from  one  to  two  dozen 
the  real  (twelve  and  a  half  cents).  Immediately  over 
the  wall  where  we  stood,  was  a  large  orchard  with  long 


TO    LA    MAGDALENA.  421 

lines  of  these  trees  bending  under  their  luscious  burden  ; 
the  deep  brilliant  green  of  their  foliage  presenting  a 
striking  contrast  with  the  bright  yellow  of  the  fruit. 
Great  quantities  are  used  in  the  distillation  of  a  strong 
and  fiery  species  of  aguardiente.  The  man  through 
whose  house  we  entered  the  church  was  quite  polite 
to  us,  and  invited  us  to  drink  of  this  liquor,  and  to  help 
ourselves  from  heaps  of  the  fruit  and  of  peaches  like- 
wise. 

The  place  is  quite  neat  for  a  Mexican  town,  and  we 
left  it  with  a  very  favorable  impression,  which  how- 
ever was  somewhat  weakened  ere  long.  After  we  had 
proceeded  a  mile  upon  the  road,  I  received  an  invita- 
tion from  the  Alcalde  to  return.  Expecting  some 
civilities  from  the  head  man  of  the  place,  I  somewhat 
reluctantly  obeyed ;  for  I  was  desirous  to  reach  Magda- 
lena  before  nightfall,  and  would  willingly  have  dis- 
pensed with  these  hospitalities.  I  found,  however,  that 
his  object  was  to  ascertain  who  we  were,  and  to  see 
our  passports.  I  informed  him  who  I  was,  and  added 
that  by  virtue  of  my  office,  I  claimed  a  right  to  go  any 
where  in  pursuance  of  objects  connected  with  my 
duties.  The  gentlemen  with  me,  I  told  him,  were  at- 
tached to  the  Commission;  and  if  he  desired  to  be 
satisfied  of  the  truth  of  my  statement,  he  must  send  to 
Magdalena,  whither  we  were  going ;  as  my  papers  were 
now  with  my  baggage  on  the  pack-mules  several  miles 
in  advance.  The  little,  fat,  puffy  official,  was  not  at 
all  satisfied  ;  he  seemed  to  distrust  my  statement,  and 
wished  us  to  go  before  the  Prefect,  to  which  I  deci- 
dedly objected.  I  again  politely  told  him  that  I  should 
be  in   Magdalena  a  couple   of  days,  and  would  there 


422  SANTA    CRUZ 

satisfy  his  doubts.  Continuing  our  journey,  a  ride  of 
six  miles  through  a  richly  cultivated  valley  brought 
us  to  La  Magdalena,  or  rather  within  half  a  mile  of  it, 
where  we  encamped.  I  did  not  wish  to  go  nearer  the 
town,  on  account  of  the  large  number  of  people  that 
would  be  assembled  there. 

October  2d.  Before  I  was  out  of  my  bed,  (and  I 
rose  before  the  sun,)  a  messenger  came  to  my  tent  and 
asked  for  the  "Commandante."  I  heard  him  making 
inquiry  of  the  cook,  and,  springing  from  my  cot,  went 
to  the  tent-door  and  asked  his  business.  He  said  the 
Alcalde  desired  to  see  me  as  soon  as  possible.  I  told 
him  I  did  not  make  calls  at  that  hour,  but  would  see 
him  after  breakfast.  Accordingly,  about  nine  o'clock, 
I  waited  upon  that  dignitary,  accompanied  by  Dr. 
Webb,  Mr.  Cremony,  and  Mr.  Thurber.  He  proved 
to  be  a  shop-keeper  of  the  third  class,  occupying  a 
filthy  little  place,  with  a  stock  in  trade,  I  should  think, 
worth  some  twenty-five  dollars.  I  told  him  that  agree- 
ably to  his  orders  I  had  called  upon  him,  and  desired 
to  know  his  commands.  He  presented  me  a  letter 
which  he  had  just  received  from  the  Prefect  of  San 
Ignacio.  It  stated  that  a  party  of  Americans  had 
passed  through  that  place,  who,  on  being  called  upon 
to  show  their  passports,  had  said  they  would  do  so  at 
La  Magdalena.  That  he  wished  us  to  be  examined  and 
detained  until  he  came,  which  would  be  to-day.  Mr. 
Cremony  then  introduced  me  as  the  Commissioner  of 
the  United  States,  explaining  my  duties  and  those  of 
the  gentlemen  attached  to  my  party.  I  first  stated  to 
him  briefly  the  object  of  my  visit  to  La  Magdalena,  viz., 
to  purchase  provisions  and  mules  for  our  surveying 


TO    LA   MAGDALEN  A.  423 

parties  at  the  Gila ;  and  then  showed  him  my  commis- 
sion, with  the  great  seal  of  the  United  States  and  the 
bold  signature  of  Zachary  Taylor  affixed  to  it,  toge- 
ther with  letters  from  General  Conde  and  Carrasco, 
requesting  the  civil  and  military  authorities  to  extend 
to  me  every  aid  in  their  power.  Whether  it  was  the 
name  of  the  hero  of  Buena  Vista  or  the  number  and 
character  of  my  letters  that  produced  the  effect,  I  do 
not  know  ;  but  he  expressed  himself  perfectly  satisfied 
before  I  had  got  half  through,  and  said  that  he  was 
only  acting  by  order  of  the  Prefect  of  San  Ignacio.  I 
told  him  that  the  Prefect  had  not  treated  us  well ;  that 
I  had  stopped  in  the  public  square  with  my  party,  and 
had  been  for  more  than  an  hour  in  the  church,  or  in 
the  dwelling  house  of  one  of  the  citizens,  when  a 
hundred  of  the  people  were  around  us,  and  knew  our 
history  ;  that  instead  of  asking  me  then,  he  had  per- 
mitted me  to  resume  my  journey,  and  after  getting  a 
mile  from  the  town,  had  ordered  us  back.  After  many 
apologies,  the  Alcalde  told  us  to  go  where  we  pleased, 
and  very  politely  tendered  his  services. 

I  did  not  really  blame  the  authorities  alluded  to 
except  for  compelling  us  to  retrace  our  steps.  The 
quiet  people  here  have  been  so  much  annoyed  by 
the  conduct  of  California  emigrants  who  have  passed 
through  the  country,  as  to  make  them  shy  of  all  Ameri- 
cans. These  reckless  adventurers  often  set  at  defiance 
all  law  and  propriety,  and  we  had  many  accounts  of 
their  shameful  and  brutal  conduct.  The  fields  in  this 
country  are  seldom  fenced,  and  it  is  no  uncommon 
thing  for  a  party  of  these  men  to  encamp  and  turn 
their  animals  into  a  field  of  corn,  on  which  the  help- 


424  SANTA    CRUZ 

less  ranchero  and  his  family  are  probably  depending 
for  their  chief  support.  They  will  enter  a  house,  pistol 
in  hand,  demanding  whatever  it  affords ;  frequently 
they  help  themselves,  without  the  ceremony  of  paying 
for  what  they  take ;  and  commit  other  outrages  which 
make  one  who  has  any  national  pride  blush  to  hear 
recited. 

This  affair  being  ended,  we  walked  around  the 
plaza,  or  public  square,  where  crowds  of  people  were 
busily  occupied  in  setting  up  their  booths  for  the 
approaching  fiesta  of  San  Francisco.  These  were 
chiefly  constructed  with  boughs  of  trees  lashed  to- 
gether, and  covered  with  the  same.  A  few  had 
begun  to  display  their  wares.  We  next  went  into 
the  church. 

Although  San  Franciscos  are  as  common  in  Mexico, 
as  Washingtons,  Jeffersons,  and  Franklins  are  with  us, 
and  churches  dedicated  to  that  saint  are  to  be  found  all 
over  the  country  ;  yet  this  of  La  Magdalena  is  the  most 
celebrated  and  potent  of  all,  inasmuch  as  it  contains  a 
celebrated  figure  of  San  Francisco,  which,  among  other 
miracles,  performed  that  of  selecting  the  place  of  its 
abode.  A  party  of  San  Franciscans,  as  the  legend 
goes,  were  travelling  in  search  of  a  proper  spot  to 
found  an  establishment,  and  had  among  their  other 
effects  this  sainted  figure  packed  upon  a  mule.  On 
arriving  at  this  place,  the  animal  carrying  the  precious 
burden  became  obstinate,  and  refused  to  budge.  This 
the  worthy  fathers  interpreted  as  indicating  the  Saint's 
pleasure  to  stop  here.  So  here  they  built  the  church. 
The  original  building,  with  the  exception  of  the  tower, 
is  in  ruins ;  but  a  new  one  has  been  erected  within  a 


TO    LA   MAGDALENA.  425 

few  years,  which,  is  quite  an  imposing  edifice,  with  two 
fine  towers  and  a  large  dome,  beneath  which  the  Saint 
reposes. 

For  several  days  previous  to  the  4th  of  October, 
which  is  the  Saint's  day,  preparations  for  its  celebra- 
tion begin  ;  so  that  the  devotions  and  offerings,  with 
their  accompanying  festivities,  are  in  full  blast  a  day  or 
two  in  advance.  La  Magdalena  and  the  Church  of 
San  Francisco  are  the  Mecca  of  devout  Mexican  Catho- 
lics. From  the  borders  of  Sinaloa  on  the  south  to  the 
furthest  outpost  near  the  Gila,  and  from  the  Gulf  of 
California  to  the  Sierra  Madre,  they  flock  in  by  thou- 
sands, to  offer  their  devotions  at  this  shrine.  It  is  not 
unusual  for  very  great  sinners  to  bring  their  burden 
of  guilt  a  distance  of  four  or  five  hundred  miles ;  a 
journey  in  this  country  of  greater  difficulty,  and  requir- 
ing more  time,  than  one  from  New  Orleans  to  Quebec. 
The  poorer  classes  often  come  a  hundred  miles  on 
foot,  begging  by  the  way.  The  more  penitent,  like 
the  idolaters  before  the  temple  of  Juggernaut,  or  the 
devout  Mohammedan  at  the  shrine  of  his  prophet,  pros- 
trate themselves,  and,  with  their  hands  crossed  on  their 
breasts,  advance  on  their  knees  a  hundred  feet  or 
more  to  the  church.  Both  men  and  women  are  thus 
seen  toiling  over  the  dusty  street  and  brick  pavement 
of  the  church  to  the  presence  of  the  Saint,  who  is  laid 
out  beneath  the  dome  and  in  front  of  the  altar.  When 
the  votaries  reach  the  bier,  they  cross  themselves,  and 
with  outstretched  arms  repeat  their  prayers.  They 
then  rise  to  their  feet,  and,  drawing  nearer,  present 
"their  offerings. 

The  body  of  San  Francisco,  or  rather  its  image,  lies 


426  SANTA    CRUZ 

upon  a  platform  or  bier  clothed  in  rich  vestments,  and 
covered  with  a  piece  of  satin  damask  of  the  most  gor- 
geous colors.  The  head,  hands,  and  feet  are  alone  ex- 
posed. These  are  made  of  wood,  colored  to  represent 
flesh ;  and  I  was  informed  by  a  Mexican  gentleman, 
that  these  constituted  the  whole  statue.  The  body,  he 
told  me,  was  merely  a  frame-work,  stuffed  with  rags 
and  cloths  to  give  it  a  form,  over  which  the  drapery 
was  disposed.  The  offerings  consist  of  money  and 
candles  ;  and  as  wax  is  quite  expensive  here,  the  poorer 
class  present  candles  of  tallow.  There  was  a  continual 
jingling  of  money ;  in  fact,  so  constant  was  the  drop- 
ping of  silver  dollars  into  the  receptacle  placed  for 
them,  that  no  other  sound  was  heard.  What  was  sin- 
gular in  all  this  mummery  was,  that  no  priest  was 
present.  The  men  who  took  the  money  were  ordina- 
rily dressed,  having  on  nothing  to  distinguish  them 
from  the  crowd  around.  There  may  have  been  a  priest 
behind  the  altar  or  somewhere  not  visible  to  the 
devotees  ;  but  while  I  stood  by  the  side  of  the  image . 
and  witnessed  the  proceedings  on  two  occasions,  I 
could  perceive  none.  An  estimate  may  be  formed  of 
the  crowds  here  present,  when  I  state  that  the  receipts 
this  year,  although  the  attendance  was  less  than  usual, 
were  about  twelve  thousand  dollars ;  while  on  some 
former  occasions,  the  amount  of  money  voluntarily 
given  had  reached  the  sum  of  eighteen  thousand.  To 
the  question  what  become  of  all  this  money,  I  received 
the  usual  reply  of  "  Quien  sale  f"  A  gentleman,  how- 
ever, told  me  that  it  went  to  the  city  of  Mexico,  and 
that  neither  the  poor  of  Magdalena  nor  the  church 
there  derived  any  benefit  from  it. 


TO    LA   MAGDALENA.  427 

In  the  evening  I  visited  the  church  again,  when  I 
witnessed  the  ceremony  of  consecrating  ribbons.  The 
space  around  the  image  was  crowded  as  in  the  morn- 
ing with  devotees,  each  provided  with  a  piece  of  rib- 
bon. The  mode  of  consecrating  it  depended  upon  the 
ailment  of  the  applicant.  If  he  or  she  had  a  pain  in 
the  head,  the  ribbon  was  passed  several  times  across 
the  forehead  of  the  figure  by  the  officiating  Franciscans. 
If  blind,  the  ribbon  was  passed  across  the  eyes ;  if 
lame,  or  afflicted  with  rheumatism,  it  was  passed  over 
the  arms  or  legs ;  and  in  many  instances  I  saw  it 
drawn  between  the  toes  of  the  Saint.  Had  some  of 
our  turtle-fed  aldermen  been  the  applicants  for  the 
latter  process,  one  might  have  believed  it  to  be  for 
the  gout ;  but  I  fancy  that  a  diet  of  frijoles  and  tortil- 
las does  not  often  engender  that  disease  in  Mexico. 
Some  of  the  worshippers  were  provided  with  long 
pieces  of  ribbon,  which  they  applied  in  turn  to  every 
part,  a  knot  being  tied  after  each  application,  making, 
probably,  as  one  of  the  gentlemen  observed,  "  a  sort 
of  family  medicine  chest."  The  faith  of  the  people  in 
this  thing  of  wood  and  paint  is  astonishing.  An  old 
man  told  us  with  the  utmost  seriousness,  that  last  May, 
when  the  cholera  visited  the  place,  and  was  cutting 
off  twenty  a  day,  they  had  only  to  bring  the  image 
into  the  street,  and  the  disease  at  once  disappeared. 
He  was  asked  what  he  would  have  thought  if  the  dis- 
ease continued.  He  replied,  "That  it  was  the  will  of 
the  Saint,  and  we  must  submit." 

In  our  rambles,  we  dropped  into  an  attractive- 
looking  shop  to  make  inquiries  about  such  provisions 
as  we  required.     The  proprietor,  Senor  Gonzales,  was 


428  SANTA   CRUZ 

a  native  Castilian,  which  we  soon  perceived  by  the 
purity  of  his  language.  He  at  once  recognized  us  as 
Americans ;  and  after  answering  our  inquiries,  invited 
us  into  an  inner  apartment,  furnished  very  handsomely, 
and  in  good  taste.  One  of  the  first  things  I  noticed 
here  was  an  American  rocking  chair — an  article  of 
luxury  better  adapted,  one  would  suppose,  to  the  quiet 
habits  of  the  Mexicans,  with  their  fondness  for  a  siesta 
during  the  heat  of  the  day,  than  to  those  of  rest- 
less Yankees.  Wine  and  other  refreshments  were 
offered  us;  and  an  hour  was  agreeably  spent  in  con- 
versation with  our  new  acquaintance.  He  gave  us 
much  information  about  the  country,  and  the  ceremo- 
nies we  had  just  witnessed.  While  there,  several 
strangers,  also  gentlemen  of  education  and  respecta- 
bility, came  in ;  and  rinding  who  we  were,  and  of  what 
we  were  in  pursuit,  they  gave  us  such  information  as 
we  required,  and  tendered  us  their  services.  I  regret- 
ted to  learn  that  we  could  ndt  procure  the  provisions 
we  needed ;  but  it  was  expected  that  the  fair  would 
bring  many  mules  into  market,  so  that  in  a  few  days 
we  could  obtain  all  that  we  wanted. 

In  the  evening  we  walked  about  the  town,  and 
among  the  booths,  which  were  arranged  on  every  side 
of  the  plaza,  and  along  the  principal  streets.  They 
seemed  much  like  those  which  it  was  customary  to 
erect  in  New- York  on  the  Fourth  of  July.  Cakes  of 
various  kinds,  tortillas,  fruits,  and  aguardiente,  were 
the  staple  articles ;  but  while  there  were  booths 
entirely  appropriated  to  the  sale  of  this  intoxicating 
liquor,  I  do  not  remember  to  have  seen  a  single 
drunken  man.  In  the  midst  of  these  booths  was  a  large 


TO   LA   MAGDALENA.  429 

inclosure.  covered  with  the  boughs  of  trees,  beneath 
which  some  hundreds  were  assembled,  and  engaged  in 
dancing.  An  enormous  bass  drum,  which  was  heard 
above  all  other  sounds,  a  couple  of  violins,  and  a  cla- 
rionet, ground  out  waltzes  and  polkas,  while  the  beaux 
were  swinging  round  the  senoritas  in  a  manner  that 
would  astonish  our  dancing  community.  Notwith- 
standing the  crowd  here  assembled,  most  of  whom 
were  strangers  to  each  other,  the  most  perfect  order 
was  kept.  The  Mexican  people  are  ardently  devoted 
to  dancing ;  and  when  they  once  enter  into  it,  they 
do  not  cease  until  the  sun  appears  the  following  day. 
Some  of  our  party  who  were  given  to  this  amusement 
thought  they  would  like  to  take  a  few  turns.  So, 
casting  a  glance  along  the  line  of  dark-eyed  damsels 
who  occupied  the  benches,  and  selecting  the  most 
attractive,  they  advanced  without  any  introduction, 
led  them  into  the  arena,  and  at  once  joined  in  the 
merry  whirl.  A  perpetual  fandango  was  thus  kept  up 
day  and  night ;  where  people  of  all  sorts,  sizes,  and 
conditions  might  be  seen  twirling  to  the  slow  measure 
of  the  Spanish  reel,  or  the  more  active  waltz  and 
polka.  But  gambling,  after  all,  seemed  to  predomi- 
nate. Whole  ranges  of  booths  were  devoted  to  this 
exciting  amusement;  and  crowds  of  every  age,  sex, 
and  class  were  assembled  about  them.  Boys  and  girls 
of  six  and  eight  years  of  age  laid  down  their  coppers, 
and  men  their  reals  and  dollars  ;  while  at  other  tables 
the  more  wealthy  and  aristocratic  ventured  their 
ounces.  Some  of  the  tables  were  attended  by  women, 
selected,  not  on  account  of  their  personal  beauty,  but 
for  their  expertness  in  shuffling  the  cards. 


430  SANTA    CRUZ 

October  3d.  Accompanied  Mr.  Pratt  to  the  hills 
opposite  our  camp,  to  take  some  sketches.  The  hills 
were  separated  from  the  camp  by  the  river,  on  the 
banks  of  which  were  some  hundreds  of  men  and 
women  bathing  or  washing.  A  few  cotton-wood 
trees  grew  along  the  valley ;  and  the  margin  of  the 
stream  was  lined  with  willow-bushes.  The  hills  here 
are  about  five  hundred  feet  high ;  and  from  them  we 
had  a  fine  view  of  the  town  and  adjacent  plain,  which 
was  inclosed  towards  the  south  by  a  high  range  of 
mountains.  The  hill  where  we  stood  was  literally 
covered  with  cacti  of  every  variety  that  we  had  seen, 
from  tiny  plants  not  longer  than  one's  thumb,  just 
projecting  from  some  crevice,  to  the  giant  cereus,  that 
shot  up  to  the  height  of  fifty  feet.  The  agave,  yucca, 
fouquiera,  Spanish  bayonet,  mezquit,  and  other  plants, 
alike  grew  in  profusion  around  us. 

In  the  evening  we  again  visited  the  church,  where 
the  same  scenes  were  going  on  as  before  described.  It 
was  now  brilliantly  illuminated,  and  a  procession  was 
marching  through  the  crowd,  each  individual  in  it 
holding  a  lighted  candle  in  his  hand.  The  music  was 
performed  by  a  circus  band,  from  Hermosillo,  which 
played  the  same  pieces  for  the  interludes  of  the  service 
as  it  did  for  the  performances  of  evening.  Some 
of  our  popular  Ethiopian  melodies  occasionally  greeted 
the  ear. 

October  Ath.  Finding  it  impossible  to  obtain  pro- 
visions here,  I  determined  to  go  to  Ures,  the  Capital 
of  the  State  of  Sonora,  about  ninety  miles  distant,  for 
the  purpose  of  procuring  what  we  needed,  and  of  nego- 
tiating my  drafts  on  the  government,  which  I  could 


\,  l: 


■I 
Mb 

I  ■  .villi:! 


fi|:i!ii:ii  :' 


TO    LA   MAGDALENA.  431 

not  do  here.  Senor  Gonzales  agreed  to  furnish  the 
mules  I  wanted,  but  could  not  do  so  under  a  week  or 
ten  days.  I  accordingly  gave  him  an  order  to  procure 
for  me  ten  pack  and  four  riding  mules,  sundry  pack- 
saddles,  etc.,  which  were  to  be  delivered  me  on  my 
return  from  Ures. 

In  the  afternoon,  services  were  performed  over  the 
figure  of  San  Francisco,  preparatory  to  its  being  car- 
ried through  the  streets  in  grand  procession.  As  soon 
as  the  sun  had  set,  the  eight  bells  commenced  a  merry 
peal,  the  church  was  illuminated,  and  the  procession 
formed.  The  figure  was  brought  forth  on  a  platform, 
or  bier,  over  which  was  a  canopy  of  crimson  satin; 
and  two  lines  were  formed  extending  across  the  plaza, 
each  individual  bearing  a  lighted  wax-candle  in  his 
hand.  I  estimated  the  number  in  the  procession  car- 
rying these  candles  at  twelve  hundred.  A  band  of 
music  led  the  way,  followed  by  boys  and  men  swing- 
ing censers  of  incense.  Next  came  the  Saint  immedi- 
ately preceded  by  a  priest ;  and  a  crowd  of  women 
carrying  lighted  candles  followed,  constituting  the 
main  body  of  the  procession.  Innumerable  small 
rockets  were  thrown  up  by  the  populace,  which  flew 
about  in  all  directions,  and  fell  among  the  crowd. 
Muskets  too  were  fired  by  such  as  had  them  from  the 
streets  and  the  house-tops,  as  the  procession  passed 
along.  On  the  whole,  the  noise  and  confusion  re- 
minded us  of  the  celebration  of  the  4th  of  July,  and 
seemed  to  exhibit  quite  as  little  devotional  feeling  as 
that  day  brings  forth  among  us.  It  was  one  continual 
scene  of  amusement  and  hilarity  from  the  begining  to 
the  end.    After  marching  across  the  plaza  and  through 


432        SANTA  CRUZ  TO  LA  MAGDALEN  A. 

one  of  the  streets,  the  whole  distance  not  exceeding 
a  quarter  of  a  mile,  the  image  was  carried  back  to 
the  church  and  laid  on  the  shelf  until  the  next  year  ; 
and  so  the  grand  fiesta  ended. 

We  dined  to-day  with  our  Castilian  friend,  Senor 
Gonzales ;  and  at  his  house  we  met  several  Mexican 
gentlemen,  among  them  Don  Ilarion  Garcia,  whom  we 
saw  at  our  camp  on  the  San  Pedro. 

La  Magdalena  is  the  best  built  town  we  had  yet 
seen ;  the  houses  are  chiefly  of  adobe,  though  some 
are  of  brick,  and  nearly  all  are  stuccoed  and  white- 
washed. Many  are  colored  yellow  and  otherwise 
ornamented,  in  a  manner  exhibiting  considerable  taste. 
The  permanent  population  does  not  exceed  fifteen 
hundred  souls,  which  number,  during  the  days  of  the 
festival  of  San  Francisco,  is  swelled  to  ten  or  twelve 
thousand. 


ILLNESS    AND    DETENTION   AT   URES.  433 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

ILLNESS   AND    DETENTION    AT    URES. 

Leave  La  Magdalena — Taken  ill — Diary  breaks  of — Sufferings  on  the  road 
— Reach  ITres— Poor  quarters — Dr.  "Webb  and  rest  of  party  visit  Guay- 
mas — Kindness  of  Dr.  Campbell — Description  of  Ures,  the  capital  of 
Sonora — Theatricals — The  Yaqui  Indians — The  Opate  Indians — Visit 
from  Tanori,  an  Opate  chief — Other  Indian  tribes  of  Sonora — Exports 
— Narrative  of  an  expedition  against  the  Apaches — My  party  leave  me 
and  go  to  the  Gila — Taken  to  Dr.  Campbell's — Irruption  of  the  Apaches 
— Imbecility  of  the  Mexicans — Tanori  and  the  Opate  Indians  go  in  pur- 
suit— Visit  from  the  Coco-Maricopa  Indians  of  the  Gila — Good  news 
from  Tanori — He  defeats  the  Apaches  and  recovers  the  stock — En- 
trance of  the  victors  with  the  recovered  booty  into  Ures — Death  of 
General  Garcia  Conde — His  character — -An  American  held  in  bondage 
— Arrival  of  General  Flores — Departure  for  the  coast. 

October  6th.  We  left  La  Magdalena  in  the  afternoon, 
taking  a  south-easterly  course  across  a  plain  covered 
with  grass  and  mezquit  bushes.  There  was  no  wagon 
road,  wheeled  vehicles  not  yet  being  used.  We  fol- 
lowed a  large  and  well  beaten  road,  which,  though 
traversed  by  thousands  of  animals  and  pedestrians,  was 
in  many  places,  where  it  wound  over  the  hills,  no  more 
than  a  narrow  path  twelve  or  eighteen  inches  in  width. 
Crowds  of  people  returning  to  their  homes  lined  the 
road ;  so  that  we  had  no  lack  of  company.  We  are 
still  in  a  country  infested  by  bands  of  Apaches,   who 

vol.  i.— 28 


434  ILLNESS    AND 

•« 

prowl  among  the  mountains  and  pounce  upon  any- 
small  and  unprotected  party  that  may  fall  in  their  way. 
We  journeyed  but  twelve  miles  when  we  encamped. 


With  the  above,  my  diary  breaks  off.  The  follow- 
ing day,  I  felt  quite  ill,  and  when  we  encamped,  early 
in  the  afternoon,  was  unable  to  record  what  had  passed 
or  to  make  any  notices  of  the  country.  The  day  after, 
my  illness  continued,  and  my  appetite  left  me  entirely. 
I  still  kept  in  my  saddle,  and,  by  stopping  every  hour 
or  so  and  lying  down,  was  enabled  to  reach  a  camp-/ 
ing  place  early  in  the  day.  Ranchos  and  villages 
being  at  short  distances  apart,  we  found  no  difficulty 
in  halting  where  it  suited  our  convenience.  On  the 
sixth  day  after  leaving  Magdalena  we  reached  Tires, 
passing  through  the  villages  of  Cucurpe,  Tuape,  Opo- 
depe,  and  Rayon,  a  distance  of  forty  leagues.  It  was 
a  most  painful  journey  to  me.  I  was  obliged  to  keep 
on  horseback,  there  being  no  other  means  of  convey- 
ance. During  the  day,  between  the  hours  of  ten  and 
four5  the  sun  was  intensely  hot,  and  the  rays  from 
the  light  colored  soil  gave  me  a  severe  pain  in  my 
head.  I  used  an  umbrella  when  the  wind  did  not 
blow,  which  gave  me  some  relief;  nevertheless,  I 
was  compelled  to  make  frequent  stops,  and  avail  my- 
self of  a  bushy  tree  or  shrub  that  afforded  a  shade, 
where  I  could  lie  down  and  rest.  I  would  wil- 
lingly have  stopped;  but  the  miserable  little  places 
we  passed  afforded  no  comforts,  and  my  companions 
agreed  with  me  that  it  was  best  to  push  on  for  Ures. 
As  the  nights  were  cold,  requiring  two  or  three  blank- 


DETENTION    AT   URES.  435 

ets,  it  was  necessary  that  I  should  go  into  quarters  and 
keep  as  quiet  as  possible.  Two  of  the  party  therefore 
rode  on  in  advance,  taking  with  them  my  letters  to 
Governor  Aguilar.  We  reached  the  borders  of  the 
town  before  they  rejoined  us  ;  and  I  was  glad  to  throw 
myself  on  a  tent  cloth  in  the  shade  of  a  mezquit  tree, 
and  there  await  the  return  of  my  friends.  Soon  after 
they  came,  but  had  only  succeeded  after  much  search 
in  obtaining  a  room  in  the  rear  of  an  unoccupied  shop, 
of  which  I  at  once  took  possession.  The  walls  were 
of  uncolored  adobe,  and  the  floor  of  brick,  while  the 
light  was  admitted  from  a  small  barred  window  resem- 
bling that  of  a  prison,  which  opened  into  a  court  yard. 
My  furniture  consisted  of  my  portable  cot,  a  leather 
pannier  which  contained  a  small  portion  of  my  clothes, 
and  a  camp  stool.  The  morning  after  I  arrived,  the 
Governor,  Don  Jose  de  Aguilar,  called  on  me  and 
kindly  offered  his  services ;  but  I  was  too  ill  to  say 
much,  or  even  listen  with  attention.  An  American 
physician,  Doctor  Campbell,  who  had  long  resided  in 
the  place  and  had  been  a  resident  of  the  State  for  some 
twenty -five  years,  hearing  of  my  arrival,  came  at  once 
to  see  me ;  and  from  what  he  said,  I  found  that  my 
illness  was  a  serious  one,  and  that  I  should  not  be  able 
to  leave  for  a  long  time.  Doctor  Webb  remained  with 
me ;  and  my  servant,  a  faithful  Irishman  named  William 
Turner,  also  occupied  a  corner  of  the  room.  After 
being  here  about  two  weeks,  I  was  carried  to  other 
and  somewhat  more  comfortable  quarters. 

My  new  room  was  about  twenty-five  feet  square, 
with  a  brick  floor  and  colored  walls ;  and  as  is  gener- 
ally the   case  with   the  smaller   apartments   in  large 


436  ILLNESS   AND 

houses,  there  was  no  window,  the  light  being  admitted 
from  the  door.  But  the  greatest  deprivation  was  the 
want  of  a  fire-place,  of  which  I  afterwards  learned 
there  was  but  one  in  the  whole  town,  and  that  was  in 
the  house  of  Doctor  Campbell.  This  gentleman  sent 
me  a  table  and  a  couple  of  chairs ;  so  that  in  the  mat- 
ter of  furniture  I  now  considered  myself  well  off. 

About  this  time,  finding  my  fever  was  of  such  a 
nature  that  it  would  be  weeks,  if  not  months,  before  I 
should  be  able  to  resume  my  journey,  I  thought  it  best 
to  send  Doctor  Webb,  Mr.  Thurber,  and  Mr.  Cremony 
to  Guaymas,  on  the  Gulf  of  California,  for  the  purpose 
of  negotiating  my  drafts,  to  enable  me  to  pay  for  the 
provisions  and  mules  I  had  purchased.  They  accord- 
ingly left  for  that  place,  Mr.  Pratt  and  his  son  remain- 
ing and  occupying  an  apartment  next  to  mine. 

Doctor  Campbell,  to  whom  I  shall  ever  feel  under 
the  deepest  obligation  for  his  kindness  and  constant 
attention,  visited  me  daily,  and  often  called  two  or 
three  times  during  the  twenty-four  hours.  I  had  occa- 
sional visits  too  from  Dr.  Wallace,  an  English  physician 
who  had  formerly  been  in  practice  at  Ures,  but  had 
lately  abandoned  the  profession,  and  was  then  en- 
gaged in  working  a  silver  mine,  about  twenty  miles 

off.     There  was  also  a  German  physician,  Dr.  — , 

of  Hermosillo,  who  made  me  several  calls  ;  so  that  on 
the  whole,  although  my  comforts  were  few,  I  was  well 
provided  with  medical  attendance.  I  felt  the  want  of 
a  fire  the  most,  for  I  never  slept  with  less  than  four 
heavy  blankets  over  me.  These,  it  is  true,  kept  me 
comfortable  at  night ;  but  during  the  day,  in  the  months 
of  November  and  December,  when  I  wished  to  sit  up, 


DETENTION    AT    URES.  437 

I  felt  much  inconvenience  from  the  cold.  The  lowest 
point  at  which  I  noticed  the  thermometer  was  40° 
Fahrenheit ;  which  for  a  sick  man,  with  no  fire,  and 
the  door  open  to  admit  light,  cannot  be  said  to  be  com- 
fortable. Nevertheless,  thanks  to  an  all-protecting 
Providence,  and  the  excellent  attendance  I  enjoyed, 
the  privations  I  was  subject  to  did  not  prevent  my  re- 
covery ;  and  by  the  middle  of  December,  I  was  able, 
with  the  assistance  of  my  friends,  to  walk  out. 

Dr.  Webb  and  his  party  reached  Guaymas  in  safety ; 
but  there  he  was  taken  ill  with  a  fever,  which  detained 
him  two  weeks  beyond  the  time  allotted  for  his  journey. 
The  others  also  had  slight  attacks.  On  their  return,  I 
was  still  very  weak,  though  convalescent.  Dr.  Camp- 
bell, who  had  had  much  experience  in  the  fevers  of  the 
country,  said  it  would  not  be  possible  for  me  in  my 
enfeebled  state  to  make  the  long  journey  to  the  Gila, 
where  our  surveying  parties  were,  and  thence  to  Cali- 
fornia. Both  he  and  Doctor  Webb  advised  that  I 
should  remain  in  Ures  until  my  strength  was  sufficient- 
ly restored  to  enable  me  to  proceed  to  Guaymas,  and 
should  then  embark  in  some  sailing  vessel  for  Mazat- 
lan,  from  which  place  I  could  take  passage  for  San 
Diego,  in  California,  where  the  engineering  parties 
would  meet  me.  As  soon  as  I  determined  on  this  step, 
I  considered  it  best  that  the  party  which  had  accompa- 
nied me  should  retrace  their  steps  to  Santa  Cruz,  and 
from  that  place  rejoin  the  parties  on  the  Gila. 

On  the  fifteenth  of  December,  the  party  took  leave 
of  me  and  set  off,  accompanied  by  eight  Mexicans, 
whom  Governor  Cubillas  had  kindly  provided  to  escort 
them  as  far  as  Santa  Cruz ;  there  they  hoped  to  find 


438  ILLNESS   AND 

General  Conde  or  some  of  the  Mexican  Commission, 
from  whom  a  further  escort  could  be  procured  to  the 
Gila.  Our  journey  to  Ures  through  the  unfrequented 
parts  of  the  State,  although  unattended  by  any  attacks 
from  the  Indians,  had  not  been  without  danger ;  and 
as  it  was  known  that  bands  of  Apaches  were  prowl- 
ing about,  and  had  committed  many  depredations  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  town,  the  authorities  did  not  think 
it  safe  for  our  small  party  to  return  without  protection. 
Being  now  left  alone  with  my  faithful  attendant, 
William  Turner,  who  did  duty  in  the  triple  capacity  of 
servant,  nurse,  and  cook,  my  excellent  friend,  Dr. 
Campbell,  insisted  on  my  taking  up  my  quarters  in  his 
house,  where  I  should  be  better  provided  for,  and 
where  he  could  more  easily  attend  upon  me.  On  the 
sixteenth  of  December,  I  removed  to  the  Doctor's, 
where,  among  other  things,  I  had  the  luxury  of  sitting 
by  a  fire,  and  of  receiving  many  attentions  from  his 
kind  and  amiable  lady,  such  as  can  be  appreciated 
only  by  those,  who,  having  a  family  and  a  home,  are 
taken  sick  among  strangers  in  a  foreign  land.  Dr. 
James  W.  Campbell  is  a  native  of  Virginia.  His  father 
was  connected  with  Lewis  and  Clarke,  the  pioneers  in 
the  exploration  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  was  an 
agent  of  the  United  States  in  some  negotiations  with 
the  Indian  tribes  west  of  the  Mississippi.  This  led  his 
son,  the  Doctor,  to  New  Mexico,  and  thence  to  Chihua- 
hua and  Sonora.  He  married  in  the  latter  State,  and 
entered  into  the  practice  of  medicine,  for  which  he  had 
been  educated.  Every  American  who  comes  to  the 
place  where  the  Doctor  resides,  is  certain  to  find  in 
him  a  sincere  friend. 


DETENTION    AT    URES.  439 

Ures  (pronounced  Oo-ress)  was  originally  a  mission- 
ary establishment,  and  among  the  earliest  in  the  State. 
Not  many  years  before  the  expulsion  of  the  Jesuits, 
they  commenced  here  the  erection  of  one  of  the  largest 
churches  in  the  country ;  and  when  that  event  took 
place,  the  walls  had  been  raised  about  half  their  in- 
tended height.  The  thirty  years'  neglect,  however, 
which  it  has  suffered  since  that  time,  has  reduced  it  to 
a  mass  of  crumbling  ruins.  Adjoining  it  are  the  re- 
mains of  a  smaller  edifice,  which  is  now  being  rebuilt. 
A  prison,  or  house  of  correction,  a  plain  adobe  struc- 
ture, is  as  yet  the  only  public  building  in  the  place. 
About  a  mile  from  the  town  an  Alameda,  or  public 
park,  has  lately  been  laid  out  and  planted  with  trees ; 
but  so  primitive  is  its  appearance,  that  one  would 
hardly  recognise  it  as  any  thing  more  than  an  ordinary 
field  and  garden. 

During  my  residence  here,  Governor  Aguilar  resign- 
ed his  office,  and  his  successor,  Don  Francisco  Cubillas, 
was  installed  into  his  place.  Like  his  predecessor, 
Governor  Cubillas  is  an  accomplished  gentleman.  He 
has  spent  many  years  in  Europe  and  the  United  States, 
has  a  highly  cultivated  mind,  and  speaks  the  English 
language  with  fluency.  He  manifested  much  interest 
in  the  objects  of  our  commission,  particularly  in  the 
scientific  investigations,  which  I  told  him  we  were  mak- 
ing. During  my  illness,  he  extended  to  me  many  at- 
tentions, for  which  I  shall  ever  hold  him  in  kind  remem- 
brance. To  get  my  party  off,  and  support  myself, 
while  at  Ures,  of  course  required  considerable  money. 
This  he  kindly  proffered  to  me  to  any  amount,  although 
I  could  see  no  way  of  repaying  him  under  many  months. 


440  ILLNESS   AND 

i. 

The  Legislative  Hall  is  a  plain  adobe  building,  dis- 
tinguished from  others  only  by  a  flag-staff.  The  As- 
sembly consists  of  but  eight  members ;  and  one  would 
suppose  that  so  small  a  body  would  be  remarkable  for 
the  harmony  of  its  proceedings.  Yet  I  was  told  that 
a  large  portion  of  its  last  session  was  spent,  in  disputes 
about  the  qualifications  of  three  of  its  members,  and 
that  it  had  adjourned  without  transacting  any  public 
business.  A  newspaper  called  the  Sonoriense,  the  only 
one  in  the  State  of  Sonora,  is  issued  here  weekly,  and 
is  chiefly  devoted  to  the  publication  of  laws,  the  pro- 
ceedings of  the  State  Legislature  and  general  Congress 
of  Mexico,  and  other  matters  of  an  official  character. 

The  town  is  regularly  laid  out  in  squares,  a  large 
church  and  accompanying  plaza  occupying  the  centre. 
The  church  is  a  plain,  substantial  edifice,  with  a  tower 
and  dome,  corresponding  in  general  appearance  with 
others  throughout  the  country.  The  houses  are  well 
built  and  in  general  spacious,  better,  in  fact,  than  any 
we  had  seen,  except  a  few  at  La  Magdalena.  Although 
but  of  one  story,  they  are  about  eighteen  feet  in  the 
clear.  As  brick  is  used  for  cornices  and  other  exterior 
ornaments,  and  as  many  of  the  houses  are  plastered 
and  colored,  the  town  has  a  pleasant  appearance.  Its 
streets,  too,  unlike  most  Mexican  towns,  are  quite  clean. 

Hard  by  runs  the  Sonora  River,  the  bottom  land  of 
which,  extending  for  more  than  a  mile  on  either  side, 
is  exceedingly  fertile.  Its  use,  however,  is  almost 
wholly  confined  to  the  production  of  corn,  wheat, 
beans,  pumpkins,  and  chili.  Vegetables,  which  one 
would  expect  to  form  a  large  part  of  the  subsistence 
of    the    people,    are     scarcely    cultivated    here,    and 


DETENTION    AT    URES. 


441 


during  iny  residence  of  three  months  I  saw  none. 
Oranges,  lemons,  quinces,  pomegranates,  and  peaches, 
abound.     There  is,  too,  a  solitary  date-tree  within  the 


'^~IcslKs" 


Date  Tree,  Ures. 


limits  of  the  town  ;  but  I  could  hear  of  no  others  near, 
and  presume  this  to  be  an  exotic.  The  sugar  cane 
grows  remarkably  well  in  the  bottom  lands,  and  is  cul- 
tivated in  sufficient  quantities  to  supply  a  small  sugar 
mill.  Nothing,  however,  is  made  but  the  common 
pilonce,  an  article  inferior  to  the  most  ordinary  brown 
sugar  of  commerce.  Cotton  of  a  superior  quality,  I 
was  told,  is  raised  here,   though  not  to  any  extent. 


442  ILLNESS    AND 

i. 

The  plain  on  which  the  town  stands  is  intersected  with 
many  arroyos,  or  dry  water-courses,  which,  after  heavy 
rains,  become  filled,  inundate  the  country,  and  endanger 
the  town.  Several  extensive  haciendas  are  situated  in 
the  vicinity ;  among  which  are  those  of  Santa  Rita,  El 
Molino,  Guadalupe,  and  Tapahui. 

A  theatrical  company  from  Mazatlan  was  perform- 
ing while  I  was  a  resident  here  ;  but,  either  from  want 
of  patronage  or  indolence  in  the  actors,  the  represen- 
tations took  place  only  once  or  twice  a  week.  Each 
entertainment  was  publicly  announced  by  a  troop  with 
a  band  of  music  parading  through  the  town.  The 
theatre  was  a  court  yard  in  the  open  air,  and  the  stage 
a  rude  frame  work  filled  with  earth ;  the  spectator 
being  at  liberty  to  look  before  or  behind  the  scenes,  as 
best  suited  his  taste.  Seats  were  not  furnished,  each 
person  bringing  his  own,  or  standing  during  the  per- 
formance. The  prompter  was  ensconced  in  a  sort  of 
well  in  the  front  part  of  the  stage,  his  head  covered  with 
a  tin-plate  screen,  which  strongly  resembled  a  patent 
Dutch  oven.  He  read  the  entire  play  in  an  under 
tone,  and  the  actors  repeated  it  after  him.  The  whole 
affair  was  tedious,  and  a  poor  apology  for  an  evening's 
entertainment. 

The  laborers  of  Ures  and  of  other  towns  in  the 
central  and  lower  parts  of  Sonora  are  the  Yaqui  Indians. 
They  fill  the  same  place  and  perform  the  same  duties 
as  the  lower  class  of  Irish  do  in  the  United  States.  I 
was  told  that  they  are  invariably  honest,  faithful,  and 
industrious,  traits  of  character  which  cannot  be  said  to 
belong  to  the  lower  order  of  Mexicans.  I  saw  these 
men  at  work  in  a  broiling  sun,  with  no  garment  save 


DETENTION    AT    URES.  443 

a  bit  of  cloth  around  their  loins,  and  a  straw  hat  upon 
their  heads,  making  the  adobes  or  sun-baked  brick, 
and  laying  them  in  the  walls.  Others  were  laboring 
in  the  fields ;  and,  in  fact,  the  hard  work  whatever  it 
was,  seemed  to  be  performed  by  these  men.  They 
are  also  the  fishermen  and  the  famous  pearl  divers  of 
the  Gulf  of  California.  These  Indians  were  in  the 
early  history  of  the  country  extremely  warlike  ;  but 
on  being  converted  to  Christianity,  their  savage  nature 
was  completely  subdued,  and  they  became  the  most 
docile  and  tractable  of  people.  In  the  civil  wars  of 
the  State,  some  thirty  years  since,  they  took  part  with 
one  of  the  factions ;  and  when  this  strife  had  passed 
away,  it  was  not  easy  to  subdue  again  the  dormant 
propensities  for  war  which  had  thus  been  aroused. 
They  are  now  very  populous  in  the  southern  part  of 
Sonora. 

The  Yaquis  were  among  the  first  to  be  converted 
by  the  Jesuits ;  who  used  them  as  it  is  said  the  Egyp- 
tians did  the  Israelites,  making  them  perform  all  the 
manual  labor  of  the  missions.  They  became  excellent 
mechanics,  and  built  the  churches  and  missionary  estab- 
lishments of  the  country,  as  well  as  the  presidios,  ox 
garrisons.  In  addition  to  the  tithes,  they  were  also 
made  to  pay  tribute,  either  in  labor  or  the  products  of 
the  soil.  When  their  old  masters  were  banished  the 
country,  "  the  name  of  Jesuit  was  converted  into  that 
of  cura,  and  slavery  was  by  the  same  ingenious  artifice 
changed  to  servitude.  Priests,  who  from  bad  charac- 
ters were  suffered  to  reside  no  where  else,  obtained 
their  living  from  a  Yaqui  congregation  ;  and  it  was  as 
common  in  Mexico  to  banish  a  friar  to  a  Yaqui  eccle- 


444  ILLNESS   AND 

siastical  establishment,  as  any  other  culprit  to  the  fron- 
tier presidios." 

Being  desirous  to  obtain  a  portrait  characteristic  of 
this  large  and  once  powerful  tribe,  I  made  my  wish 
known  to  Governor  Cubillas,  who  sent  a  man  to  me  for 
the  purpose.  He  had  a  mild  expression  of  counte- 
nance and  was  considered  a  good  specimen.  Mr. 
Pratt  obtained  an  excellent  likeness  of  him*;  though 
the  fellow  became  so  alarmed  at  seeing  himself  trans- 
ferred to  canvas,  that  he  would  not  return  to  have  it 
completed.  On  expressing  my  desire  to  possess  a  full 
vocabulary  of  their  language,  I  was  told  that  Padre 
Encinas,  the  learned  and  venerable  priest  attached  to 
the  church  here,  was  so  familiar  with  it,  as  to  be  able 
to  write  and  preach  in  it.  I  accordingly  called  on  him 
with  a  friend  ;  when  he  readily  complied  with  my  re- 
quest, and  furnished  the  corresponding  Yaqui  for  the 
two  hundred  words  in  my  vocabulary. 

Another  large  tribe  of  Indians  in  this  State  is  that 
known  as  the  Opate.  They  are  found  in  the  central 
parts  of  the  State,  and  are  chiefly  devoted  to  agricul- 
ture. They  live  in  villages,  and  are  in  general  a  quiet 
and  well  disposed  people.  Between  La  Magdalena  and 
Ures  we  passed  several  villages  of  Opates,  who  in  dress 
and  appearance  were  quite  as  respectable  as  their 
Mexican  compatriots.  These  people,  however,  are 
most  noted  for  their  bravery,  being  the  only  ones  who 
have  successfully  contended  with  the  savage  Apaches. 
On  many  occasions  they  have  been  called  out  'under 
their  leader  Tanori,  who  receives  regular  pay  from  the 
government,  and  always  holds  himself  in  readiness 
when  he  knows  the  common  enemy  is  among  them. 


DETENTION    AT   URES.  445 

Ever  since  the  conquest  of  the  country,  the  Opate 
tribe  has  manifested  a  frank  and  docile  character,  sym- 
pathizing in  all  things  with  the  whites.  They  early  be- 
came converts  to  Christianity,  and  have  ever  remained 
faithful  to  their  religion.  Of  their  attachment  to 
law,  order,  and  peace,  they  have  given  the  most  une- 
quivocal proofs.  j» 

Three  companies  of  infantry  formed  from  them,  were 
stationed  at  the  frontier  towns  of  Bacuachi,  Tubac,  and 
Babispe ;  and  there,  it  is  said,  for  a  series  of  years, 
they  performed  many  acts  of  extraordinary  valor,  one 
of  them  having  often  been  known  to  contend  success- 
fully against  eight  or  ten  Apaches.  In  the  civil  wars 
of  the  State,  they  also  took  conspicuous  part.  Their 
sense  of  propriety  is  manifested  in  always  being  well 
clothed  with  a  clean  white  shirt  and  pantaloons,  while 
their  Yaqui  brethren  prefer  going  naked,  or  nearly  so. 
Besides  soldiers,  they  are  excellent  couriers,  and  are 
often  employed  to  carry  messages  long  distances  on 
foot,  running  the  greater  portion  of  the  way.  In  twenty- 
four  hours,  they  have  been  known  to  run  from  forty  to 
fiftv  leagues.* 

While  I  was  confined  to  my  room,  I  endeavored  to 
collect  such  information  as  was  within  my  reach  relat- 
ing to  the  Indian  tribes  of  the  State ;  and  as  I  wished  to 
obtain  a  portrait  of  an  Opate,  Governor  Cubillas  was  so 
kind  as  to  send  for  Tanori,  the  head  chief  of  the  nation, 
(to  whom  I  have  before  alluded),  who  lived  thirty 
leagues  distant.  A  few  days  after,  the  Chief  promptly 
reported  himself  at  my  quarters,  accompanied  by  his 

*  Velasco.     Noticias  del  Estado  de  Sonora. 


446  ILLNESS    AND 

wife  He  was  indeed  a  fine  specimen  of  a  man,  being 
full  six  feet  high  and  well  proportioned,  with  a  light 
complexion  for  an  Indian  ;  large  piercing  eyes,  promi- 
nent and  high  cheek-bones,  and  a  most  determined  ex- 
pression of  countenance.  He  often  smiled,  when  his  face 
wore  an  expression  full  of  benignity.  He  was  delight- 
ed when  L  told  him  that  his  portrait  would  be  sent  to 
Washington,  where  the  President  of  the  American 
people  lived,  and  there  hung  upon  the  walls  of  a  great 
room  with  those  of  other  celebrated  chiefs  of  the  Indian 
tribes  within  the  borders  of  the  United  States. 

Mr.  Pratt,  the  artist  of  the  Commission,  was  ready 
when  the  Chief  appeared,  and  at  once  proceeded  to 
transfer  the  faces  and  busts  of  himself  and  wife  to  can- 
vas. Thev  remained  in  town  for  a  week,  and  were 
promptly  on  the  spot  when  required  for  their  sittings. 
Tanori  wore  a  large  serape  of  dark  blue  broadcloth ; 
the  opening  in  the  centre  for  the  head  being  surround- 
ed by  a  broad  band  of  green  velvet,  bound  with  heavy 
gold  lace.  His  garments  beneath  this  were  simply  a 
shirt  and  pantaloons.  His  wife,  who  always  accompa- 
nied him,  was  quite  small,  with  a  delicate  complexion 
for  an  Indian,  though  strongly  marked  with  the  cha- 
racteristics of  her  race.  Tanori  was  greatly  pleased 
with  his  wife's  portrait,  and  expressed  a  strong  desire 
to  possess  it.  I  promised  him  that  if  it  should  ever  be 
published,  I  would  send  him  a  copy.  From  this  chief 
I  also  obtained  a  full  vocabulary  of  his  language. 

The  other  tribes  of  Indians  in  Sonora,  are  the  Mayos 
who  reside  in  the  southern  part  of  the  State  ;  the  Tara- 
humaras  or  Taraumaras,  who  occupy  the  western  por- 
tion adjacent  to    the    Sierra  Madre ;  the  Yumas  and 


DETENTION    AT   URES.  447 

Cocopas  of  the  Colorado ;  the  Papagos  of  the  interior  ; 
the  Pimos,  and  Coco-Maricopas,  of  the  Gila ;  the  Ceres 
of  the  Gulf  of  California  ;  and  the  Apaches.  Of 
each  of  them  I  shall  speak  hereafter,  in  their  proper 
places. 

The  exports  from  Sonora  are  chiefly  wheat  and 
flour.  Copper  was  formerly  exported  in  considerable 
quantities  ;  that  is  now  no  longer  the  case.  There  was 
also  an  extensive  trade  in  pearls,  which  were  collected 
by  the  Indians  of  the  Gulf;  but  I  could  not  learn  that 
much  is  now  done  in  it.  Silver  and  gold  are  among 
the  exports  ;  but  even  of  these  the  amount  is  less  than 
in  former  times. 

Scarcely  a  week  passed  during  my  stay  at  Ures,  that 
I  did  not  hear  of  murders  and  robberies  by  small  bands 
of  Apaches  in  the  neighborhood.  On  one  occasion, 
sixteen  valuable  horses  were  stolen  from  a  single  ha- 
cienda, and  a  boy  was  carried  away  captive.  Another 
time,  several  mules  were  taken  from  a  rancho  within  a 
mile  of  the  town,  and  the  owner  killed.  Yet  not  an 
arm  was  raised  in  defence,  nor  were  any  steps  taken  to 
hunt  out  the  thieves  and  murderers.  I  cannot  refrain 
from  relating  here  an  incident  that  took  place  near  one 
of  the  frontier  towns,  which  affords  a  good  illustration 
of  Mexican  pusillanimity. 

A  band  of  Apaches,  venturing  into  the  interior  of 
the  State,  stole  a  large  number  of  horses  and  mules, 
which  they  were  driving  off.  No  efforts  had  been  made 
to  check  them,  until  at  length  a  party  of  some  forty- 
five  men  armed  with  muskets,  united  for  the  purpose. 
One  of  their  number  was  an  American,  who  took  a 
prominent  part  in  the  expedition.     They  soon  fell  into 


448  ILLNESS   AND 

I: 

the  trail  of  the  robbers  ;  and  about  midnight,  on  reach- 
ing the  top  of  a  hill  which  overlooked  a  valley,  they 
discovered  the  enemy  below  them,  lying  asleep  around 
their  camp  fires ;  while  at  a  short  distance,  their  herd 
of  stolen  animals  were  grazing.  A  small  party  sent 
down  the  hill  to  reconnoitre  ascertained  that  the  Indi- 
ans were  but  twelve  in  number.  It  was  then  proposed 
by  the  American,  that  he,  with  such  others  as  would 
venture  with  him,  should  approach  as  near  as  possible, 
and  each  pick  off  his  man ;  which  should  be  a  signal 
for  the  rest  to  rush  forward  and  overwhelm  them.  The 
plan  was  agreed  to,  but  only  two  Mexicans  and  one 
Opate  boy,  would  venture  to  accompany  the  Ameri- 
can. 

The  four  crept  quietly  to  within  fifteen  paces  of  the 
Indian  camp,  and  took  their  position  behind  some 
bushes  for  concealment.  Just  as  they  were  preparing 
to  fire,  a  tremendous  shout  was  heard,  with  a  confused 
discharge  of  fire-arms  from  the  party  left  on  the  hill. 
The  Indians  sprang  at  once  to  their  feet  and  ran  some 
paces  back,  leaving  their  bows  and  lances ;  but  finding 
they  were  not  pursued,  they  soon  ran  back  and  secured 
them.  The  small  party  of  four,  who  were  thus  placed 
in  an  awkward  predicament,  endeavored  to  make  good 
their  retreat,  dodging  behind  rocks  and  bushes,  and 
occasionally  discharging  their  guns  at  their  pursuers, 
who  were  armed  only  with  bows,  arrows,  and  lances. 
On  reaching  the  summit  of  the  hill,  their  surprise  was 
great  to  find  that  the  cowardly  crew  left  there,  had 
abandoned  their  post  and  were  in  full  retreat,  driving 
some  of  the  stolen  animals,  which  they  had  managed  to 
secure,  before  them. 


DETENTION    AT    URES.  449 

After  the  Opate  boy  had  been  killed  by  the  arrows 
of  his  enraged  pursuers,  his  three  companions  succeed- 
ed in  regaining  their  horses,  and  pushing  on  after  the 
main  body  of  the  party.  The  Indians,  meanwhile,  had 
got  before  them,  and,  riding  fearlessly  up  to  the  re- 
treating Mexican  horsemen,  plunged  their  lances  into 
their  backs.  Not  one  attempted  to  defend  himself, 
or  to  discharge  his  gun.  Quietly  they  submitted  to 
be  transfixed  by  the  enemy's  lances,  until  seven  were 
killed.  The  American  fearing  all  would  be  cut 
off,  told  them  they  must  adopt  one  of  two  alterna- 
tives, as  the  only  means  of  saving  their  lives  ;  namely, 
either  make  a  stand  and  defend  themselves,  or  abandon 
the  recaptured  animals.  The  latter  course  was  pur- 
sued. The  animals  were  left ;  and  the  Apaches,  having 
again  secured  their  stolen  property,  retired. 

This  narrative  exhibits  the  poltroonery  of  the  Mexi- 
cans in  no  stronger  light  than  do  incidents  continually 
taking  place.  I  have  been  told  by  many  Mexican  gen- 
tlemen  and  military  officers,  that  ten  Apaches  will  put 
a  hundred  of  the  lower  class  of  their  countrymen 
to  flight.  They  become  panic-stricken  ;  and  if  forced 
to  discharge  their  guns,  they  do  so  at  random,  turning 
their  faces  and  generally  closing  their  eyes.  In 
Chihuahua  I  heard  of  several  stratagems  used  by 
the  Mexicans,  by  which  they  had  overpowered  their 
adversaries ;  but  in  open  fights,  which  are  very  rare, 
the  Apaches  are  generally  the  victors.  We  often  hear 
of  the  effect  of  fear  upon  a  single  mule,  which  will 
stampede  a  large  herd,  without  their  knowing  the  cause 
of  the  alarm.  The  Mexicans  seem  to  be  possessed  of 
similar  fears,  which  produce  similar  results. 
vol.  i. — 29 


450  ILLNESS   AND 

On  the  15th  of  December,  I  had  so  far  recovered 
from  my  illness  as  to  sit  up  the  greater  part  of  the  day, 
and  to  walk  out  without  assistance,  although  still 
very  weak.  I  sometimes  felt  my  strength  failing  me 
entirely,  and  my  limbs  becoming  almost  destitute 
of  sensation.  On  this  day,  I  resumed  my  diary, 
which  had  been  suddenly  broken  off  on  the  5th  of  Oc- 
tober. 

The  gentlemen  of  the  Commission  who  had  accom- 
panied me  to  this  place  took  leave  of  me  to-day,  to  re- 
trace their  steps  to  Santa  Cruz,  and  thence  proceed  to 
rejoin  the  surveying  parties  on  the  Gila.  The  party  con- 
sisted of  Dr.  Webb,  Mr.  Geo.  Thurber,  Mr.  H.  C. 
Pratt,  Mr.  J.  J.  Pratt,  and  their  attendants.  They 
were  kindly  provided  with  an  escort,  as  I  have  already 
mentioned,  by  Governor  Cubillas.  Not  having  any 
troops  at  his  disposal,  he  gave  me  an  order  on  the  Al- 
calde of  each  town  through  which  Dr.  Webb  and  his 
party  should  pass,  who  were  required  to  furnish  him 
with  eight  mounted  and  armed  men  to  the  next  town, 
and  so  on,  to  the  place  of  his  destination. 

December  IQth.  News  was  brought  in  to-day  that  a 
large  band  of  Apaches  were  ravaging  the  country  to 
the  west ;  and  that  after  attacking  and  robbing  several 
haciendas,  they  had  proceeded  southward  towards 
Hermosillo. 

December  19th.  The  town  was  thrown  into  a  state 
of  alarm,  by  the  news  of  a  fight  between  a  body  of 
Mexicans  and  the  Apaches  before  referred  to,  in  which 
the  former  were  completely  cut  to  pieces.  It  seems 
that  an  effort  had  been  made  to  arouse  the  inhabitants  of 
Hermosillo  to  their  danger,  and  induce  them  to  send 


DETENTION    AT   URES.  451 

out  a  force  to  expel  the  invaders.  But  strange  as  it 
may  appear,  this  town,  with  a  population  of  thirteen  or 
fourteen  thousand  souls,  could  muster  only  forty  hired 
men  to  send  against  a  party  of  about  one  hundred  In- 
dians, who  were  ravaging  the  richest  portion  of  the 
State,  murdering  its  inhabitants,  destroying  their  crops, 
and  robbing  the  haciendas  and  ranchos  of  their  most 
valuable  stock.  These  men  were  armed  and  mounted, 
and  sent  in  pursuit  under  the  command  of  an  officer. 
They  came  up  with  the  enemy  about  five  leagues  from 
Ures ;  but  what  was  the  result  ?  The  Indians  imme- 
diately made  a  desperate  charge  upon  the  Mexicans, 
putting  the  whole  body  to  flight,  and  killing  about 
thirty  of  their  number.  The  officer  and  a  few  others, 
who  succeeded,  after  being  hotly  pursued,  in  making 
their  escape  to  Ures,  reported  themselves  to  be  all 
that  survived ;  but  a  few  stragglers  subsequently  turn- 
ed up.  The  officer's  own  excuse  was,  that  his  men  all 
fled  ;  and  it  being  useless  for  him  to  attempt  to  cope 
with  the  enemy  single  handed,  he  was  obliged  to  run 
with  the  rest  to  save  his  life.  I  saw  a  gentleman  a 
few  days  after,  who  visited  the  spot  where  the  fight 
took  place.  The  Mexicans  were  all  lanced  in  the  hack, 
and  their  muskets,  which  were  found  lying  by  their 
sides,  had  not  teen  discharged.  The  Apaches  care  lit- 
tle for  fire-arms  themselves :  they  can  neither  keep  them 
in  order  nor  obtain  ammunition ;  and  as  long  as  they 
have  nothing  but  Mexicans  to  contend  with,  their 
bows,  arrows,  and  lances,  are  quite  sufficient. 

December  20th.  A  band  of  fifty  Indians  of  the  Coco- 
Mar  icopa  tribe,  from  the  river  Gila,  arrived  in  town 
this  morning.     The  object  of  their  visit  was  to  com- 


452  ILLNESS  AND 

plain  to  the  Governor  of  the  attacks  made  on  them  by 
the  Yumas  of  the  Colorado  and  the  Apaches,  and  to 
beg  that  they  might  be  furnished  with  fire-arms  to  de- 
fend themselves  against  the  common  enemy.  These 
Indians  had  a  totally  different  appearance  from  any  I 
had  seen.  They  were  entirely  destitute  of  clothing 
save  a  breech-cloth  of  coarse  stuff'  of  their  own  manu- 
facture. They  wore  no  covering  on  their  heads,  and 
were  without  any  protection  to  their  feet.  Their  hair 
seemed  never  to  have  been  cut,  but  was  clubbed  up  in 
a  great  bundle,  and  hung  about  half-way  down  their 
backs.  In  front,  it  was  cut  off  straight  across  the 
eye-brows,  while  the  earlocks  were  suffered  to  fall 
down  by  the  side  of  their  faces.  On  being  informed 
by  Governor  Cubillas,  that  there  was  one  among  them 
who  spoke  Spanish  well,  and  acted  as  the  iuterpreter 
of  the  band,  I  requested  that  he  would  do  me  the  favor 
to  send  the  man  to  me.  He  readily  complied  with  my 
request,  and  in  the  after  part  of  the  day  the  Indian, 
with  several  of  his  naked  companions,  presented  him- 
self at  my  quarters.  I  kept  them  a  couple  of  hours, 
taking  down  a  vocabulary  of  their  language ;  at  the 
end  of  which  time,  they  exhibited  much  drowsiness, 
and  said  they  were  hungry.  I  sent  out  for  some  bread, 
but  asked  them  to  wait  until  I  got  through  before  eat- 
ing it.  They  could  not  be  restrained,  however ;  and 
finding  it  no  easy  matter  to  take  down  their  words 
while  they  were  munching  their  food,  I  was  obliged  to 
give  up  the  task,  with  a  request  that  they  would  call 
on  me  again  in  the  morning.  These  men  readily  an- 
swered all  my  questions  about  the  Gila ;  and  I  learned 
from  them  that,  a  short  time  before,  a  party  of  Ameri- 


DETENTION   AT   URES.  453 

cans  had  passed  through  their  villages,  which,  from 
their  account,  I  believed  to  be  the  engineers  of  the 
Boundary  Commission.  One  of  them  had  several  notes 
from  Americans  who  had  passed  through  their  country, 
certifying  to  their  friendly  disposition,  and  requestiug 
kind  treatment  for  them  in  return. 

December  21st  My  Indian  friends  were  at  my  quar- 
ters by  eight  o'clock,  accompanied  by  several  of  their 
companions,  three  of  whom,  claimed  to  be  "capitans," 
or  chiefs.  Whether  they  were  or  not,  I  cannot  say, 
but  believe  they  styled  themselves  such,  in  order  that 
they  might  with  more  propriety  claim  some  presents 
from  me,  and  particularly  some  recommendations. 
These  certificates  they  prize  very  highly,  on  account  of 
the  favors  they  procure  from  emigrating  parties  pass- 
ing through  their  country.  I  gave  testimonials  to  the 
three  who  called  themselves  chiefs,  stating  that  they 
were  friends  of  the  Americans,  and  requesting  my  coun- 
trymen to  treat  them  kindly  and  deal  fairly  with  them. 
I  attached  to  each  note  a  large  red  seal  and  a  piece 
of  red  ribbon,  which  decorations  pleased  them  much. 
These  acquisitions  were  carefully  enveloped  in  several 
wrappers,  and  then  put  into  a  deer-skin  pouch,  which 
was  fastened  around  their  waists.  Having  completed 
my  vocabulary,  I  presented  them  all  with  some  bread, 
and  also  several  yards  of  heavy  cotton  cloth,  which  they 
expressed  a  desire  to  have  above  every  thing  else. 
They  gave  me  their  names  as,  She-pan-wa-ma-ki,  JSum- 
su-il-lya,  and  Ghe-ma-dul-ka-keo. 

The  pleasing  news  arrived  by  courier  that  Tanori, 
the  Opate  chief,  who  went  in  pursuit  of  the  Apaches 
before  mentioned,  had  given  them  battle  this  morning 


454  ILLNESS   AND 

and  completely  routed  them,  killing  many  of  their  num- 
ber and  recapturing  the  animals  which  they  were  driv- 
ing off. 

December  23d  This  morning,  when  walking  near  the 
town,  I  perceived  a  cloud  of  dust  on  the  plain,  which  I 
soon  discovered  to  proceed  from  an  immense  drove  of 
animals  approaching.  As  they  drew  nearer,  I  saw  that 
they  were  escorted  by  a  body  of  armed  men  on  horse- 
back and  on  foot,  who  seemed  to  be  in  high  glee,  and 
who  were  saluted  and  cheered  as  they  passed  by  the 
crowds  who  met  them.  They  proved  to  be  the  horses 
and  mules  recaptured  by  Tanori  from  the  Apaches, 
which  were  now  being  brought  to  Ures,  to  be  reclaimed 
by  their  respective  owners.  I  was  subsequently  in- 
formed by  the  Governor,  that  there  were  eight  hun- 
dred and  sixty  animals  altogether,  and  that  among  them 
were  some  hundreds  of  the  finest  stock  in  the  State. 
They  were  placed  in  the  plaza,  where  the  owners  on 
identifying  them,  and  paying  three  dollars  each,  were 
permitted  to  take  their  property.  This  charge  was  to 
defray  the  expense  of  driving  them  in,  and  for  sub- 
sisting them. 

An  incident  connected  with  the  expedition  of  Ta- 
nori, deserves  to  be  mentioned  here.  At  the  first  fire 
of  his  men  six  Apaches  were  killed,  and  one  was  left 
by  his  companions  mortally  wounded.  This  man  sat 
alone  on  the  plain  near  a  tall  petahaya,  the  blood  trick- 
ling from  his  wound  and  gasping  for  breath ;  but  at  the 
same  time,  clenching  in  his  death-grasp  his  full  drawn 
bow.  His  pursuers  were  thus  kept  at  bay,  knowing 
the  certainty  with  which  an  Apache  warrior  marks  his 
victim.     The  Opates  were  all  armed  with  muskets  or 


DETENTION    AT    URES.  455 

escopettes  ;  and  they  discharged  no  less  than  ten  shots 
at  the  dying  Indian,  not  one  of  which  took  effect.  At 
length  an  Opate  lad  of  sixteen  boldly  advanced  with 
his  gun  to  within  a  short  distance  of  the  wounded  man. 
The  quick  eye  of  the  Apache  was  fixed  on  his  antago- 
nist as  he  approached  him.  The  young  Opate  levelled 
his  gun  and  quickly  pulled  the  trigger.  The  Apache 
at  the  same  instant  let  fly  the  never-failing  and  deadly 
arrow,  which,  skimming  over  the  plain,  buried  itself 
deeply  in  the  neck  of  the  warrior  boy,  and  laid  him 
dead  on  the  spot.  The  ball  of  the  Opate  was  equally 
sure.     Both  were  slain. 

December  24zth.  Dr.  Vassbinder,  a  physician  from 
Canada,  attached  to  the  Mexican  army,  arrived  to-day 
from  Arispe,  bringing  the  painful  news  that  General 
Garcia  Conde,  the  Mexican  Commissioner,  had  died  at 
that  place  on  the  19th  instant.  I  learned  from  him  that 
the  General,  whom  I  left  at  Santa  Cruz  on  the  29th  of 
September,  was  taken  ill  a  few  days  after,  and  lay  for 
somet  ime  at  the  point  of  death.  On  getting  somewhat 
better,  he  was  with  much  difficulty  carried  to  Arispe, 
where  he  could  have  the  benefit  of  a  physician,  besides 
having  more  comforts  than  in  such  a  filthy,  miserable, 
and  unhealthy  place  as  Santa  Cruz.  But  the  journey 
was  too  much  for  him :  he  suffered  a  relapse  which  baf- 
fled his  attendant's  skill,  and  died  on  the  19th  instant. 
It  was  a  singular  coincidence  that  the  General,  who  had 
left  Arispe  when  quite  young,  had  not  visited  it  again 
until  he  was  taken  there  to  die  ;  and  that  this  event 
should  occur  in  the  very  house  in  which  he  drew  his 
first  breath.  General  Conde  was  but  47  years  of  age. 
He  was  an  accomplished  engineer,  and  a  most  amiable 


456  ILLNESS   AND 

and  estimable  gentleman.  Our  intercourse  had  been 
of  the  most  friendly  and  agreeable  character  ;  and  he 
had  ever  shown  himself  ready  to  aid  the  American 
Commission,  while  we  were  within  the  jurisdiction  of 
Mexico,  in  any  way  that  lay  in  his  power.  He  had 
filled  many  important  positions  under  his  government, 
among  which  I  may  mention  those  of  Secretary  of  War 
and  the  Navy,  Director  of  the  Military  College,  and  Dep- 
uty from  the  State  of  Sonora  to  the  Mexican  Congress. 

I  received  a  letter  to-day  from  Dr.  Webb,  announc- 
ing the  safe  arrival  of  his  party  at  Magdalena.  He  gave 
me  an  account  of  an  American  named  English,  whom 
he  had  found  at  the  village  of  Rayon,  where  he  was 
kept  in  bondage  by  a  Mexican.  This  man,  who  pro- 
fessed to  be  of  a  respectable  family,  had  found  his  way 
into  this  country  during  the  war,  and  had  been  taken 
into  custody  by  the  man  he  was  still  with.  He  stated 
that  he  was  not  permitted  to  communicate  with  his 
friends,  and  had  no  means  of  escaping.  I  made  the 
facts  known  at  once  to  Governor  Cubillas,  and  request- 
ed him  to  investigate  the  matter,  which  he  assured  me 
he  would  do  immediately. 

December  25th.  General  Flores,  Commander  of  the 
military  forces  in  Sonora,  Colonel  Garcia,  a  gentleman 
whom  I  had  before  seen  in  Arispe,  and  Captain  Morfi, 
arrived  from  Arispe  and  called  on  me  in  the  evening. 
From  them  I  learned  additional  particulars  of  General 
Conde's  illness  and  death. 

December  26th.  Time  was  now  hanging  heavily  on 
my  hands.  I  felt  extremely  anxious  to  get  off,  but  was 
still  unable  to  sit  upon  a  horse.  The  usual  mode  of 
travelling  through  Sonora  is  on  horseback,  while  pack- 


DETENTION    AT    URES.  457 

mules  do  the  transportation  of  goods.  There  are  a  few 
wheeled  vehicles  here,  and  among  them  some  very 
fine  private  carriages,  which  are  used  between  this  and 
Hermosillo,  where  the  road  is  good ;  but  they  cannot 
be  employed  except  with  difficulty  in  traversing  other 
parts  of  the  country,  owing  to  continuous  mountain 
chains  which  intersect  the  State  on  the  north,  east  and 
south.  Governor  Cubillas  had  interested  himself  much 
for  me,  and  promised  to  apprise  me  of  the  first  oppor- 
tunity that  offered  to  go  to  G-uaytaas,  or  even  to  Her- 
mosillo. To-day  he  called  with  the  pleasing  news  that 
in  three  days  I  should  have  a  conveyance. 

It  did  not  take  me  long  to  prepare  for  my  journey ; 
for  when  I  left  my  party  on  the  San  Pedro  in  Septem- 
ber I  expected  to  be  back  in  eight  or  ten  days,  and 
consequently  made  but  small  provision  for  my  trip.  My 
wardrobe  therefore  was  very  meagre.  A  portable  cot, 
bedding,  and  a  single  camp  stool,  with  my  fire-arms, 
constituted  all  my  other  effects.  I  now  found  it  ne- 
cessary, to  procure  some  cooking  utensils,  and  a  few 
articles  for  a  camp  chest,  as  there  are  no  hotels  in  the 
country,  or  any  public  places  of  entertainment.  Besides 
these,  I  had  to  get  an  animal  for  my  servant  to  ride, 
and  two  pack-mules,  for  transporting  the  luggage,  and 
an  arriero  to  attend  to  them. 


458  URES   TO 


CHAPTER  XX. 


URES   TO    GUAYMAS. 

Leave  Ures — Rich  valley — Tapahui — Don  Manuel  Gandera — His  large  es- 
tates— Successful  farming — Statistics  of  his  haciendas — Silver  mine — 
Reach  Hermosillo — Governor  Aguilar — The  Oeris  Indians — Ohtain 
their  language — Account  of  the  tribe — Mode  of  poisoning  their  wea- 
pons— Description  of  Hermosillo — The  Sonora  River — Productions  of 
the  valley — Business  relations — Sketch  of  the  town — Departure — Meet 
French  emigrants — Description  of  the  country — Its  barrenness — 
Business-like  mode  of  milking  cows — La  Oieneguita — Buena  Noche — 
Reach  Guaymas — Mr.  Robinson,  the  U.  S.  Consul — Description  of  Guay- 
mas  and  its  Oampo  Santo — Its  harbor — Commerce — Intense  heat — 
Departure. 

December  2Wi.  The  carriage  which  my  excellent 
friend  Governor  Cubillas  had -secured  for  me,  was  at 
my  door  in  good  season  this  morning.  It  was  a  small 
Scotch  built  vehicle,  of  an  antiquated  form,  with  two 
wheels,  and  very  comfortable.  Taking  leave,  there- 
fore, of  my  kind  and  attentive  physician,  Dr.  Camp- 
bell, and  his  amiable  wife  and  family,  to  all  of  whom  I 
shall  ever  feel  grateful,  I  was  helped  into  my  chaise 
and  bade  adieu  to  Ures,  where  I  had  been  confined 
eighty  days.  I  still  felt  very  weak  ;  but  my  appetite 
was  good,  and  I  hoped  the  exercise  of  riding  would 
be  beneficial. 


GUAYMAS.  459 

The  road  from  Ures  is  excellent  for  several  miles, 
extending  along  the  bottom  land  of  the  Sonora  River, 
which  is  one  continuous  cornfield,  to  the  village  of 
Guadalupe,  six  miles  distant ;  after  that,  still  keeping 
in  or  near  the  valley,  and  often  crossing  the  stream, 
the  road  becomes  more  hilly,  and  in  many  places  there 
are  bad  gulleys.  It  is  then  hard  and  smooth  to  Tapa- 
hui,  twenty-seven  miles  from  Ures. 

I  reached  this  place,  the  residence  of  Don  Manuel 
Gandera,  the  former  governor  of  Sonora,  at  4  p.  m. 
Having  a  letter  of  introduction  from  Governor  Cu- 
billas,  I  drove  at  once  to  his  hacienda.  I  was  kindly 
received  by  Mr.  Rohnstadt,  a  German,  the  head  mana- 
ger of  the  extensive  estate  of  Don  Manuel,  who 
was  absent,  having  a  few  days  before  gone  to  Guay- 
mas. 

The  whole  village  of  Tapahui  belongs  to  Senor 
Gandera,  who  is  reputed  to  be  the  richest  man  in  the 
State.  He  cultivates  with  great  success  many  miles  of 
the  luxuriant  bottom  lands  of  the  Sonora  River,  which 
runs  directly  through  his  estates,  and  from  which  they 
are  irrigated.  The  houses  are  of  adobe,  well  built  and 
spacious.  They  stand  chiefly  around  or  immediately 
adjacent  to  a  large  plaza,  and  are  exclusively  occupied 
by  the  overseers  and  employees  of  the  owner. 

Mr.  Rohnstadt  accompanied  me  over  the  place, 
and  cheerfully  answered  all  my  inquiries.  And  on 
my  expressing  a  desire  to  know  the  statistics  of  the 
estate,  which  showed  the  most  successful  farming  I  had 
yet  seen  in  Mexico,  he  invited  me  into  his  office. 
Requesting  me  to  be  seated,  he  took  down  the  farm 
book,  and  turned  to  the  result  or  balance  of  the  pre- 


460  URES   TO 

vious  year,  from,  which  he  permitted  me  to  make  the 
following  extract : 

8000  fanegas  (about  21000  bushels)  of  wheat, 
2000       "        (    "        5250      "      )  of  corn, 
500       "        (    "        1050      "       )  of  beans  [frijoles], 
250       "        (    "  656      "      )  of  barley, 

100       "        (    "  262      "      )  of  pease, 

70  wagon  loads  of  sugar  cane, 
From  60  to  80  loads  of  soap,  worth  $30,  each. 

In  addition  to  the  above  there  was  raised  a  variety 
of  vegetables,  which  were  furnished  to  his  laborers, 
and  never  sent  to  market.  Such  were  the  agricultu- 
ral products  of  the  estate. 

Don  Manuel,  besides  being  an  agriculturist,  is  one  of 
the  most  extensive  raisers  of  stock  in  the  country,  as 
the  following  list  of  animals  now  on  his  farms  will  show : 

16,000  sheep, 
700  mules, 
108  stud  horses, 
1620  breeding  mares, 
348  cow  calves, 
355  bull  calves, 

62  young  mules,  "j 
269  mare  colts,      y  product  of  last  six  months. 
165  stud  colts,       ) 

The  wool  gathered  from  the  sheep  is  manufactured 
into  serapes,  or  blankets.  Of  these  there  were  made 
by  hand  during  the  year  nearly  fifteen  hundred,  vary- 


GUAYMAS.  461 

ing  in  value  from  four  to  eighty  dollars  each.  Mr. 
Rohnstadt  showed  me  piles  and  bales  of  these  articles 
ready  for  market,  many  of  them  of  brilliant  colors 
and  fine  texture.  The  serape  is  the  principal  garment 
of  the  Mexicans.  It  serves  them  as  a  covering  at 
night,  and  is  alike  worn  to  protect  them  from  the  cold 
and  from  the  rain.  A  considerable  demand  therefore 
exists  for  the  inferior  qualities  among  the  hands  on  the 
estate. 

One  would  suppose  that  the  cultivation  of  such 
large  farms,  and  the  raising  of  so  many  horses,  mules, 
and  cattle,  would  be  sufficient  for  one  man  to  attend  to 
successfully ;  but  Don  Manuel  does  not  stop  here.  He 
is  the  owner  and  successful  operator  of  a  large  cotton 
mill  near  Tapahui,  which  I  had  not  time  to  visit,  and 
of  a  silver  mine. 

The  books  of  this  gentleman  were  admirably  kept, 
exhibiting  a  correctness  of  system  which  would  be 
creditable  in  the  counting-room  of  one  of  our  New- 
York  merchants.  Mr.  Rohnstadt  kindly  permitted  me 
to  make  the  following  abstract  of  the  list  of  employees 
on  his  establishment. 

414  laborers, 
52  muleteers, 
19  mechanics, 
23  herdsmen, 
16  shepherds. 

This  list  embraces  those  only  who  were  employed 
on  the  farms. 

He  possesses  also  a  silver  mine,  which  had  been 


462  URES   TO 

worked  for  only  five  months.  In  it  are  employed 
eighty-five  men,  who  receive  from  six  to  twelve  dollars 
a  month  and  their  subsistence.  The  last  monthly  pay- 
ment for  wages  and  rations  amounted  to  thirteen  hun- 
dred and  fifty-nine  dollars.  ($1,359.)  The  produce 
of  this  mine  the  first  five  months  after  it  was  opened, 
amounted  to  fifteen  thousand  nine  hundred  and  fifty- 
six  dollars.     ($15,946.) 

The  comforts  and  conveniences  about  the  house,  I 
cannot  say  were  in  keeping  with  the  magnificent  scale 
of  the  establishment.  But  this  is  excusable  in  a  place 
situated  so  far  in  the  interior,  when  even  on  the  coast 
at  the  port  of  Guaymas,  the  luxuries  which  wealth 
usually  commands  are  not  to  be  obtained.  The  enjoy- 
ment of  these  must  be  left  for  the  next  generation. 

December  30th.  Left  Tapahui  after  breakfast.  The 
natural  road  continued  down  the  valley,  hard  and 
smooth,  and  was  quite  equal  to  a  well  made  turnpike. 
Passed  several  haciendas  and  ranchos,  with  extensive 
and  highly  cultivated  grounds.  The  chief  products 
seemed  to  be  wheat,  with  a  limited  proportion  of  corn 
(maize)  and  beans.  Little  attention  seemed  to  be  paid 
to  the  cultivation  of  other  cereals,  fruit,  or  vegetables. 
The  heat  was  very  oppressive,  there  being  no  top  to 
the  chaise  ;  but  as  the  road  continued  good,  I  hurried 
on,  and  at  4  o'clock  reached  Hermosillo,  distant  twen- 
ty-seven miles.  I  drove  at  once  to  Senor  Majocci's,  an 
Italian,  to  whom  I  had  a  note  from  Mr.  Thurber.  Mr. 
M.  gave  me  an  excellent  room  in  his  house,  to  which 
I  had  my  baggage  transferred  and  my  cot  set  up,  and 
furnished  me  with  other  conveniences  to  render  me  as 
comfortable  as  possible. 


.       GUAYMAS.  463 

December  Zlst  Mr.  John  P.  Brodie,  a  Scotch  gen- 
tleman, called  on  me  early  this  morning.     Mr.  Brodie 
has  been  in  Mexico  thirty  years,  during  which  time  he 
has  resided  chiefly  in  Sonora.     He  is  a  gentleman  of 
intelligence,  of  thorough  business  habits,   and  is  much 
respected  by  the  Mexicans,  as  well  as  by  all  who  come 
in  contact  with  him.       Mr.  B.  like  many  foreigners 
who  come  here,  married  a  Mexican  lady ;  and  by  her  he 
has  had  nine  children,  most  of  whom  are  living.     Don 
Jose  Aguilar,  who  was  Governor  of  the  State,  and  re- 
sided  in  Ures'whenI  arrived  there,   also  called  this 
morning.     He  informed  me  that  on  the  Monday  follow- 
ing, he  should  set  out  for  Guaymas,  and  politely  offered 
me  a  seat  in  his  carriage.     This  was  as  pleasing  as  it 
was  unexpected ;  for  the  conveyance   I  had  had  was 
only  to  this  place,  and  I  had  to  take  my  chance  of  get- 
ting to  Guaymas  the  best  way  I  could.     I  should  else 
probably  not  have  got  off  under  a  week  or  ten  days, 
nor  would  the  means  offered  have  been  so  well  suited 
to   my  feeble    condition.     I  had  now  only  to  obtain 
pack  mules  to   carry  my  baggage,  and  arrieros  to  take 
charge  of  them.     But  to   relieve  me  of  all  trouble, 
Senior  Aguilar  kindly  offered  to  make  arrangements  for 
these  also. 

Desiring  to  employ  my  time  to  some  advantage 
during  my  stay  here,  I  requested  the  aid  of  Governor 
Aguilar  in  procuring  an  Indian  of  the  Certs  tribe  from 
whom  I  could  obtain  a  vocabulary  of  his  language. 
This  he  had  promised  me  to  do  when  I  met  him  at 
Ures ;  and  at  once  he  despatched  a  messenger  to  a 
pueblo  or  village  of  these  Indians  near  Hermosillo. 
The   person  sent  for  made  his  appearance  in  a  few 


464  URES   TO 

t. 

hours,  accompanied  by  several  young  Mexican  gentle- 
men of  education,  who  remained  during  the  interview, 
manifesting  much  interest  in  my  undertaking,  and  as- 
sisting me  in  obtaining  the  words  correctly.  The  native 
was  a  good  looking  man,  about  thirty  years  of  age. 
His  complexion  was  fair,  and  resembled  that  of  an 
Asiatic  rather  than  an  American  Indian.  His  cheek- 
bones were  high,  and  his  head  round  and  well  formed, 
though  the  anterior  portion  was  somewhat  angular  and 
prominent.  His  hair  was  short,  straight,  and  black.  He 
was  a  full-blooded  Ceris,  and  came  originally  from  the 
island  of  Tiburon.  In  about  three  hours  I  completed 
the  vocabulary  quite  satisfactorily  to  myself,  and  some- 
what to  the  surprise  of  my  Mexican  friends  when  they 
heard  the  Indian  so  readily  recognise  each  word  as  I 
read  it  off  in  his  native  tongue,  and  then  give  me  the 
Spanish  equivalent.  I  found  it  an  extremely  harsh 
language,  very  difficult  to  express  with  our  letters,  and 
totally  different  from  any  aboriginal  tongue  I  had  heard 
spoken. 

The  Ceris  tribe  of  Indians,  with  the  exception  of 
those  which  are  christianized  and  reside  in  the  village 
near  Hermosillo,  occupy  the  island  of  Tiburon  in  the 
Gulf  of  California,  north  of  Guaymas.  Although  be- 
lieved not  to  number  over  one  hundred  warriors,  they 
have  long  been  the  dread  of  the  Mexicans  between 
Guaymas  and  Hermosillo,  as  well  as  the  country  to  the 
north,  on  account  of  their  continual  depredations  and 
murders.  Their  practice  is  to  lie  in  wait  near  the  tra- 
velled roads,  and  there  surprise  small  and  unprotected 
parties.  Their  place  of  abode  being  on  an  island 
or  the  shores  adjacent,   and  their   subsistence  being 


GUAYMAS.  465 

chiefly  gained  by  fishing,  they  have  no  desire  to  steal 
animals,  which  would  be  of  no  use  to  them ;  nor  do  they 
take  any  prisoners.  To  murder  and  plunder  small  par- 
ties of  Mexicans,  seems  to  be  their  only  aim,  and  every 
arrow  or  lance  thrown  by  the  Ceris  that  pierces  the 
skin,  causes  death,  as  all  are  poisoned.*  Many  expe- 
ditions, fitted  out  at  a  great  expense,  have  been  sent 
against  them ;  but,  though  commanded  by  competent 
officers,  all  have  failed.  The  number  being  so  small, 
they  manage  when  pursued  to  conceal  themselves  where 
they  cannot  be  found.  The  island  of  Tiburon,  as  well 
as  the  main  land  adjacent,  is  exceedingly  barren  and 
destitute  of  water  ;  hence  parties  have  suffered  greatly 
in  the  campaigns  against  them,  without  accomplishing 
any  thing.  I  was  told  that  the  government  had  al- 
ready expended  more  than  a  thousand  dollars  for  every 
male  of  the  tribe.  The  last  serious  attack  of  these  peo- 
ple was  made  upon  a  gentleman  travelling  to  Guaymas 
in  his  carriage  with  his  family  and  attendants,  embrac- 
ing sixteen  persons.  They  were  surprised  in  an  unfre- 
quented place  and  every  soul  put  to  death. 

*  I  was  told  that  the  Ceris  tipped  their  arrows  with  poison ;  but 
how  it  was  effected  I  could  never  learn.  Lieutenant  Hardy,  who  made 
a  voyage  up  the  Gulf  in  1826,  visited  Tiburon,  and  had  some  intercourse 
with  this  people,  thus  describes;  the  process  :  "  They  first  kill  a  cow,  and' 
take  from  it  its  liver ;  they  then  collect  rattle-snakes,  scorpions,  eenti- 
pedes,  and  tarantulas,  which  they  confine  in  a  hole  with  the  liver..  The 
next  process  is,  to  beat  them  with  sticks,  in  order  to  enrage  them  ;:  and 
being  thus  infuriated,  they  fasten  their  fangs  and  exhaust  their  venom 
upon  each  other,  and  upon  the  liver.  When  the  whole  mass  is  in  a  state 
i)f  corruption,  the  women  take  the  arrows  and  pass  their  points  through 
it  ;  they  are  then  allowed  to  dry  in  the  shade." — Travels  in  Mexico.. 
London,  1829.  p.  298. 
vol,  i. — 30 


466  URES    TO 

My  attentive  friends  here,  particularly  Don  Fran- 
cisco Velasco,  to  whom.  I  feel  under  great  obligations, 
were  quite  desirous  to  know  my  opinion  respecting 
the  Ceris  tribe  and  their  language ;  but  it  was  impos- 
sible for  me,  without  a  close  philological  comparison 
with  other  Indian  languages,  to  arrive  at  any  correct 
conclusion  as  to  whether  this  people  are  allied  or  not 
to  other  aboriginal  tribes.  This  curiosity  arose  from  a 
.notion,  which  I  found  to  prevail  in  many  parts  of  So- 
nora,  that  the  Ceris  were  of  Asiatic  origin,  in  proof  of 
which,  some  statements  were  made  too  improbable  to 
repeat.  This  idea  seems  to  have  originated  from  the 
resemblance  between  their  name  and  that  given  by  the 
ancients  to  the  Chinese. 

Hermosillo  is  the  modern  name  for  the  old  presidio 
of  Pitic,  which  belonged  to  the  company  of  Horcasi- 
tas.  It  is  thirty  leagues  distant  from  the  nearest  point 
of  the  shores  of  the  Californian  gulf,  and  thirty-six 
leagues  from  the  port  of  Guaymas,  which  lies  nearly 
south.  It  is  by  far  the  largest  and  finest  city  in  the 
State.  In  1840,  its  population  was  13,665,  including 
about  2000  Yaqui  Indians,  who  are  the  laborers  of  the 
town  and  dependent  upon  it.  It  was  believed  to  con- 
tain 4000  more  in  1845,  when  the  essay  was  written 
from  which  I  have  obtained  these  facts.*  It  has  a  large 
trade  with  Guaymas  ;  from  there  it  receives  all  its 
goods,  which  are  distributed  from  Hermosillo  through- 
out the  State  ;  and  in  return,  the  products  of  the  State 
are  chiefly  concentrated  here  for  transportation  to  that 

*  Noticias  estadisticas   del  Estado  de  Sonora,  par  Jos6  Francisco 
Velasco.     Mexico,  1850. 


GUAYMAS.  467 

place.  The  climate  is  dry  and  exceedingly  hot,  the 
thermometer  ranging  during  the  day  from  95  to  98° 
Fahrenheit,  and  often  exceeding  100°.  Notwithstand- 
ing this  intense  heat,  the  place  is  considered  healthy, 
it  being  free  from  the  epidemics  which  too  often 
accompany  such  high  temperatures.  This  may,  in  some 
respect,  be  owing  to  a  westerly  breeze,  which  springs 
up  in  the  evening,  as  at  San  Francisco  and  other  places 
on  the  Californian  coast,  and  brings  with  it  the  cool  air 
from  the  ocean.  This  sudden  change  of  temperature 
doubtless  arises  from  the  intense  heat  on  the  desert 
during  the  day,  when  the  air  in  a  rarified  state  passes 
upwards  into  the  higher  regions.  As  the  sun  descends, 
the  air  rushes  in  from  the  ocean  to  fill  up  the  vacuum. 
This  will  account  for  the  prevalence  of  the  south-west- 
erly winds  at  certain  seasons  throughout  the  country 
between  the  Gila  and  the  Californian  gulf,  and  the  mois- 
ture they  bring  with  them.  The  winter  is  moderate  and 
the  temperature  variable,  sometimes  reaching  90  de- 
grees. The  weather  to-day,  31st  December,  would  be 
called  hot  in  New- York ;  and  I  noticed  that  even  the 
inhabitants  sought  the  shady  side  of  the  street. 

The  town  lies  in  a  valley  almost  ten  miles  in 
length  by  four  in  width.  It  is  closely  hemmed  in  on 
the  east  by  a  mountain  or  rugged  pile  of  rocks  com- 
posed of  crystallized  carbonate  of  lime,  of  a  beautiful 
texture,  in  which  white  and  cream  color  predominate, 
relieved  by  dark  and  deep  indentations.  It  is 
called  La  Sierra  de  la  Campana,  or  the  Bell  Moun- 
tain, from  the  fact  that  the  sonorous  material  of 
which  it  is  composed  emits  a  sound  when  struck.  Se- 
veral small  ranges  of  mountains,  known  as  the  Colorado 


468  URES   TO 

and  Chanati  sierras,  encompass  the  valley,  through 
which  flows  the  Sonora  River,  furnishing  sufficient 
water  to  irrigate  the  lands  adjacent.  This  river,  which 
rises  near  Cocospera,  has  two  great  branches;  the 
eastern  or  Ures  branch  generally  bears  the  name  of 
Sonora  River.  The  western  branch  has  several  appel- 
lations, but  it  is  usually  called  the  San  Miguel.  They 
unite  near  Hermosillo,  and,  after  flowing  half  way  to 
the  gulf,  lose  themselves  in  a  cienega,  or  swamp.  Along 
the  margin  of  the  city  runs  a  large  acequia,  which  is 
intersected  by  others  in  various  parts,  furnishing  an 
abundant  supply  of  water,  and  receiving  in  return  an 
immense  amount  of  dirt  and  offal.  It  is  surprising  to  a 
stranger  to  behold  the  diverse  uses  to  which  these 
acequias  are  applied.  They  are  in  one  place  a  public 
bathing  tub  ;  at  another  half  a  dozen  women  may  be 
seen  washing ;  a  little  further  on  an  animal  is  being 
butchered ;  and  at  the  next  house  the  people  are 
taking  up  water  for  cooking. 

Taken  as  a  whole,  Hermosillo  is  the  best  built 
town  I  had  seen  in  Sonora.  Some  of  the  private  dwell- 
ings are  large  and  substantial,  with  pleasant  and  tasty 
exteriors,  and  handsomely  furnished.  No  houses  show- 
ing the  bare  mud  walls  are  seen  in  the  principal 
streets,  as  is  usually  the  case  in  El  Paso  del  Norte,  but 
all  are  colored,  and  often  ornamented  with  columns 
and  pilasters  in  good  taste.  The  court-yards  are  filled 
with  orange  trees  and  flowering  shrubs.  The  Alame- 
da, or  public  walk,  which  extends  along  the  margin  of 
the  town,  is  not  yet  remarkable  for  its  beauty ;  time, 
however,  is  only  wanted  to  render  it  a  place  of  great 
attraction.     It  is  well  filled  with  trees,  among  which 


GUAYMAS.  469 

is  the  beautiful  palm.  This  park  possesses  an  histori- 
cal interest,  having  been  the  scene  of  a  bloody  action 
during  the  civil  war  between  Urrea  and  Gandera. 

The  valley  produces  annually  about  25,000  fanegas 
(65,600  bushels)  of  wheat;  10,000  fanegas  (26,250 
bushels)  of  maize,  and  about  5000  fanegas  of  other 
cereals.  Vegetables  are  not  cultivated  to  any  con- 
siderable extent ;  onions,  sweet  potatoes,  chili,  and 
pumpkins  constituting  the  entire  supply.  It  is  true 
there  may  be  some  others  cultivated,  but  they  are  not 
common.  Cacahuates  (pea-nuts)  are  also  raised  here. 
Of  fruits  there  is  a  great  abundance,  including  grapes, 
melons,  figs,  oranges,  limes,  lemons,  citron,  peaches, 
and  pomegranates.  The  figs  are  very  fine;  but  the 
people  do  not  know  how  to  preserve  them.  The 
guava  and  plantain  have  lately  been  introduced,  and 
are  found  to  succeed.  But  the  vine  is  most  exten- 
sively cultivated;  not  less  than  1500  barrels  of  brandy, 
of  125  cuartillos  each,  are  annually  made.  Of  the 
quantity  of  wine  made  I  have  no  knowledge ;  but  that 
it  is  superior  to  that  of  the  Rio  Grande  there  is  no 
question.  Cotton  was  formerly  cultivated,  and  found 
to  be  of  an  excellent  quality ;  but  the  plants  became 
diseased,  and  it  is  not  now  raised  to  any  extent.  The 
sugar  cane  does  not  flourish  here ;  nevertheless,  the 
Ceris  Indians  of  the  Pueblo  cultivate  enough  to  sup- 
ply themselves  with  panoche  (sugar)  ;  and  it  has  lately 
been  tried  near  the  coast  with  so  much  better  success 
that  it  is  believed  it  may  yet  be  produced  in  a  suffi- 
cient quantity  to  supply  the  State,  if  not  for  exporta- 
tion. There  is  an  extraordinary  fertility  in  the  bottom- 
lands of  Sonora ;  though  I  do  not  know  that  they  sur- 


470  URES   TO 

i. 

pass  in  this  respect  similar  lands  in  California,  the  pro- 
ducts of  which  astonish  the  agricultural  world.  It  is 
stated  by  Velasco,  in  his  statistical  account  of  Sonora, 
before  alluded  to,  that  the  product  of  wheat  at  the 
hacienda  of  the  Senores  Astiaseranes  of  Horcasitas  is 
from  two  hundred  and  fifty  to  three  hundred  to  one  ; 
and  that  the  haciendas  at  Tapahui,  of  which  I  have 
before  given  the  details,  are  equally  productive. 

Hermosillo  is  a  place  of  extensive  business  rela- 
tions with  all  parts  of  the  State,  and  has  some  large 
wholesale  establishments  for  the  sale  of  dry  goods. 
There  are  scarcely  any  American  goods  sold  here, 
though  admitted  to  be  of  a  superior  quality.  Yet  I 
saw  in  the  warehouses  here,  as  well  as  in  Ures,  various 
cotton  goods  of  British  manufacture,  bearing  the  stamp 
of  the  Blackstone  and  Lowell  mills.  French  manufac- 
tures, too,  are  common.  In  fact,  the  entire  market  of 
Sonora  seems  to  be  supplied  by  England  and  France. 

Some  little  is  done  here  in  the  mechanic  arts,  more, 
indeed,  than  in  any  place  we  had  yet  visited.  The 
working  of  leather  is  one  of  the  most  important 
branches  of  manufacture  in  the  country.  It  is  made 
up  into  saddle  covers,  leggins,  and  other  articles, 
which  are  figured,  inlaid,,  and  embroidered  with  much 
taste  and  skill.  A  fine  saddle  cover,  consisting  of  a 
piece  of  leather  covering  the  entire  saddle,  and  hang- 
ing down  nearly  to  the  stirrups,  often  costs  a  hun- 
dred dollars. 

The  old  mission  church  still  remains  in  good  pre- 
servation, but  its  adornments  are  without  much  beauty 
or  interest.  A  new  one,  at  the  opposite  end  of  the 
town,  that  of  Nuestra  Sefiora  del  Carmen,  is  quite  neat 


GUAYMAS.  471 

and  beautiful,  both  in  its  exterior  and  in  its  internal 
decorations. 

January  1st,  1852.  All  the  shops  were  open  to- 
day, the  same  as  on  other  days  of  the  week.  Several 
of  the  young  gentlemen  with  whom  I  had  become 
acquainted  called  on  me  this  morning;  and  hearing 
me  express  a  desire  to  take  a  sketch  of  the  town,  one 
of  them  procured  a  carriage  and  took  me  to  the 
nearest  elevation.  I  went  to  several  parts  of  the  town, 
but  could  not  obtain  a  good  view  of  the  place  and  the 
picturesque  scenery  around  it  at  the  same  time.  I 
finally  selected  a  spot  facing  the  Sierra  de  la  Campana, 
which  gave  a  tolerable  view  of  the  town  as  a  whole, 
and  the  rugged  mountain  at  its  side.  The  Alameda 
extends  for  a  good  distance  along  the  front  of  the 
town,  concealing,  to  a  great  extent,  its  finest  houses. 
It  is  impossible  to  represent  in  one  view  any  of  those 
Mexican  towns  built  upon  plains,  as  they  usually  are. 
The  streets  being  narrow,  and  compactly  built,  and 
the  houses  generally  of  one  story,  there  is  presented 
to  the  eye,  when  seen  from  an  elevation,  an  unbroken 
mass  of  flat  roofs,  with  few  picturesque  objects  to 
break  the  monotony.  Every  town,  it  is  true,  has  its 
church,  which  is  crowned  by  towers  and  a  dome. 
These  I  have  always  endeavored  to  introduce  in  my 
sketches. 

In  the  evening  I  dined  with  my  obliging  friend 
Mr.  Brodie,  who  cashed  my  draft  on  the  government, 
thus  enabling  me  to  repay  Governor  Cubillas  for  his 
advances.  He  also  procured  for  me  both  Mexican 
and  American  gold ;  so  that  I  should  not  be  troubled 
as  to  money  in  whatever  territory  I  should  find  myself. 


472  URES    TO 

January  2d.  Left  Hermosillo  at  two,  p.  m.,  with 
Senor  Don  Jos6  de  Aguilar  and  his  brother,  in  a  com- 
fortable covered  carriage,  affording  a  good  protection 
from  the  heat  of  the  sun,  which  was  very  great.  Pack 
mules  and  arrieros,  with  our  baggage,  and  extra  mules 
for  the  carriage,  accompanied  us.  Soon  after  leaving, 
we  met  a  party  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  Frenchmen, 
who  were  emigrating  from  California,  and  destined,  as 
I  afterwards  learned,  for  Cocospera,  with  the  design 
of  establishing  a  colony  there,  as  well  as  of  working 
some  mines.  They  were  a  rather  hard-looking  and 
determined  set  of  men,  with  long  beards  and  sunburnt 
faces.  Each  one  carried  a  musket  or  rifle,  besides 
which  many  had  pistols.* 

The  country,  after  leaving  the  immediate  vicinity 
of  the  river,  is  miserably  poor.  The  road,  however,  is 
excellent ;  and  though  it  has  been  travelled  for  two 
centuries  without  a  day's  labor  being  expended  on  it, 
it  is  still  smooth,  level,  and  hard,  the  soil  being  a  fine 
gravel.  No  continuous  range  of  mountains  intervenes 
between  here  and  the  coast.  Detached  and  short 
ranges  of  moderate  elevation  rise  here  and  there,  all 
of  which  are  avoided.  It  may  with  more  propriety 
be  termed  a  desert  plain  than  a  mountainous  region.  No 
streams  exist  in  the  thirty-six  or  thirty-seven  leagues 
between  Hermosillo  and  Guaymas,  and  the  only  water  to 
be  found  is  procured  from  wells ;  hence  there  is  no 
village   or   settlement    on    the   route,    and   but   few 


*  This  is  the  same  party  which  subsequently  had  a  difficulty  with  the 
government,  set  the  laws  at  defiance,  and  closed  by  taking  possession  for 
a  while  of  Hermosillo.     Their  leader  afterwards  committed  suicide. 


GUAYMAS.  473 

ranchos.  The  following  itinerary  embraces  all  the 
ranchos  along  the  road,  which  are  the  common  stop- 
ping places  for  passing  travellers  and  trains  of  mer- 
chandise : 

Hermosillo  to  El  Pozo  (the  well),  a  rancho,  7  leagues, 
El  Pozo  to  La  Palma  (the  palm),  a  rancho,  6  " 

La  Palma  to  El  Pozito  (the  little  well),  4  " 

El  Pozito  to  La  Cieneguita  (little  marsh),      4  " 

La  Cieneguita  to  Noche  Buena  (goodnight),  7  " 

Noche  Buena  to  La  Palmita  (little  palm),     3  " 

(now  abandoned  for  want  of  water)  ; 
La  Palmita  to  Jesus  Maria,  .  .3  " 

Jesus  Maria  to  Guaymas,         .  3  " 

37  leagues. 

We  halted  at  El  Pozo,  a  well,  with  an  ordinary 
rancho,  being  unable  to  proceed  further,  as  our  extra 
mules  had  not  come  up.  At  this  place  we  made  our 
supper  with  what  we  brought  with  us ;  after  which  we 
spread  our  blankets  within  the  walls  of  the  rancho,  and 
there  passed  a  comfortable  night.  The  transportation 
of  goods  between  Guaymas  and  the  interior,  is  almost 
entirely  upon  pack  mules.  We  met  many  atajos,  or 
trains,  loaded  with  various  sorts  of  merchandise,  des- 
tined for  the  inland  towns,  or  bound  for  the  port  with 
loads  of  flour. 

January  3d  We  had  intended  taking  an  early  start, 
so  as  to  finish  the  day's  march  early  ;  but  the  arrieros 
were  slow,  and  in  spite  of  all  our  efforts,  we  did  not 
get  off  till  after  8  o'clock,  when  the  heat  of  the  sun  was 
already  uncomfortable.     The  road  was  as  good  as  yes- 


474  URES    TO 

i. 

terday,  and  the  country  as  barren  and  uninteresting. 
The  road  sides  were  covered  with  various  kinds  of  stunt- 
ed trees  and  thorny  shrubs,  interspersed  with  numer- 
ous varieties  of  the  larger  kinds  of  cacti,  some  of  which 
we  had  not  before  seen.  Passed  the  ranchos  of  La  Pal- 
ma  and  El  Pozito,  and  stopped  at  that  of  La  Cieneguita 
for  the  night,  fourteen  leagues  from  our  starting-place. 
The  ranchos  are  ordinary  farm  houses  of  adobe,  though 
pretty  large.  Each  has  a  well,  and  supports  more  or 
less  cattle  and  mules,  according  to  the  facilities  for 
grazing  and  obtaining  a  supply  of  water.  These  estab- 
lishments seem  to  be  planted  in  the  most  forlorn-look- 
ing situations,  where  there  is  not  a  shade  tree  or  a  foot 
of  cultivable  ground.  The  whole  business  being  the 
raising  of  cattle,  their  position  is  fixed  solely  with  re- 
ference to  grazing,  which  the  cattle  are  said  to  find 
in  plenty  among  the  distant  hills ;  though  a  passer  along 
the  road  is  at  a  loss  to  conceive  where  an  animal  can 
find  wherewithal  to  sustain  life.  The  cattle  came  up 
to  the  rancho  for  water,  which  is  generally  furnished 
from  wells,  and  is  raised  by  the  bucket  and  sweep,  or 
by  the  still  more  primitive  apparatus  of  a  raw-hide 
bag  and  rope,  which  is  worked  by  hand,  without  the 
assistance  of  any  mechanical  power  whatever. 

Nothing  could  be  obtained  at  these  places  but  milk, 
and  that  only  in  the  morning :  I  inquired  for  eggs 
and  chickens  in  vain.  Senor  Aguilar,  being  well  ac- 
quainted with  the  people  from  his  frequent  journeys 
between  the  two  towns,  was  always  well  received  and 
supplied  with  the  best  the  rancho  could  furnish ;  yet 
tortillas  and  milk  were  all  that  could  be  got  even  under 
these  circumstances. 


GUAYMAS.  475 

The  milch  cows  are  managed  by  the  women,  and 
a  peep  into  the  corral  at,  milking  time  would  highly 
amuse  our  Yankee  dairy  people.  The  calves,  being  in 
an  adjoining  corral,  are  let  in  among  the  cows  one  or 
two  at  a  time.  These  of  course  run  for  their  mothers. 
The  women  then  tie  together  the  hinder  legs  of  the 
cow  thus  designated,  and  while  one  holds  a  gourd 
shell,  the  other  divides  her  time  between  drawing  the 
milk  and  beating  away  the  calf,  which,  not  liking  this 
appropriation  of  his  breakfast,  charges  repeatedly  upon 
the  invaders  and  renders  the  process  any  thing  but  a 
quiet  one.  The  cows  are  milked  but  once  a  day,  and 
give  not  more  than  a  quarter  as  much  as  our  well-fed 
cows  at  each  milking.  Very  little  butter  is  made  in 
the  country,  the  milk  being  mostly  manufactured  into 
a  sour  and  most  indigestible  article  of  the  consistence 
of  gutta  percha,  which  is  dignified  with  the  name 
of  cheese.  Generally  nothing  is  cultivated  at  these 
ranchos,  the  corn  and  flour  consumed  about  them  being 
brought  from  a  distance. 

January  Mk.  We  did  not  get  off  any  earlier  than 
yesterday.  Passed  the  rancho  of  Noche  Buena  with- 
out stopping.  The  next  rancho,  La  Palmita,  had  been 
abandoned,  its  well  having  dried  up.  We  had  there- 
fore to  continue  our  journey  to  that  of  Jesus  Maria, 
making  altogether  about  thirty-nine  miles.  Here  we 
watered.  Soon  after  we  arrived,  my  servant  came  in 
with  the  unpleasant  news  that  my  pack  mule  had  given 
out  at  Noche  Buena,  and  that  it  would  be  necessary 
to  procure  and  send  back  a  fresh  one  to  bring  in  my 
baggage.  A  Mexican  was  immediately  sent  back  with 
another  animal ;  but  as  the  distance  was  six  leagues, 


476  URES    TO 

and  it  was  already  three  o'clock,  I  feared  that  my  bag- 
gage would  not  reach  Guaymas  till  very  late,  if  at  all, 
that  night.  We  now  proceeded  on  our  journey,  the 
face  of  the  country  continuing  as  before  described ; 
and  soon  after  we  experienced  the  most  delightful  sen- 
sation of  inhaling  the  fresh  and  balmy  air  from  the 
ocean,  to  which  we  were  now  drawing  near.  None 
but  those  who,  like  myself,  have  spent  a  year  and  a 
half  on  the  parched  and  barren  wastes  of  the  interior 
of  our  continent,  or  similar  arid  plains  in  Asia  or 
Africa,  can  form  any  idea  of  the  delight  with  which 
one  first  breathes  the  moist  and  invigorating  ocean 
breeze. 

A  range  of  low  mountains  runs  along  the  coast,  the 
summit  of  which  assume  most  fantastic  shapes.  The 
most  conspicuous  of  these  peaks  are  the  Tetas  de  Cobra 
(Goats'  teats),  two  elongated  cones  rising  side  by  side. 
Passing  this  range,  we  came  in  sight  of  the  great  wa- 
ters of  the  Gulf  of  California,  and  riding  a  few  miles 
further,  we  entered  Guaymas. 

Wishing  to  avail  myself  of  the  first  vessel  to  Mazat- 
lan,  I  immediately  visited  Mr.  J.  A.  Robinson,  the  U.  S. 
Consul,  to  ascertain  whether  any  were  soon  to  sail  for 
that  port.  Mr.  R.  informed  me  that  he  had  a  schooner 
which  had  just  cleared,  and  then  lay  aground  in  the 
harbor ;  that  she  would  probably  get  oft*  with  the  rise 
of  the  tide,  about  9  o'clock  in  the  evening.  I  told  him 
the  situation  of  my  baggage,  when  he  kindly  offered 
to  detain  his  vessel  till  morning,  if  necessary.  Mr.  Ro- 
binson then  invited  me  to  his  house  to  dine,  an  invita- 
tion which  I  accepted;  after  which  he  provided  me 
with  a  room  and  bed,  to  which  I  soon   retired,  and 


GUAYMAS.  477 

passed  a  most  refreshing  night  after  the  fatigues  of  the 
day. 

Guaymas  stands  on  the  eastern  shore  of  the  Gulf 
of  California,  in  28°  north  latitude,  and  110°  40' long, 
west  of  Greenwich.  It  is  completely  shut  in  from  the 
sea  as  well  as  from  the  winds.  Mountains  protect  it 
on  the  main,  while  islands  with  elevated  hills  surround 
it  by  sea.  Next  to  Acapulco,  it  is  the  best  port  on  the 
Mexican  coast.  The  entrance  from  south  to  north  is 
formed  by  the  island  of  Pajaros  on  the  east,  and  by  the 
islands  of  San  Vicente  and  Pitayas  and  the  main  land 
on  the  west.  There  is  another  entrance,  called  Boca 
Chica,  from  the  south-east,  having  the  island  of  Pajaros 
on  the  south  and  the  shore  of  Cochori  on  the  north, 
which  terminates  at  the  Motto  Ingles,  or  English  Ham- 
mock. From  the  principal  mouth  to  the  mole  is  about 
four  miles,  and  the  bay  is  of  about  the  same  extent. 
The  bottom  is  so  muddy,  that  ships  which  are  obliged 
to  remain  some  time,  find  it  necessary  to  raise  their  an- 
chors every  week  or  so,  to  prevent  their  becoming  too 
deeply  imbedded  to  be  extricated.  The  soundings 
commence  with  seven  fathoms,  and  diminish  gradually 
to  two,  at  the  side  of  the  mole. 

The  bay  abounds  in  fish  of  a  great  variety  and  deli- 
cacy ;  also  with  shrimps,  crabs,  lobsters,  and  oysters. 
But  plentiful  as  these  are,  they  are  not  easily  purchas- 
ed, and  the  market  has  no  regular  supply.  The  Yaqui 
Indians,  who  are  the  chief  fishermen,  after  catching  a 
lot,  live  and  gamble  upon  the  proceeds  until  the  last 
avo  (a  small  copper  coin)  is  spent ;  when  they  are  too 
often  obliged  to  pawn  their  blankets  for  the  means  of 
hiring  a  boat  to  go  and  catch  more. 


478  URES   TO 

The  town  stands  close  on  the  margin  of  the  bay, 
occupying  a  narrow  strip  about  a  mile  in  length  and 
-  not  exceeding  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in  width,  when  the 
mountains  rise  and  hem  it  closely  in.  It  is  entered 
from  the  north  by  a  single  avenue,  which  forms  its 
main  street ;  and  this  is  intersected  by  short  lateral 
ones  leading  to  the  bay.  The  houses  are  built  of  stone, 
brick,  and  adobe.  Those  in  the  best  parts  of  the  town 
are  plastered,  which  gives  them  a  respectable  appear- 
ance. There  are  several  families  of  wealth  here,  whose 
houses  are  handsomely  furnished,  and  who  enjoy  the 
luxuries  of  a  residence  near  the  coast.  The  streets  are 
lighted  at  night,  a  convenience  not  noticed  elsewhere. 
The  place  is  supplied  with  water  from  wells  in  the 
suburbs,  which  is  brought  through  the  streets  in  leath- 
ern bags  on  the  backs  of  donkeys.  It  is  somewhat 
brackish,  and  at  first  unpleasant  to  the  taste  ;  but  it  is 
considered  wholesome,  and  one  soon  becomes  accus- 
tomed to  it.*  Below  the  town  is  the  only  neat  ceme- 
tery we  had  seen  in  the  country.  The  Campo  Santo 
is  generally  a  small  inclosure  in  which  bodies  are  al- 
lowed to  moulder  without  any  thing  to  mark  the  graves, 
the  bones  of  former  tenants  being  thrown  out  to  make 
room  for  the  new  comers.  Here  are  a  number  of  neat 
monuments,  and  the  ground  is  kept  with  some  show  of 
order.  On  the  "  feast  of  the  dead"  the  bells  toll  day 
and  night ;  and  in  the  evening,  the  graves  and  monu- 
ments are  surrounded  with  lighted  candles,  and  visited 

*  For  the  facts  relating  to  Guaymas  and  Hermosillo,  not  derived  from 
personal  observation  during  rny  brief  stay  in  these  places,  1  am  indebted 
to  Velasco's  "  Noticias  Estadisticas  del  Estado  de  ScHiora." 


GUAYMAS.  479 

by  the  friends  of  the  departed.  These  kneel  by  the 
graves,  while  the  priest,  with  a  choir  of  singers,  goes 
from  one  to  the  other,  singing  as  many  prayers  for  the 
souls  of  the  departed  as  the  survivors  choose  to  pay 
for. 

Although  Guaymas  has  one  of  the  finest  ports  in 
the  world,  and  is  a  key  to  the  interior  of  Sonora,  it 
never  enjoyed  much  trade  until  within  a  few  years. 
The  recent  settlement  of  California,  has  doubtless  given 
to  its  commerce  a  new  impulse.  Several  ships  and  brigs 
were  at  anchor  in  the  harbor,  while  others  lay  at  the 
wharves ;  and  the  British  steamer  Driver,  which  is  kept 
on  the  Pacific  coast  to  facilitate  and  protect  British 
commerce,  makes  monthly  visits  to  this  port.  In  1845, 
there  were  exported  from  here  only  8000  cargas  of  flour, 
of  300  pounds  each.  There  are  now  many  large  and 
well  filled  warehouses  of  goods,  such  as  would  make  a 
respectable  appearance  in  one  of  our  great  commercial 
cities.  Some  of  the  retail  dry -goods  stores,  too,  are 
elegantly  fitted  up,  and  exhibit  piles  of  the  richest 
silks,  satins,  linens,  and  embroideries.  I  was  shown  by 
its  owner  through  one  of  the  largest  establishments,  and 
regretted  that  there  was  scarcely  an  article  of  American 
manufacture  in  the  entire  stock.  Every  thing  was  either 
English  or  French.  I  saw  many  articles  which  we  can 
produce  of  equal  or  better  quality,  and  quite  as  low ; 
but  it  seems  that  our  commerce  has  not  yet  found  its 
way  up  the  California  Gulf.  The  market  is  so  much 
better  at  San  Francisco,  that  every  thing  rushes  there. 

As  the  soil  in  the  vicinity  is  dry  and  stony,  there 
are  no  gardens  or  cultivated  spots  in  or  near  the  town. 
Every  thing  comes  from  the  interior.      Maize,  beans, 


480  URES    TO 

and  vegetables  are  brought  from  San  Antonio  and  San- 
ta Rosa,  about  ten  leagues  distant ;  while  from  the 
Yaqui  River  are  procured  sheep,  fowls,  and  some  grains. 
Shut  in  as  Guaymas  is  from  the  sea,  and  on  every  side 
encompassed  by  hills  or  mountains,  the  heat  is  intense. 
In  the  summer  the  mercury  often  rises  to  104°  Fahren- 
heit in  the  shade,  and  from  June  to  September  it  is  sel- 
dom below  96°.  During  this  season,  when  the  wind 
blows  from  the  desert  plains  of  the  north,  it  is  so  dry 
and  parched  as  to  be  almost  intolerable,  destroying 
furniture  and  every  thing  else  of  wood.  Scarcely  a 
soul  is  then  seen  in  the  streets,  every  one  remaining 
quietly  within  doors,  and  passing  his  time  with  as  little 
exertion  as  possible.  The  place  was  formerly  consid- 
ered healthy ;  but  of  late,  it  has  suffered  terribly  from 
epidemics,  one  following  the  other,  until  the  town, 
in  the  brief  space  of  two  years  immediately  preceding 
my  visit,  lost  one  third  of  its  population.  Cholera  and 
bilious  fevers  have  been  the  chief  epidemics. 

In  order  to  ensure  the  arrival  of  my  baggage,  which 
had  not  yet  made  its  appearance,  and  about  which  I 
began  to  feel  much  uneasiness,  Mr.  Robinson  kindly 
sent  his  most  trusty  servant  on  a  fast  horse  back  to  meet 
the  arrieros,  and  hurry  them  forward.  I  was  desirous, 
while  the  man  was  absent,  to  go  back  to  the  hills  and 
take  a  sketch  of  the  place,  but  was  afraid  to  expose 
myself  to  the  sun,  besides  not  wishing  to  delay  the 
vessel  any  longer,  should  my  baggage  happen  to  ar- 
rive. At  half-past  three  o'clock,  Mr.  Robinson's  mes- 
senger returned.  He  had  actually  ridden  back  nearly 
to  Noche  Buena,  where  my  mule  gave  out,  when  he 
met   the   lazy  arrieros  smoking   their   cigarritos   and 


GUAYMAS.  481 

moving  along  at  a  snail's  pace.  They  had  been  dozing 
away  the  morning,  and,  if  left  to  their  own  devices, 
would  not  have  arrived  in  two  days. 

After  taking  farewell  of  Mr.  Robinson's  family  and 
my  kind  friend  Senor  Aguilar,  to  whom  I  shall  ever 
feel  under  many  obligations,  I  went  on  board  the 
Maria,  a  mere  pilot  boat  of  fifty-seven  tons  burden,  and 
we  immediately  put  to  sea  with  a  fair  wind. 

VOL.  I. 31 


482  GUAYMAS    TO 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

GUAYMAS   TO   SAN   DIEGO,    CALIFORNIA. 

Voyage  down  the  Gulf  of  California  in  a  pilot  boat — Barren  coast — Island 
of  Carmen — Loreto — Reach  Mazatlan — Its  picturesque  appearance — 
Description  of  the  town — Americans  here — Embark  for  Acapulco — Land 
at  San  Bias — Visit  to  Mr.  Horn,  the  Captain  of  the  Port — Ride  to  the 
old  town — Its  beautiful  position — Ruined  condition — Visit  an  old  for- 
tress— Leave  San  Bias — Description  of  the  coast — Volcanoes  of  Colima 
— Land  at  Manzanillo  Bay — Its  unhealthy  climate — Laguna — Cargo 
discharged — Stupidity  of  Custom  House  official — Leave  without  papers 
— Reach  Acapulco — Chinese  hotel — Beautiful  harbor — Castle  of  San 
Carlos — Unhealthiness  of  the  place — Extreme  heat — Noxious  insects — 
Description  of  the  town — Ancient  commerce — Departure  for  San  Diego 
— Crowded  state  of  the  steamer — Voyage  up  the  coast — Arrival  at  San 
Diego — Rejoin  the  Boundary  Commission. 

January  6th.  Our  little  vessel  was  much  crowded 
with  passengers,  and  I  was  compelled  to  put  up  with 
very  uncomfortable  accommodations.  But  my  anxiety 
to  reach  San  Diego,  made  me  willingly  submit  to  any 
inconveniences,  not  absolutely  injurious  to  health,  to 
accomplish  my  purpose.  The  wind  was  fresh  from  the 
north-west ;  and  all  the  passengers,  fourteen  in  num- 
ber, were  sick,  except  myself  and  an  old  voyager. 
I  spent  the  day  very  pleasantly  in  reading  some  New- 
York  papers  kindly  furnished  me  by  Mr.  Robinson. 
These  were  a  delightful  treat;  for  I  had  not  heard 
from  my  family  or  the  government,  or  seen  an  Ameri- 


SAN    DIEGO,    CALIFORNIA.  483 

can  paper  for  more  than  six  months ;  and  the  latest 
intelligence  I  had  had  was  of  the  date  of  May,  1851, 
or  eight  months  previous. 

January  7th.  The  north-west  wind  continuing, 
we  made  rapid  headway  under  a  close-reefed  mainsail 
and  foresail.  Our  little  craft,  which  had  seen  rough 
weather  in  the  harbor  of  New- York,  scudded  beauti- 
fully before  the  fresh  breeze,  half  the  time  covered 
with  water.  The  shores  of  the  gulf  were  occasionally 
seen  in  the  dim  distance,  rising  abruptly  from  the  sea, 
barren  and  desolate.  In  some  places  sandy  beaches 
and  desert  plains  intervened  between  the  sea  and  the 
mountains.  Saw  the  islands  of  Carmen  and  Catalina 
on  our  right.  Behind  the  former  lies  the  town  of  Lo- 
reto,  the  principal  place  on  the  Californian  peninsula. 
As  little  has  ever  been  written  about  this  part  of  the 
world,  I  append  a  brief  account  of  this  town  and  its 
adjacent  country,  which  will  convey  a  correct  idea  of 
the  peninsula.* 

"Loreto  stands  in  a  vallev  of  about  two  or  three 
thousand  feet  wide,  surrounded  by  wild  and  sterile 
mountains,  of  which  that  called  "  La  Giganta  "  is  the 
highest  and  least  picturesque.  There  are  two  gardens 
in  the  place,  in  which  the  vine,  peach,  fig,  quince,  and 
date  are  cultivated.  A  considerable  quantity  of  wine 
is  annually  made.  Peaches  and  pears  are  dried  as  well 
as  figs :  the  dates  are  preserved. 

"  The  situation  of  Loreto  being  in  a  valley  of  very 
limited  extent,  in  which  there  is  only  space  for  the 
town  and  two  gardens,  and  there  being  no  possibility 

*  Hardy's  Travels  in  Mexico.     London,  1829,  p.  244. 


484  GUAYMAS   TO 

of  raising  either  wheat  or  maize,  the  inhabitants  are 
obliged  to  depend  upon  Sonora  almost  for  subsistence. 
Another  circumstance  renders  the  tenure  upon  which 
they  exist  very  precarious.  The  hills  which  surround 
the  town  are  chiefly  composed  of  primitive  rock, 
granite,  and  sandstone  intermingled,  with  scarcely  any 
soil  upon  them.  They  thus  absorb  but  little  mois- 
ture ;  and  during  the  heavy  rains,  which  happily  do 
not  occur  more  than  once  in  five  or  six  years,  the  rush 
of  water  through  every  part  of  the  town,  as  it  comes 
down  the  ravine,  is  so  great,  that  instances  have  been 
known  of  some  of  the  houses  having  been  actually 
carried  away. 

"  To  prevent  the  occurrence  of  this  danger,  the 
former  Franciscan  friars,  many  years  ago,  erected  a 
stone  wall,  to  break  the  force  of  the  water,  and  give 
it  a  new  direction  towards  the  sea.  In  successive 
years  the  rains  washed  this  barrier  away.  Another 
was  built,  which  shared  the  same  fate ;  and  at  present 
there  is  but  a  slight  trace  that  it  ever  existed. 

The  inhabitants  of  Loreto  are  of  a  dingy,  opaque, 
olive  green,  which  shows  there  is  no  friendly  mixture  in 
the  blood  of  the  Spaniard  and  the  Indian.  They  appear 
to  be  the  same  squalid,  flabby,  mixed  race,  which  is 
observed  in  almost  every  part  of  the  Mexican  coasts. 
The  population  does  not  exceed  two  hundred  and  fifty 
souls.  The  annual  importation  of  corn  from  Sonora, 
is  from  800  to  1000  fanegas.  The  exportations  consist 
of  soap,  preserved  fruits,  wines,  spirits,  pearls,  tortoise- 
shell  and  salt ;  the  latter  being  obtained  in  a  lake  on 
the  Island  of  Carmen.    • 

January  8th.     Our  hopes  of  reaching  Mazatlan  to- 


SAN    DIEGO,    CALIFORNIA.  485 

day,  were  frustrated  by  a  calm.  Our  little  craft  was 
tossed  about  by  the  dead  swell  much  more  than  when 
ploughing  the  waves  in  a  gale.  Our  Mexican  passen- 
gers called  on  San  Antonio  to  send  us  a  breeze,  but  he 
heeded  not  their  invocations.  We  now  stood  in  towards 
the  shore,  and  thus  caught  the  land  breeze,  which  wafted 
us  onward  with  speed. 

January  9th.  Came  to  anchor  in  the  harbor  ofMa- 
zatlan  at  8  o'clock ;  soon  after  which,  we  were  boarded 
by  the  captain  of  the  port.  This  gentleman,  after  look- 
ing over  the  list  of  passengers,  gave  us  permission  to 
land.  I  lost  no  time,  therefore,  in  making  my  way  to 
the  shore,  accompanied  by  Colonel  Moreno,  of  the 
Mexican  army,  who  was  a  fellow  passenger.  This  gen- 
tleman, who  was  educated  in  the  United  States,  and 
speaks  English  like  a  native,  was  of  great  service  to  me, 
being  well  acquainted  at  all  places  on  the  coast.  Be- 
sides, his  position  gives  him  influence  wherever  he 
goes.  The  Colonel  took  me  to  a  hotel  kept  by  a  Chi- 
naman, where  we  took  rooms.  The  bill  of  fare  here 
displayed  would  compare  favorably  with  that  of  our 
American  hotels,  and  the  cooking  was  excellent.  No- 
ticing several  Chinamen  about,  attending  to  menial 
duties,  I  inquired  of  the  landlord,  if  his  cook  was  a 
countryman  of  his ;  but  was  told  in  reply  that  he  was  a 
German,  to  whom  he  said  he  paid  $40  a  month,  which, 
in  his  estimation,  was  a  very  high  price.  The  area  or 
inclosure  of  the  hotel  had  been  converted  into  a  cock- 
pit, in  which  were  some  thirty  or  forty  game  cocks, 
each  fastened  by  the  leg  to  a  small  stake.  It  was  well 
fitted  up  and  protected  by  an  awning. 

Mazatlan  has  a  very  picturesque  appearance,  whe- 


486  GUAYMAS    TO 

ther  approached  from  the  sea,  or  by  land.  On  the 
north  side  of  the  bay  or  roadstead  is  a  long  neck,  or 
narrow  range  of  rocky  and  fantastic  looking  hills,  their 
sides  exhibiting  projecting  crags  and  deep  indenta- 
tions, which  the  ocean  has  been  lashing  for  ages.  The 
extreme  end  of  this  promontory,  which  it  should  more 
properly  be  termed,  is  higher  than  the  other  portion, 
and  of  a  sugar  loaf  form.  Beneath  these  hills  on  the 
verge  of  the  sea,  the  houses  are  thickly  crowded  toge- 
ther. But  the  best  portion  of  the  town  lies  on  more 
level  ground,  and  directly  facing  the  roadstead.  On 
the  south  are  rocky  islands  defending  the  harbor  in 
that  direction ;  but  there  is  no  protection  from  the  west 
and  south-west.  Here  the  harbor  is  open  to  the  broad 
Pacific ;  and  when  the  wind  is  from  that  quarter,  the 
sea  rolls  in  with  great  force,  from  which  ships  can  find 
no  security.  Serious  disasters  have  happened  here 
during  south-westerly  gales. 

The  town  contains  from  ten  to  twelve  thousand 
inhabitants.  Its  streets,  though  narrow,  are  well  laid 
out,  and  lined  with  large  and  well  built  houses.  More 
taste  and  luxury  are  looked  for  in  commercial  towns 
than  in  those  of  the  interior,  and  accordingly  we  found 
Mazatlan  to  be  considerably  in  advance  of  any  town 
we  had  yet  seen.  The  houses  are  more  substantial  and 
elegant,  though  unfortunately,  in  consequence  of  its 
narrow  streets,  they  show  but  to  little  advantage.  The 
style  is  wholly  that  of  the  old  Castilian,  with  short 
columns,  Moorish  capitals,  and  ornaments.  Many  houses 
present  long  lines  of  colonnades.  There  are  many  fine 
and  well  filled  shops.  Those  containing  drygoods  are 
neatly  fitted  up ;   and,  in  the  richness  of  their  goods, 


SAN    DIEGO,    CALIFORNIA.  487 

vie  with  the  fashionable  stores  of  New  York.  The 
Spanish  ladies  are  fond  of  dress ;  and  I  have  no  doubt 
the  manufacturers  of  Lyons  sell  as  rich  silks  in  Mexico 
as  they  do  in  Paris  or  London. 

In  the  afternoon  I  walked  out  to  the  suburbs  for 
the  purpose  of  making  the  accompanying  sketch.  I 
chose  for  my  site  an  old  burial  place.  In  the  fore- 
ground, are  a  number  of  small  houses  built  of  sticks 
and  adobe,  with  pointed  roofs,  thatched  with  palm 
leaves.  In  the  middle  of  the  picture,  less  distinct,  is 
the  best  portion  of  the  town ;  while  the  harbor  and 
northern  promontory  are  seen  beyond. 

I  found  a  number  of  Americans  here,  some  of  whom 
had  been  waiting  a  month  for  a  steamer  for  San  Fran- 
cisco. Three  days  before  my  arrival,  the  regular  mail 
steamer  reached  the  offing,  and  sent  a  boat  on  shore 
for  the  mail,  but  refused  to  receive  any  passengers,  on 
the  ground  that  she  was  full.  These  people  were 
greatly  disappointed,  and  complained  bitterly.  Many 
had  expended  their  last  cent,  and  were  now  in  great 
distress. 

January  10th.  Called  on  Mr.  Gatton,  the  U.  S.  Con- 
sul, who  received  me  kindly  and  extended  many  civili- 
ties to  me.  Mr.  G.,  who  is  from  Virginia,  informed 
me  that  the  income  of  his  office  was  five  hundred  dol- 
lars less  than  his  expenses.  Board,  office  rent,  postages, 
&c,  were  very  high.  He  remained  solely  for  the  benefit 
of  his  health. 

As  the  chances  were  against  my  getting  a  steamer 
for  San  Diego,  I  was  advised  to  take  a  sailing  vessel  for 
Acapulco.  At  that  place  all  the  Californian  steamers 
stop  for  coal ;  and  as  they  arrive  every  week,  I  should 


488  GUAYMAS   TO 

not,  at  the  farthest,  be  detained  many  days.  To  take  a 
sailing  vessel  direct  for  San  Diego  or  San  Francisco, 
would  require  a  voyage  at  this  season,  when  north- 
westerly winds  prevail,  of  thirty  or  forty  days.  I  there- 
fore determined  to  make  the  long  voyage  of  some  six 
hundred  miles  directly  out  of  my  way,  as  the  quickest 
route  to  my  place  of  destination,  and  at  once  inquired 
for  a  vessel.  Fortunately  for  me,  there  was  one  to 
leave  in  the  evening,  and  I  lost  no  time  in  securing 
a  passage. 

Early  in  the  evening  I  went  to  the  place  of  embarka- 
tion on  the  beach  ;  from  which,  as  the  tide  was  low,  each 
passenger  had  to  be  taken  in  the  arms  of  the  Mexican 
boatmen,  some  forty  or  fifty  yards  to  the  boat.  The 
vessel  was  more  than  a  mile  from  the  shore,  and  we 
were  not  a  little  puzzled  how  to  find  her  among  the 
number  that  lay  in  the  offing.  After  much  inquiry, 
however,  we  succeeded.  Her  name  was  the  Miguel ; 
and,  though  sailing  under  the  Mexican  flag,  she  was 
commanded  by  Captain  Nye,  a  very  clever  navigator, 
hailing  from  New  Bedford,  Massachusetts. 

Knowing  the  thievish  propensities  of  the  lower  class 
of  Mexicans,  I  directed  my  servant  to  keep  a  sharp 
look  out  for  my  baggage,  while  I  stepped  to  the  cabin 
to  secure  a  berth.  Soon  after  he  was  ordered  to  bring 
me  my  desk ;  and  though  absent  less  than  a  minute, 
he  found  on  his  return,  that  the  boat  which  had  brought 
us  had  pushed  off,  and  a  portion  of  my  baggage  was 
gone.  The  moment  my  servant  had  left  them,  they 
took  what  they  could  lay  their  hands  on,  jumped  into 
their  boat,  and  disappeared  in  the  dark.  Pursuit  was 
useless.     The  articles  lost  were  not  of  much  value  ;  but 


SAN    DIEGO,    CALIFORNIA.  489 

it  was  provoking,  notwithstanding  all  my  care,  to  be 
robbed  by  this  rascally  people  wherever  I  went. 
While  speaking  of  my  misfortune,  one  of  the  passen- 
gers said  his  silk  handkerchief  had  been  taken  from  his 
coat  pocket  by  the  man  who  brought  him  in  his  arms 
to  the  boat.  Two  other  passengers,  on  examining  their 
pockets,  found  that  they  had  sustained  a  similar  loss. 
I  could  not  help  laughing,  informing  them  that  I  had 
taken  the  precaution  to  secure  a  fine  silk  handkerchief 
I  had  just  bought,  by  putting  a  couple  of  oranges  in 
my  pocket  above  it.  "You  had  better  look,"  said 
my  friends,  "and  see  what  your  precautions  amount 
to."  I  did  so,  and  found  I  had  been  operated  upon 
as  effectually  as  the  rest. 

January  11th — l?>tli.  These  days  were  spent  at  sea, 
bound  for  San  Bias,,  distance  one  hundred  and  twenty 
miles.  We  had  expected  to  reach  there  in  one  day, 
but  were  retarded  by  light  winds  and  calms.  No  inci- 
dent occurred  worthy  of  notice.  We  had  some  ten  or 
twelve  passengers,  all  Mexicans  but  three.  Of  these, 
one  was  a  German,  Mr.  Mejer,  a  merchant  of  Colima, 
Mr.  Augustus  Harcourt,*  a  Scotchman,  and  myself.  Mr. 
Harcourt  had  just  arrived  at  Mazatlan  from  El  Paso 
del  Norte,  by  way  of  the  city  of  Chihuahua,  and  gave 
me  information  from  that  place  to  a  late  date. 

January  lWi.     This  morning  we  entered  the  har- 

*  This  Mr.  Harcourt  was  the  same  person  who  was  formerly  con- 
nected with  the  United  States  Quarter-master's  office  at  Santa  Fe,  New 
Mexico,  where  he  was  guilty  of  some  irregularities,  such  as  placing  the 
name  of  the  Quarter-master  to  drafts  on  the  government,  to  the  serious 
loss  of  sundry  merchants  who  cashed  them,  as  well  as  to  the  Quarter- 
master himself. 


490  GUAYMAS    TO 

bor  of  San  Bias,  at  seven  o'clock,  and  before  we  came 
to  anchor  were  boarded  by  Mr.  Horn,  the  captain  of  the 
port.  Had  that  officer  been  a  Mexican,  he  would  not 
have  visited  us  in  an  hour.  All  the  passengers  but 
three  left  us  here. 

Went  on  shore  at  ten  o'clock,  and  met  a  fellow 
passenger  coming  out  to  our  ship  to  invite  me  to 
breakfast  with  Mr.  Horn  at  twelve  o'clock.  I  accepted 
the  invitation,  and  soon  after  paid  my  respects  to  this 
gentlemanly  and  accomplished  officer.  Mr.  H.  is  by 
birth  a  Swede,  and  is  married  to  a  Mexican  lady.  Both 
are  quite  young.  Their  house  is  built  of  poles,  after 
the  manner  of  the  country ;  the  intermediate  spaces 
are  filled  up  with  mud,  which  is  plastered  and  white- 
washed. The  foundation  is  of  stone,  very  thick,  and 
rising  about  three  feet  above  ground.  On  this  rest 
the  poles.  These  support  a  very  tall  and  pointed  roof 
of  the  same  material,  covered  with  cocoa-nut  leaves 
and  grass,  closely  bound  together,  so  as  to  be  imper- 
vious to  water.  The  whole  is  open  from  the  floor  to 
the  apex  of  the  roof.  This  species  of  roof  and  thatching 
is  universally  adopted  here,  as  well  as  at  other  places  on 
the  coast ;  and  by  giving  a  large  space  for  the  free  cir- 
culation of  air,  it  renders  the  house  cool  and  comfort- 
able. Mr.  Horn's  house  is  elegantly  fitted  up  with  well 
selected  engravings,  a  variety  of  books  in  the  Swed- 
ish, English,  French,  and  Spanish  languages,  and  fur- 
niture adapted  to  the  climate.  I  have  nowhere  seen 
more  taste  and  better  arrangements  for  comfort  in  a 
hot  climate  than  here. 

After  a  sumptuous  breakfast,  Mr.  Horn  ordered 
three  horses  to  the   door,   and  accompanied   Captain 


SAN    DIEGO,    CALIFORNIA.  491 

Nye  and  myself  to  the  old  town  of  San  Bias,  three  quar- 
ters of  a  mile  distant,  on  the  summit  of  an  isolated 
rock  from  one  hundred  and  fifty  to  two  hundred  feet 
high.  This  rock,  which  rises  abruptly  from  a  low, 
swampy,  and  partly  wooded  plain,  is  inaccessible  on 
three  sides.  The  northern  side,  where  we  ascended, 
has  been  cut  away  ;  and  a  winding  path,  of  easy  ascent, 
leads  to  the  top.  This  road  is  closely  lined  with  a 
dense  forest  of  cocoa,  banana,  plantain,  and  other  tro- 
pical trees,  together  with  a  thick  undergrowth  of 
flowering  plants  and  vines,  which  are  closely  bound 
together,  and  prevent  all  ingress.  The  bold,  rocky 
mass  presents  a  most  picturesque  appearance.  Portions 
of  it  exhibit  a  bare  perpendicular  front,  while  others  are 
covered  with  a  most  luxuriant  vegetation.  The  sum- 
mit, which  is  about  five  hundred  yards  square,  was 
formerly  occupied  by  the  town ;  but,  owing  to  the 
unheal thiness  of  the  situation,  it  has  been  deserted  and 
suffered  to  fall  to  decay.  The  business  of  the  town 
has  long  been  transacted  at  the  Play  a,  or  shore,  where 
we  landed ;  but  the  custom-house  has  lately  been 
removed  to  the  spacious  and  commodious  buildings  on 
the  rock,  and  the  ruined  tenements  around  seem 
about  to  become  the  abodes  of  men  once  more. 

On  reaching  the  summit  of  the  rock,  one  first 
enters  a  large  and  elegant  building  of  stone,  with  a 
colonnade  around  its  inner  side,  and  stuccoed  with  a 
snowy-white  cement.  On  the  outer  side  is  a  redoubt, 
built  on  the  very  verge  of  the  rock,  which  is  here  per- 
pendicular. Cannon  of  large  calibre  are  arranged  in 
the  ports.  This  building,  which  seems  to  have  been 
abandoned  for  a  long  time,  is  now  undergoing  repairs, 


492  GUAYMAS    TO 

and  is  used  as  a  public  warehouse,  and  for  offices  of 
the  customs. 

At  the  other  end  of  the  rock  is  a  fine  old  church, 
built  of  dark  gray  stone,  with  some  six  or  eight  bells 
suspended  in  its  ruined  towers.  The  roof  of  the  edi- 
fice has  fallen  in,  and  nothing  now  remains  but  its  bare 
walls,  which,  owing  to  the  solid  manner  in  which  they 
were  built,  are  in  good  preservation.  In  front  of  the 
church  is  the  plaza,  which  is  completely  inclosed  by 
substantial  stone  buildings,  some  with  tasty  colonnades. 
Many  of  these  buildings  are  in  good  preservation,  while 
others  are  in  a  more  or  less  ruined  state.  I  noticed 
that  some  were  undergoing  repairs. 

The  custom-house  was  for  many  years  at  Tepic, 
twenty-five  miles  distant,  of  which  San  Bias  is  the  port. 
It  remained  there  on  account  of  the  unhealthiness  of 
San  Bias,  which  in  former  years  suffered  greatly  from 
epidemics.  The  plain  of  which  I  have  spoken  is  often 
under  water ;  and  the  exhalations  from  it  cause  malig- 
nant fevers,  besides  giving  birth  to  myriads  of  mos- 
quitoes and  sand-flies.  During  the  rainy  season,  from 
June  to  November,  the  place  is  uninhabitable,  owing 
to  the  torrents  of  rain,  which  destroy  the  houses,  and 
perfectly  insulate  the  rock.  San  Bias  affords  meat, 
various  kinds  of  fruit,  and  vegetables,  of  which  our 
captain  laid  in  a  supply.  A  stream  comes  in  at  the 
plaza,  which  affords  a  good  boat  harbor ;  but  outside, 
ships  are  obliged  to  anchor  in  the  open  roadstead, 
where  they  are  exposed  to  westerly  gales. 

Returning  from  this  beautiful  spot,  Mr.  Horn  placed 
at  my  disposal  the  government  barge,  for  the  purpose 
of  crossing  the  bay  to  an  old  ruined  fort,  from  which 


SAN    DIEGO,    CALIFORNIA.  493 

I  wished  to  take  a  view  of  the  town.  There  had  been 
a  large  fortress  here,  with  bastions;  but  it  was  now, 
and  seemed  long  to  have  been,  in  a  ruinous  condition. 
Cannon  of  large  calibre  lay  near  the  ports,  where  they 
were  originally  placed,  just  discoverable  beneath  the 
dense  shrubbery  and  weeds  which  filled  the  inclosure. 
Their  heavy  carriages  had  entirely  rotted  way.  I 
seated  myself  on  an  old  gun,  but  had  no  sooner  com- 
menced my  sketch  than  I  was  enveloped  with  a  cloud 
of  sand-flies  and  mosquitoes.  In  vain  did  I  endeavor  to 
beat  them  off,  my  friends  lending  me  their  assistance. 
My  face,  hands,  and  paper  were  literally  covered  with 
the  pests.  I  submitted  with  as  good  a  grace  as  I 
could,  until  the  smarting  pain  of  their  bite  compelled 
me  to  relinquish  my  task  without  obtaining  the  object 
for  which  I  came.  I  returned  to  the  house  of  my 
courteous  friend,  with  whom  I  took  tea,  and  at  ten 
o'clock  returned  to  the  ship.  The  present  population 
of  San  Bias  is  two  thousand. 

January  15th.  At  sea,  having  sailed  during  the 
night.  Found  our  brig  far  more  comfortable,  in  con- 
sequence of  the  reduced  number  of  passengers. 

January  17th.  At  sea,  with  a  light  wind  off  shore. 
In  the  afternoon  found  ourselves  off  the  volcanoes  of 
Colima,  bearing  east.  Near  the  shore  was  a  large  and 
remarkably  white  rock,  rising  abruptly  from  the  sea 
as  high  as  the  mast  head.  By  this  our  captain  was 
enabled  to  find  the  opening  to  the  bay  of  Manzanillo, 
to  which  place  we  were  now  destined.  There  is  a  great 
uniformity  in  the  thousand  miles  of  Pacific  coast  which 
I  have  traced.  A  chain  of  mountains  extends  the  entire 
length,  and  often  rises  abruptly  from  the  shore.     Even 


494  GUAYMAS    TO 

when  a  few  miles  intervene  between  it  and  the  coast, 
the  appearance  from  the  sea  is  the  same.  Hence  the 
openings  of  the  various  ports  and  harbors  are  difficult 
to  detect,  except  where  some  bold  promontory  juts 
out  into  the  ocean,  or  some  island  or  rock  is  found 
near.  The  opening  of  Manzanillo  Bay  would  not  be 
observed  by  a  passing  vessel.  But  the  bearings  of  the 
volcanoes,  two  well  defined  and  lofty  peaks,  some  forty 
miles  in  the  interior,  and  the  rocky  island  alluded  to, 
conduct  the  mariner  to  the  spot.  We  reached  the 
entrance  just  at  dusk  ;  but  as  there  was  no  chart  of 
the  bay,  and  several  bold  rocks  showed  themselves, 
the  captain  thought  it  prudent  to  stand  off  till  morn- 
ing. 

January  18th.  The  morning  found  us  becalmed 
some  ten  miles  from  shore.  This  was  provoking,  but 
there  was  no  help.  Fortunately  in  the  afternoon  a 
light  breeze  sprang  up,  and  at  five  o'clock  we  came  to 
anchor  in  the  Bay  of  Manzanillo. 

January  19th.  The  custom-house  officer  would  not 
permit  the  cargo  to  be  discharged  until  the  ship's 
papers  were  sent  to  Colima,  where  the  collector  resides. 
When  this  was  intimated  last  evening  to  Mr.  Mejer, 
the  owner,  he  procured  mules  and  set  off  at  once  to 
attend  to  the  matter  personally.  Colima  lies  on  the 
opposite  side  of  a  low  range  of  mountains  which  cannot 
be  crossed ;  so  that  though  but  thirty  miles  distant  in 
a  direct  line,  it  is  between  ninety  and  a  hundred  by 
the  mule  path,  which  is  the  only  route  to  it.  The  day 
was  exceedingly  hot,  so  that  I  did  not  leave  the  vessel. 

January  20th.  To-day,  although  it  continued  very 
hot,  I  went  on  shore ;  the  place  consists  of  some  twenty 


SAN    DIEGO,    CALIFORNIA.  41)5 

houses  built  of  poles,  with  high  pointed  roofs,  and 
thatched  with  cocoa  and  plantain  leaves.  These  houses 
are  ranged  in  a  line  along  the  beach,  and  are  occupied 
by  a  cadaverous-looking  people,  who  seem  to  have 
scarcely  energy  enough  left  to  keep  body  and  soul  to- 
gether. Found  a  German  here,  the  commercial  agent 
of  Mr.  Mejer,  who  spoke  English  well.  I  saw  also  two 
custom-house  officials,  who  appear  to  be  gentlemanly 
men.  Beside  these  three,  the  whole  population  con- 
sists of  the  lowest  class. 

The  Bay  of  Manzanillo,  though  little  known,  is  one 
of  the  finest  on  the  coast,  being  equally  well  protected 
against  all  winds.  The  place  has  no  direct  trade,  and  is 
merely  resorted  to  as  the  port  of  Colima,  which  can  be 
approached  from  the  sea  only  through  this  bay.  There 
is  no  arable  land  near  save  small  garden  spots  about  the 
houses,  the  hills  rising  directly  from  the  sea  and  from 
the  bay.  Hence  its  admirable  harbor,  which  is  far 
superior  to  those  of  San  Bias  and  Mazatlan,  cannot  be 
taken  advantage  of.  Within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  is  a 
lagoon  and  morass  about  two  miles  in  width,  and  sixty 
miles  in  length.  During  the  dry  season  this  lagoon 
becomes  nearly  empty  of  water,  when  a  pestilential 
effluvia  arises  which  renders  it  extremely  dangerous  to 
all  who  live  on  the  bay,  and  even  to  the  crews  of  the 
ships  which  stop  there.  This,  of  course,  will  prevent 
any  considerable  settlement  from  ever  being  made 
here.  Instances  have  occurred  where  every  soul  on 
board  a  ship  has  been  taken  sick  and  half  of  them  have 
died,  while  stopping  here  a  few  days  to  discharge  a 
cargo.  My  German  friend  cautioned  me  not  to  eat 
any  fruit  while  here,  even  an  orange,  and  to  avoid  the 


496 


GUAYMAS    TO    SAN    DIEGO, 


night  air.  The  plantains,  bananas,  and  oranges  laid  in 
by  me  at  San  Bias,  have  therefore  been  put  aside  to 
rot  or  be  thrown  overboard.  The  cheapness  of  these 
fruits  on  this  coast  is  such,  that  a  single  dollar  will  buy 
enough  for  a  voyage  to  San  Francisco,  allowing  for  a 
daily  supply  as  much  as  one  could  eat. 


Manzanillo  Bay. 


January  list  A  courier  arrived  very  unexpect- 
edly from  Colima,  with  the  ship's  papers  and  permission 
to  discharge  the  cargo.  This  news  was  received  with 
much  joy.  A  lighter  was  soon  alongside,  with  a  host  of 
half-naked  Mexicans,  and  all  hands  at  once  set  to  work. 

This  morning  I  took  my  gun  and  returned  to  the 
laguna,  to  see  if  there  was  any  game.  I  found  a  log 
canoe,  and  coasted  along  its  banks  for  a  mile  or  more. 


SAN   DIEGO,    CALIFORNIA.  497 

There  was  a  great  abundance  of  ducks,  pelicans,  cranes, 
and  other  water  fowl ;  but  I  was  so  much  exposed, 
that  I  could  not  get  a  shot.  I  now  landed  to  try  my 
chance  from  among  the  mangrove  trees  and  jangle 
which  grew  on  the  banks.  But  here  the  difficulty  of 
walking  was  so  great,  that  it  was  at  the  hazard  of  my 
life  that  I  attempted  to  penetrate  the  thicket ;  and  I 
was  glad  to  get  out  as  quick  as  possible,  reach  the 
higher  and  dry  ground,  and  retrace  my  way  to  the 
village.  Besides  I  felt  that  there  was  some  danger  in 
exposing  myself  in  so  unhealthy  a  spot  during  the 
intense  heat  of  noonday.  This  laguna  had  a  most 
enchanting  appearance.  The  exuberance  of  the  nu- 
merous tropical  plants  which  grew  upon  its  shores, 
with  the  hills  rising  on  every  side,  made  it  seem  like  a 
vast  amphitheatre. 

I  noticed  on  the  rugged  hills  at  the  entrance  of  the 
bay  a  number  of  the  petahaya,  or  giant  cereus,  differing 
from  the  specimens  of  that  remarkable  plant  which  I 
had  seen  in  Sonora,  and  which  I  therefore  supposed  to 
be  another  variety.  These  grew  to  about  twenty  or 
twenty-five  feet  in  height,  and  had  numerous  and  more 
slender  branches.  The  rocks  were  so  steep,  and  so 
thickly  covered  with  cacti  and  dense  shrubbery,  that  I 
made  no  attempt  to  approach  nearer  than  to  take  a 
sketch  of  a  perfect  specimen,  of  which  I  had  a  fine  view. 

January  2  2d  Towards  evening  when  the  sun  had 
got  behind  the  hills,  I  went  to  some  rocke  at  the  end  of 
the  village  and  took  a  sketch.  The  cargo  having  now 
all  been  taken  out,  the  captain  went  on  shore  for  his 
papers,  leaving  orders  to  get  the  vessel  ready  for  sea, 
when  another  difficulty  occurred.  The  officer  affirmed 
vol.  i. — 32 


498  GUAYMAS   TO 

that  the  papers  required  the  signature  of  the  "  Captain 
of  the  Port,"  who  was  at  Colima,  and  positively  refused 
to  give  them  or  sign  them  himself.  A  messenger  was 
accordingly  dispatched  to  that  place  again,  and  ordered 
to  ride  all  night.  A  strong  fair  wind  which  was  now 
blowing  made  this  unexpected  delay  the  more  annoy- 
ing ;  but  we  had  no  alternative  and  must  quietly  submit. 

This  Colima,  which  so  long  detained  us,  is  the  capi- 
tal of  a  small  state  of  the  same  name.  It  is  said  to 
contain  30,000  inhabitants,  or  half  the  population  of 
the  State.  The  city  is  remarkable  in  a  historical  point 
of  view,  having  been  founded  by  the  "  Great  Captain" 
or  conqueror  of  Mexico,  Cortez  himself,  between  the 
years  1522  and  1524,  after  his  return  from  Spain.  The 
town  of  Zacatula,  twenty -five  leagues  to  the  south  on 
the  coast,  was  also  founded  by  Cortez.  This  is  a  place 
of  little  importance,  containing  only  about  two  thou- 
sand inhabitants. 

January  25th.  In  the  afternoon  the  messenger 
returned  from  Colima,  bringing  the  papers  for  which  we 
had  been  detained.  The  captain  went  on  shore  to  get 
them,  when  it  appeared  that  the  stupid  officer,  by  mis- 
take had  sent  the  passenger  roll  instead  of  the  manifest 
and  clearance  papers  to  the  collector.  He  was  for  dis- 
patching the  messenger  again  with  the  proper  papers ; 
but  the  patience  of  Captain  Nye,  as  well  as  of  the  pas- 
sengers, was  now  exhausted,  and  the  captain  declared 
that  he  would  dance  attendance  no  longer.  We  had 
been  here  a  week,  when  a  single  day  would  have  suf- 
ficed to  discharge  the  portion  of  the  cargo  that  was  to 
be  left  at  the  place.  The  captain  returned  at  once  to 
the  ship,  and  soon  after  got  under  weigh. 


SAN    DIEGO,    CALIFORNIA.  499 

January  '61st  Our  voyage  of  six  days  had  been 
attended  with  no  incident.  Calms  and  light  winds 
prevailed,  while  the  heat  was  extreme.  The  coast  was 
mountainous  and  barren,  presenting  the  same  general 
features  as  before  described.  At  4  o'clock,  p.  m.,  we 
reached  Acapulco.  I  lost  no  time  in  getting  on  shore  ; 
and  instead  of  being  attracted  to  a  public  house  styled 
the  American  Hotel,  where  I  saw  large  numbers  of  my 
countrymen,  I  went  with  my  fellow-passenger  to  the 
Canton  Hotel,  kept  by  Quanahu,  a  native  Chinese.  This 
was  the  very  perfection  of  neatness.  The  house,  like 
all  others  in  the  place,  was  of  a  single  story,  with  a  large 
court  in  the  centre.  The  floors  and  courts  were  all 
laid  with  brick  or  cement,  and  the  walls  were  either 
colored  or  whitewashed.  The  landlord  had  long  lived 
on  the  coast,  and  spoke  Spanish  well.  Of  English  he 
knew  nothing.  His  attendants,  who  were  all  Chinese, 
wore  their  native  costume.  Mr.  Quanahu,  like  most 
foreigners  who  settle  in  the  country,  had  taken  to  him- 
self a  Mexican  wife,  a  genteel  pretty -looking  woman. 
During  the  evening,  this  lady,  with  a  number  of  her 
young  female  friends,  took  their  seats  at  one  of  the 
refreshment  tables,  and  seemed  to  enjoy  themselves 
mightily  over  their  wine,  cakes,  ice-cream,  and  dulces  ; 
while  Mr.  Quanahu  and  his  Chinese  waiters  supplied 
their  wants  as  carefully  as  those  of  any  of  his  guests. 

February  1st.  Acapulco  has  one  of  the  finest  har- 
bors in  the  world.  It  is  perfectly  land-locked,  and  may 
be  entered  with  ease  by  two  passes.  The  most  direct 
is  by  the  Boca  Chica,  between  the  points  of  Pilar  and 
Grifo,  and  is  from  250  to  280  yards  in  width.  The 
other  is  between  the  Isla  de  la  Roqueta  and  the  Pun- 


500  GUAYMAS   TO 

ta  de  la  Bruxa,  a  mile  and  a  half  in  width.  The  hills 
which  encompass  the  bay,  rise  abruptly;  hence  the 
water  is  very  deep,  and  ships  of  the  largest  burden 
may  approach  within  a  few  yards  of  the  shore.  A 
thousand  vessels  might  lie  within  the  harbor,  and  be 
amply  protected  against  any  wind.  A  stranger  ap- 
proaching the  town  by  land,  except  just  opposite  the 
entrance,  would  imagine  that  he  saw  before  him  a 
placid  mountain  lake,  rather  than  an  arm  of  the  sea. 
So  completely  inclosed  is  the  town  with  high  hills 
immediately  behind  it,  that  it  enjoys  little  benefit  from 
its  proximity  to  the  sea.  On  the  western  sMe,  the  bay 
is  separated  from  the  ocean  by  a  narrow  isthmus,  about 
four  hundred  yards  in  width,  where,  it  is  said,  nature 
intended  forming  a  third  entrance,  but  this  has  never 
been  accomplished.  One  of  the  enterprising  governors 
of  Acapulco  conceiving  the  idea  of  completing  what 
nature  had  begun,  actually  caused  an  opening  to  be 
made  through  the  mountain,  which,  as  it  answers  the 
purpose  of  admitting  the  air,  is  acknowledged  to  be  of 
essential  service.  This  opening  is  called  "  U  Abra  de 
San  Nicolas. 

At  the  extreme  point  of  the  town  commanding  the 
entrance  to  the  bay,  is  the  Castle  of  San  Carlos,  a  for- 
midable looking  fortress.  It  is  built  of  large  blocks  of 
stone,  and  is  surrounded  by  a  deep  trench  redoubt, 
but,  like  every  thing  else  in  the  country,  is  much  out 
of  repair.  The  walls  have  been  rent  in  several  places 
from  top  to  bottom  by  earthquakes  ;  and  where  large 
portions  had  fallen  entirely,  the  stones  had  simply  been 
piled  up  again.  Around  this  fortification  I  saw  hun- 
dreds of  well  dressed  people  taking  an  afternoon  walk, 


. 


balf  in  width.     The  hills 
bay,    rise  abruptly;  hence  the 
■     arid  ships  of  '.  Cretan 

within  a   few  yards  of  the  shore.     A 
jssels  might  lie  the  harbor, 

[j  protected  against  any  wind.     A  £      .  ap- 

proaching the  -town  by  land,  except  just  o  the 

.  would  that  he   saw  before  him   a 

:•.   a  i  of  the1 

rilh   high 
diately 
its  proximity 

can  by  a  narrow  isthmus,  about 
I  yards  it  is  said,  nal 

third  en  this  has  m 

plished.    One  g  govei 

; 

tused  an  opening  to  be 
rough  t  -  the 

aowledgedto  1 
:    called    "  L  Ahra  de 

he  town  comm  the 

-tie  of  San  Carlos,  a  for- 
rge  bloc: 
trench  redoubt, 
is  much  out 
:pair.     1  n  rent  in    s<  :aces 

q  top  to  o  ;  and 

tons  had.  fallen  e  le  stones  ha 

d  this  fortii  hun- 

valk. 


a*- 


31\j* 


SAN   DIEGO,    CALIFORNIA.  501 

to  enjoy  the  fresh  sea  air  which  a  westerly  breeze 
brought  in.  East  of  this,  a  bay  makes  up,  and  adjoin- 
ing it  is  a  marsh,  where  large  numbers  of  small  fish  are 
left ;  these,  becoming  putrid  under  a  tropical  sun,  help 
to  engender  the  fevers  which  at  certain  seasons  prevail 
here.  Bilious  cholera  morbus  is  also  common  ;  and  the 
Mexicans  from  the  interior,  as  well  as  the  numerous 
Americans  who  now  stop  here  on  their  way  to  Califor- 
nia, fall  victims  to  these  diseases.  But  these  are  not 
all  the  troubles  of  the  Acapulcans :  earthquakes  and 
hurricanes  often  occur ;  the  dry  and  burning  atmos- 
phere is  almost  insupportable ;  while  noxious  insects 
and  reptiles  infest  dwellings  or  assail  the  inhabitants 
wherever  they  go.  Baron  Humboldt,  who  spent  some 
time  at  Acapulco,  and  who  has  investigated  the  cli- 
matic influences  of  tropical  America  more  than  any 
other  writer,  does  not  hesitate  to  give  his  opinion,  as 
the  result  of  a  comparison,  that  "  the  heat  is  more  op- 
pressive, the  air  more  stagnant,  and  the  existence  of 
man  more  painful  at  Acapulco,  than  at  Yera  Cruz."* 

The  town  stands  on  a  narrow  strip  of  land  less  than 
half  a  mile  in  width,  on  which  there  is  but  little  soil. 
The  houses  are  built  of  stone  as  well  as  of  adobe,  and 
covered  with  red  tiles.  Those  of  the  better  class,  are 
whitewashed,  and  have  a  neat  appearance ;  many  have 
little  niches  in  their  walls,  in  which  is  placed  a  crucifix 
or  image,  in  honor  of  some  saint.  I  noticed  many 
houses  in  a  state  of  dilapidation  :  there  is  also  an  old 
ruined  church,  its  walls  and  tower  still  standing,  which 
-is  said  to  have  been  destroyed  by  an  earthquake.     A 

*  Political  Essay  on  New  Spain.  Vol.  IV.  p.  145. 


502  GUAYMAS    TO 

new  and  much  finer  edifice  has  since,  been  built.  In 
the  skirts  of  the  town,  and  partly  on  the  mountain's 
side,  is  a  class  of  houses  built  of  poles,  and  having  high 
pointed  roofs  thatched  with  palm  and  cocoa-nut  leaves, 
that  there  may  be  a  freer  circulation  of  air ;  some  of 
them  are  not  inclosed,  a  few  posts  supporting  the  roof. 
It  was  near  one  of  these  primitive  dwellings,  a  little 
elevated  above  the  town,  that  I  selected  a  spot  from 
which  to  take  a  sketch  of  the  place.  I  had  here  a  good 
view  of  the  whole  town,  its  fine  harbor,  and  the  Castle 
of  San  Carlos,  in  the  distance.  A  rank  tropical  vege- 
tation concealed  a  considerable  portion  of  the  town, 
and  extended  nearly  to  the  water's  edge ;  among  the 
varied  foliage,  the  graceful  cocoa-nut  tree  is  most  pro- 
minent ;  the  palm,  plantain,  and  banana,  too,  are  thick- 
ly dispersed  throughout  it. 

The  market  is  open  every  morning  from  daylight 
until  ten  o'clock,  in  a  corner  of  the  Plaza.  Fruits  and 
vegetables  of  every  variety  are  spread  out ;  and  the  nu- 
merous passengers  from  the  Californian  steamers,  usual- 
ly rush  to  the  market  to  lay  in  a  stock  of  the  delicious 
fruits  there  offered  for  sale.  Change  being  scarce, 
small  cakes  of  soap  are  used  instead,  as  in  other  parts 
of  Mexico. 

It  is  surprising  that  this  town  has  not  become  mo- 
dernized, by  the  immense  number  of  Americans  and 
others,  who  stop  here  on  their  way  to  California.  Every 
steamer  remains  for  a  couple  of  days  to  take  in  coal, 
when  the  passengers  generally  land  and  endeavor  to 
spend  some  of  their  money,  few  as  are  the  inducements 
to  do  so.  There  are  a  number  of  hotels,  one  of  which, 
called  the  American,  is  kept  by  a  German,  and  is  any 


SAN   DIEGO,    CALIFORNIA.  503 

thing  but  what  its  name  imports,  both  in  appearance 
and  the  character  of  its  company.  The  name  attracts 
thousands,  although  the  house  kept  by  the  Chinaman, 
called  the  Canton  Hotel,  is  altogether  superior  in  ac- 
commodations. One  reason  why  the  place  does  not 
improve,  is,  that  no  encouragement  is  given  to  foreign- 
ers to  settle  here,  but  quite  the  contrary.  The  gov- 
ernment is  jealous  of  them ;  and  from  what  I  heard  and 
saw  of  the  conduct  of  my  countrymen,  I  fear  it  had  too 
good  cause  to  be  so. 

Acapulco  owed  its  former  importance  to  its  com- 
merce with  the  East  Indies  through  the  Phillippine 
Islands.  This  commerce  was  limited  to  a  single  ship 
of  large  burden,  whose  cargo  was  estimated  to  be 
worth  from  £300,000  to  £400,000  sterling.  When 
the  news  reached  Mexico  that  she  was  off  the  coast, 
the  merchants  crowded  to  Acapulco  from  all  parts. 
The  exports  from  Mexico  consisted  of  silver,  cochineal, 
cocoa,  wine,  oil,  and  Spanish  wool.  The  imports  were 
chiefly  China  silks,  India  muslins  and  cottons,  spices 
and  aromatics,  jewelry,  and  other  articles  of  luxury 
and  taste. 

February  2d.  The  mail  steamer  "Oregon"  and 
the  propeller  "  Monumental  City  "  arrived  this  morn- 
ing from  Panama  for  San  Francisco.  The  former  had 
four  hundred  and  seventy-two  passengers,  the  latter 
four  hundred  and  fifty.  After  examining  the  latter, 
and  finding  her  very  crowded  and  filthy,  I  took  a  boat 
and  boarded  the  Oregon.  She  too  was  crowded,  but 
was  clean  and  in  excellent  order.  Captain  Pierson,  on 
my  stating  to  him  my  position  as  a  government  officer 
charged  with  important  duties,  consented  to  take  me, 


504  GUAYMAS    TO 

if  I  would  put  up  with  such  accommodations  as  he  had 
to  offer.  Every  place  was  filled,  even  to  the  tables 
and  floors  of  the  cabins.  The  decks,  too,  had  been 
monopolized ;  and  the  only  place  he  could  give  me  to 
sleep  in  was  a  hammock  suspended  in  the  rigging 
eight  or  ten  feet  above  the  deck.  As  the  weather  was 
exceedingly  hot,  I  gladly  accepted  the  accommodation. 
Returning  to  the  shore,  I  hastily  packed  up  my  lug- 
gage, and  was  again  on  board  the  steamer  at  3  o'clock 
p.  m.     At  four  we  put  to  sea  with  a  light  wind. 

February  3d-8th.  At  sea.  Moderate  winds  from 
the  north,  continued  during  these  six  days.  When  off 
Cape  St.  Lucas,  the  weather  suddenly  changed,  becom- 
ing so  cool  that  I  was  obliged  to  give  up  my  aerSil 
sleeping  place.  By  close  stowing,  room  was  made  for 
me  on  the  floor  of  the  lower  cabin,  where  I  remained 
the  rest  of  the  voyage.  I  was  also  obliged  to  change 
all  my  clothing,  and  substitute  thick  flannels  and  an 
overcoat ;  noth withstanding  which,  I  had  an  attack  of 
fever  and  ague.  There  was  a  good  deal  of  sickness 
on  board,  chiefly  fevers.  Some  had  contracted  disease 
from  exposure  when  crossing  the  Isthmus  of  Panama, 
others  by  imprudence  in  eating  fruit.  A  passenger 
from  Cornwall,  England,  died  and  was  launched  into 
the  sea,  the  burial  service  being  first  read  by  a  Metho- 
dist minister.  Passed  a  whaleman,  the  ship  Carlton 
from  New  Bedford,  sixteen  months  out.  She  sent  her 
boat  to  us  with  a  present  of  a  large  turtle,  and  requested 
some  newspapers  in  return.  A  lot  was  accordingly 
contributed  by  the  passengers,  and  sent  to  her.  This 
is  considered  a  good  whaling  ground,  and  we  noticed 
many  of  these  monsters  of  the  deep  sporting  around  us. 


SAN   DIEGO,    CALIFORNIA.  505 

The  character  of  the  coast,  whenever  we  were  near 
enough  to  see  it,  was  much  the  same  as  that  from 
Mazatlan  to  Acapulco.  Barren  and  rugged  mountains 
rose  abruptly  from  the  sea,  exhibiting  a  most  dreary 
and  forbidding  aspect. 

February  9th.  We  entered  the  bay  of  San  Diego 
last  night,  about  11  o'clock.  I  was  landed  by  a  boat 
at  the  Playa,  and  took  lodgings  at  a  small  house  near 
the  beach.  This  place  is  situated  just  within  Point 
Loma,  and  is  about  a  mile  from  the  sea.  The  steamers 
merely  run  in  and  leave  the  mail.  Sometimes  they  are 
obliged  to  take  in  a  supply  of  coal  to  enable  them  to 
reach  San  Francisco,  still  nearly  six  hundred  miles  dis- 
tant. I  had  now  made  a  sea  voyage  of  1300  miles  from 
Guaymas  to  Acapulco,  and  of  2000  miles  from  the  lat- 
ter place  to  San  Diego.  The  first  trip  occupied  twenty- 
six  days  including  stops ;  the  latter  but  five  days. 

After  breakfast  I  procured  a  wagon  to  take  me  and 
my  baggage  to  the  town  of  San  Diego,  five  miles  up 
the  bay.  Here  I  learned  that  the  surveying  parties 
from  the  Gila  had  preceded  me,  and  were  three  miles 
farther  up  at  a  small  settlement.  Continuing  my  ride, 
I  reached  the  village  at  10  o'clock,  where  I  was  first 
met  by  my  excellent  friend  Colonel  Craig,  commander 
of  our  escort.  He  informed  me  that  they  had  felt  much 
anxiety  on  my  account,  as  nothing  had  been  heard 
from  me  after  I  left  Santa  Cruz  about  the  1st  October; 
and  fears  were  entertained  that  we  had  all  been  cut 
off  by  the  Indians.  No  word  had  been  heard  from 
Dr.  Webb  and  his  party,  which  left  me  at  Ures  on  the 
16th  December.  The  parties  under  Mr.  Gray  and 
Lieutenant  Whipple  had  arrived  on  the  10th  of  January. 


506  GUAYMAS   TO    SAN    DIEGO,    CALIFORNIA. 

They  were  compelled  to  suspend  the  survey  of  the 
Gila  about  sixty  miles  from  its  mouth,  in  consequence 
of  shortness  of  provisions.  They  then  hurried  through 
to  the  Colorado,  and  thence  across  the  desert  to  San 
Diego.  All  were  in  good  health,  though  they  had 
suffered  some  hardships  like  the  rest  of  us.  Thomas 
Harper,  one  of  Lieutenant  Whipple's  party,  was 
drowned  in  the  Colorado. 


END    OP    VOL.    I. 


CONTENTS  OF  SECOND  VOLUME. 


FOURTH  DIVISION. 

JOUENEYS  AND  INCIDENTS  IN  CALIFOENIA. 
CHAPTER  XXII. 

SAN    DIEGO   TO    NAPA   VALLEY. 

I 

Arrival  of  Dr.  Webb  and  his  party — Dr.  Webb's  report  of  his  journey — 
State  of  the  Survey — Reduction  of  the  Commission — Advance  of  wages 
— Diegeno  Indians — H'hana  Indians — Leave  for  San  Francisco — Its  fine 
harbor — Extensive  commerce — Great  activity  and  enterprise  of  its  peo- 
ple— Origin  of  its  name — Contrast  between  the  wants  of  the  Californians 
in  1170  and  1850 — Trip  to  the  Geysers — Benicia — Application  to  Gen. 
Hitchcock  for  an  escort  to  the  Commission  on  its  journey  back — Yal- 
lejo — Napa  village — Napa  valley — Its  beauty  and  fertility — Mr.  Yaunt 
— His  history — Red-wood  trees — Their  great  height — Enormous  yield 
of  vegetables — Thermal  springs 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

THE    GEYSERS   OF   PLUTON   RIVER,    AND    RETURN   TO    SAN    FRANCISCO. 

Mount  Helena — Eussian  inscription — Digger  Indians — Dwellings — Mode 
of  fishing — Dress — Pass  the  mountains — Meet  bear  hunters — Mode  of 
cooking  without  utensils — Pluton  River — The  Geysers — Description  of 


IV  CONTENTS. 

PAG3 

these  phenomena — Effect  of  the  water  on  wood — Extent  of  volcanic 
action — Return  to  camp — Abundance  of  grizzly  bears — Recross  the 
mountains — Return  through  Napa  valley — Visit  to  the  Obsidian  hills 
— Extensive  use  of  this  material  by  the  Indians — Return  to  San  Fran- 
cisco.   .     • 27 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

THE    QUICKSILVER    MINES    OF   NEW   ALMADEN. 

Leave  San  Francisco — San  Jose  valley — Fertility  of  the  soil — Mission  of 
Santa  Clara — San  Jose — New  Almaden — Quicksilver  mine — Mode  of 
extracting  the  ore — Large  tanks  of  quicksilver — Account  of  the  quick- 
silver mines  of  Spain — Production  of  this  metal  in  all  parts  of  the 
world — Situation  of  the  New  Almaden  mine — Descent  into  it — How 
worked — Laborers — Extent  of  the  mine— Effect  of  the  mercury  on 
laborers — History  of  the  mine — Return  to  San  Francisco — Captain  Sut- 
ter— His  history 53 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

RETURN  FROM  SAN  FRANCISCO  TO  SAN  DIEGO. 

Leave  San  Francisco — Monterey — Its  harbor — Society — Californian  ladies 
— Father  Juniper  Serro's  account  of  Monterey  in  1770 — Visit  to  the 
Mission  of  San  Carlos  at  Carmel — Father  Garces'  visit  in  1777 — Leave 
Monterey — Point  Conception — San  Pedro — Visit  to  Los  Angeles — Rich 
prairies — Large  herds  of  cattle — Vineyards  and  wines — Indians  of  the 
Missions — Mission  of  San  Gabriel — Return  to  San  Pedro — Craw  fish — 
Arrival  at  San  Diego — Preparations  for  return  to  El  Paso — Engage  Mr. 
Leroux  as  guide — Trip  to  Los  Coronados — Description  of  these  islands 
— Sea  lions — Climate  of  San  Diego — Visit  to  the  Mission  of  San  Luis 
Rey — Extensive  buildings — Fine  valley — Kechi  Indians — History  of 
Father  Peyri — Description  of  the  harbor  of  San  Diego — Viscaino's  ac- 
count of  San  Diego  in  1602 — Father  Juniper  Serro's  account  in  1769 — 
Mission  of  San  Diego — Picturesque  situation — Fine  lands — Olive  trees 
Society  of  San  Diego — Initial  Point  and  monument  on  the  Pacific.  .     .     71 


CONTENTS.  V 

FIFTH  DIVISION. 

SAN  DIEGO  TO  EL  PASO,  ALONG  THE  GILA. 
CHAPTER  XXVI. 

SAN    DIEGO   TO   ALAMO    MUCHO. 

PAGE 

Preparations  for  the  journey  to  El  Paso — Leave  San  Diego — Accident  to 
"wagon — Snook's  rancho — San  Pasqual — Gen.  Kearney's  battle  at  this 
place — Indian  village — San  Pasqual  mountain — Difficult  ascent — Reach 
camp  at  Santa  Isabel — Deficiency  of  transportation — Leroux  despatched 
for  another  wagon — Indians  of  Santa  Isabel — A  Mormon  arrives  with 
a  wagon — List  of  return  party — Journey  resumed — Luxuriant  valley — 
San  Felipe — Indians — Their  mode  of  life — Narrow  mountain  pass — 
Vallecita — Desert  appearance — Carrizo  creek — Increased  barrenness — 
Intense  heat — Mules  run  away — Skeletons  and  carcasses  of  animals — 
Immense  destruction  of  sheep — Utter  desolation — Wagon  upset — Sack- 
et's  well — Dig  for  water— ^-Meet  Lieut.  Sweeney  in  pursuit  of  deserters 
from  Fort  Yuma — Arrival  of  bearer  of  despatches — Alamo  Mucho.   .     .  109 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

ALAMO    MUCHO   TO    FORT   YUMA. 

The  Desert — Dry  basin — "  New  River  " — Alarming  news  from  the  Train — 
Colonel  Craig's  encounter  with  the  deserters  from  Fort  Yuma — Report 
of  Sergeant  Quin — Dr.  "Webb  returns  in  search  of  Colonel  Craig  and 
Sergeant  Bale — Loss  of  wagons  on  the  desert — Great  heat — Return  of 
party  with  the  body  of  Colonel  Craig — Sergeant  Bale's  return — Farther 
particulars  of  the  encounter  with  the  deserters — Burial  of  Colonel  Craig 
Word  sent  to  San  Diego — Prompt  action  of  Colonel  Magruder — Arrest 
of  the  murderers  by  Indians,  and  their  execution — Colonel  Craig's  char- 
acter and  services — March  resumed — Cooke's  well — Colorado  river — 
Banks  washed  away — A  passage  cut  through  the  woods — Arrival  at 
Fort  Yuma — Depredations  by  the  Yuma  Indians  on  the  camp  at  night 
— Unsuccessful  pursuit — Lieut.  Whipple  commences  crossing  the  Colo- 
rado  13? 


VI  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

FORT   YUMA    AND    THE   ADJACENT    COUNTRY. 

PAGE 

Crossing  of  the  Colorado  continued — Description  of  Fort  Yuma — The  Colo- 
rado and  Gila  rivers — The  adjacent  country — Rich  alluvial  bottoms — 
Facility  of  irrigation — Ruins  of  the  old  Spanish  Missions — Difficulty  of 
supplying  Fort  Yuma — Plan  for  surveying  the  head  waters  of  the  Gulf 
of  California — Frustrated  by  Colonel  Graham— Discovery  of  the  Colo- 
rado in  1540  by  Alarchon — Later  voyages — Difficulties  in  navigating 
the  Colorado — Attempt  of  a  steamer  to  ascend  the  river — Its  velocity 
and  height — Fort  Defiance — Massacre  of  Dr.  Langdon  and  his  party  by 
the  Yumas — Indians  of  the  Colorado — Early  tribes  not  identified — The 
Yumas — Cocopas — Mohavis — Extent  of  Alarchon's  voyage  in  1542 — 
Fathers  Kino,  Font,  and  Garces 156 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

FORT    YUMA    TO   THE    COCO-MARICOPA   VILLAGES. 

Leave  Fort  Yuma — Absence  of  grass  along  the  Gila — Petahaya  or  Giant 
Cereus — Gila  trout — Meet  the  surveying  party — Inscribed  rocks — Ex- 
cessive heat — Night  marches — Wagons  found — How  caches  are  made — 
Particulars  of  the  murder  of  Mr.  Oatman  and  his  wife — Basin  of  the 
Gila — More  sculptured  rocks — Cross  the  Jornada — Great  bend  of  the 
river — Another  desert — Toilsome  march — Reach  the  Coco-Maricopa 
villages 185 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

THE    COCO-MARICOPA   AND   THE   PIMO    INDIANS. 

Visit  from  the  Coco-Maricopa  Indians — Camp  removed  to  the  banks  of  the 
Gila — The  river  dry,  and  no  grass — War  party — Return  to  our  first 
camp — Traffic  with  these  Indians — Farther  accounts  of  the  Oatman 
family — Francisco,  the  Maricopa  interpreter — Feeding  the  tribe — Visit 
from  the  Pimos — Religious  notions  of  these  tribes — Their  manners  and 
customs — Agriculture — Art  of  spinning  and  weaving — Manufactures  of 
cotton — Pottery — Basket-work — Dress — Their  attempts  at  collecting 
zoological  specimens — Villages — Houses  and  mode  of  building — Store 
houses — Horses  and  cattle 213 


CONTENTS.  Vll 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

AT   THE   COCO-MAEICOPA    AND    PDMO   TILLAGES. 

PAGE 

Journey  to  the  river  Salinas — Its  rich  bottom-lands — Large  stream — Pimo 
Indians — Ruined  buildings — Mounds — Broken  pottery — Traces  of  irri- 
gating canals — Ancient  population  probably  large — Return  towards 
the  Pimo  villages — Are  taken  for  Apaches — Arrival  at  camp — Arrival 
of  Lieutenant  "Whipple — Survey  of  the  Gila  completed — Trade  re- 
opened with  the  Coco-Maricopas — Presents — Tribe  of  Cawenas — Re- 
move to  the  Pimo  villages — Cola  Azul  and  the  Pimos — Traffic  with 
them — Conference — Giving  presents — Arrival  of  Mexican  traders — 
Return  of  Lieutenant  Paige  with  the  escort — Leave  the  villages.     .    .  239 


CHAPTER  XXXIL 

INDIANS   OF   THE   GILA,    AND   THE   CASAS   GEANDES. 

History  of  the  Coco-Maricopas  and  Pimos — Origin  of  their  semi-civilization 
— Difference  of  languages — Their  number — Physical  peculiarities — 
Deserving  the  attention  of  Christians  and  philanthropists — Early  ac- 
counts of  these  Indians — First  described  by  Father  Kino  in  1697 — ; 
Sedelmayer's  visit  to  them  in  1*744 — Father  Font's  in  1*775 — Visit  to  the 
Casas  Grandes  of  the  Gila — Description  of  these  ruins — Evidences  of  a 
former  large  population — Irrigating  canals — Broken  pottery — Father 
Font's  description  of  these  buildings — Singular  error  in  relation  to  their 
dimensions — Kino  and  Mangi's  visit  to  them  in  1694 — Notion  of  the 
Aztec  origin  of  these  buildings  not  well  founded — Excessive  heat.    .    .  261 


CHAPTER  XXXIH. 

CASAS  GEANDES  TO  SANTA  CEUZ. 

Leave  the  Gila — Terrific  storm  on  the  desert — Encounter  a  party  of  Ameri- 
cans at  midnight — Stopped  by  the  darkness — Unpleasant  situation — 
Pack  mules  and  cattle  missing — Picacho  mountain — Vegetation  of  the 
desert — Second  night's  march — Arrival  at  Tucson — General  Blanco — 
Arrival  of  Mexican  troops — Campaign  against  the  Apaches — Meet  Mr. 
Coons  with  14,000  sheep — His  disasters — Visit  from  General  Blanco 


Vlll  CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

and  his  officers — Repairs  on  wagons — Tucson  and  its  valley — Meteorite 
San  Xavier  del  Bac — Beautiful  church — Spanish  and  Anglo-Saxon  colo- 
nization— Incessant  rains — Presidio  of  Tubac — Meet  Inez  Gonzales  the 
captive  girl — Her  sad  fate — Uncertainty  of  irrigated  lands — California 
emigrants — Calabasa — Picturesque  valley — Tumacacori — San  Lazaro 
— More  emigrants — Reach  Santa  Cruz 285 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

SANTA   CRUZ   TO   THE   PRESIDIO   OF   JANOS. 

Shoeing  mules  and  repairing  wagons  at  Santa  Cruz — Standing  guard — Sad 
fate  of  Inez  Gonzales — Sickness  of  the  town — Boldness  of  the  Apaches 
and  their  constant  inroads — Wretched  state  of  the  people — Leave  Santa 
Cruz — Country  assumes  a  new  aspect — Rio  San  Pedro — Enter  the 
mountains — Agua  Prieta — Prepare  for  a  fight — False  alarm — Meet 
Colonel  Garcia  with  Mexican  troops — Enter  Guadalupe  Pass — "Wagon 
upset — Description  of  the  country — A  better  route  suggested — Take 
the  Janos  road — More  emigrants  and  their  encounter  with  a  bear — Two 
human  bodies  found — Open  country — Reach  Janos 314 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

JANOS   TO    COKEELITOS,    AND   VISIT   TO    CASAS    GKANDES. 

Janos,  an  old  military  post — Its  decline — Aid  a  party  of  American  emi- 
grants— A  Thomsonian  doctor — Difficulty  in  fording  the  Casas  Grandes 
river — Arrival  at  Correlitos — Smelting  works — Unhealthiness  of  the 
people — Barranca  Colorado — Visit  to  the  town  of  Casas  Grandes — Ex- 
tensive ruins — Resemblance  to  those  on  the  Gila — Fertile  valley — The 
river  and  its  tributaries — Modern  town — Return  to  Correlitos.  .     .     .  339 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

CORRELITOS   TO   EL  PASO. 

Leave  Correlitos — Visit  the  silver  mines  of  Messrs.  Flotte  and  Zuloaga — 
Attempt  of  a  peon  to  escape — Rio  Santa  Maria— Recent  fight  of  Ameri- 


CONTENTS.  IX 

PAQH 

cans  with  the  Apaches  here — Broad  open  plains — Continued  rain — The 
Salado — The  Medanos  or  Sand  Hills — Painful  night's  march — Samala- 
yuca — Arrival  at  El  Paso  del  Norte 366 


SIXTH  DIVISION. 

EL  PASO  TO  THE  GULP  OF  MEXICO. 
CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

INCIDENTS    AT   EL   PASO   DEL   NORTE. 

Preparations  for  completing  the  Survey  of  the  southern  boundary  of  New 
Mexico — Withdrawal  of  the  military  from  El  Paso — Importance  of  El 
Paso  as  a  military  post — Its  business — Encroachments  of  the  Apaches 
— Depredations  of  the  Comanches — Suggestions  for  a  better  protection 
of  the  frontier — Colonel  Langberg — Visit  to  Fort  Fillmore — The  Me- 
silla  valley — Visit  to  the  Organ  mountains — Silver  mines — Grand 
scenery — Return — Bracito  and  its  battle-field — Preparations  for  leaving 
El  Paso — Mail  party  attacked  by  the  Comanches — Decide  to  go  by  way 
of  Chihuahua — Laxity  of  the  Mexican  custom  house — Departure  of 
Lieutenant  Whipple  and  party  for  the  Gila — Organization  of  parties.       381 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

EL   PASO   TO    CHIHUAHUA. 

Departure  from  El  Paso — Accident  at  the  start — Farewell  to  friends — San 
Eleazario — Fording  the  Rio  Grande — Wagon  upset — Guadalupe — As- 
cend the  table-land — Grassy  plains,  and  open  country — Ojo  de  Lucero 
— Laguna  de  los  Patos — Country  overflowed — Wagon  mired — More 
accidents — Carrizal — Ojo  Caliente — Rio  Carmen — Encounter  with  the 
Apaches — A  man  killed — Animals  lost — Ojo  de  Callejo — Mexican  sol- 
diers— Precautions  to  avoid  a  surprise — Laguna  de  Encinillas — El 
Penol — El  Sauz — Rio  Sacramento — Battlefield — Notice  of  the  battle 
— Arrival  at  Chihuahua 401 


X  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

CHIHUAHUA   AND   ITS   VICINITY. 

PAGE 

Repairs  on  wagons — Mr.  Flotte  and  his  persecutions — The  road  infected  by 
Comanche  Indians — Guard  hired — General  Trias — Governor  Cordero 
— A  dinner  and  ball — Ladies  of  Chihuahua — Dinner  to  General  Trias 
— Obtain  important  documents  relating  to  the  boundary — Description 
of  Chihuahua — Causes  of  its  decline — Its  mines — The  expulsion  of  the 
Spaniards — Labors  of  the  Jesuits — Aqueduct — The  Cathedral — Mine  of 
Santa  Eulalia — Casa  de  Moneda — Commerce — How  carried  on — Agri- 
cultural products — Alfalfa  and  its  value — Heaps  of  scoria — Grazing 
lands — The  plateau — Immense  herds  of  cattle — -Height  of  the  table 
land — Climate — Diminutive  dogs 424 


CHAPTER  XL. 

CHIHUAHUA   TO    THE   KIO   FLORIDO. 

Departure  from  Chihuahua — Additional  escort — Mr.  Flotte  with  his  family 
join  us — Bachimba — Santa  Cruz — Grist  mill — Smelting  works — Saucil- 
lo — Attack  of  the  Comanches — La  Cruz; — Las  Garz;as — Ford  the  Con- 
chas— Santa  Rosalia — Its  defences  erected  against  the  Americans  dur- 
ing the  war — Ramada — Rio  Florido — Guajuquilla — Fertile  valley — 
Monument  to  our  Lady  of  Guadalupe — Search  for  meteorites — Hacien- 
da— Blanca — Wagon  upset  in  an  acequia — Hacienda  de  Concepcion — 
Curious  mass  of  meteoric  iron — Account  of  meteorites  in  the  vicinity — 
Hacienda  del  Rio  Florido 442 


CHAPTER  XLI. 

EIO   FLORIDO    TO   PARKAS. 

A  mule  kidnapped — La  Noria — Cerro  Gordo — Enter  the  State  of  Durango 
— Another  escort — Miserable  condition  of  the  Mexican  soldiers — Recent 
battle  here  with  the  Comanches — La  Zarca — Vast  herds  of  cattle  and 
horses — Scarcity  of  wood — Droves  of  horses — San  Pedro  del  Gallo — 
Rio  Nasas — Fertile  valley — Culture  of  cotton — Corn-fields  without  irri- 
gation— La  Noria  de  Pedrecina — Silver  mines — Cuencame — Another 


CONTENTS.  XI 

PAGE 

escort  of  civilians — La  Noria  Curena — Rio  Buenaval — Pozo  Calvo — 
Depredations  of  the  Comanches — Alamo  de  Parras — Viesca  mines — 
La  Pen  a — Break  down — Cold  weather — El  Pozo — Recent  incursion  of 
Indians — Reach  Parras. 465 


CHAPTER  XLII. 

PARRAS   10   SALTILLO. 

Parras — Its  vineyards — Numerous  springs — Orchards — Plantations  of  the 
Agave — Extent  of  its  cultivation — Pulque — Hacienda  Arriba — Its  ex- 
tensive wine  vaults  and  granaries — Visit  to  the  churches — The  Alame- 
da— Departure  from  Parras — The  Hacienda  Abajo — Don  Manuel  de 
Ibarra  and  General  "Wool — Cienega  Grande — Ceguin — Vequeria — 
Gigantic  Yuccas — Hacienda  de  Patos — Don  Jacobo  Sanchez — His  large 
estates — Claims  for  indemnification  on  the  United  States — Village  of 
Peons — Encantada — Arrival  of  a  courier  with  despatches  from  Wash- 
ington— Buena  Vista — The  Barrancas — Ramble  over  the  battlefield — 
Relics  found — Reach  Saltillo — No  work  on  a  feast  day — Fine  church — 
Cotton  factories — Dr.  Hewison — Economical  use  of  water 482 


CHAPTER  XLIII. 

SALTILLO    TO    RINGGOLD    BARRACKS. 

Leave  Saltillo — Accident  at  the  start — Enter  the  Rinconada  Pass — A  uight 
in  the  defile — Los  Muertos — Ampudia's  redoubt — Magnificent  scenery 
— Hacienda  of  the  Rinconada — Sierra  Mitra — Santa  Catarina — Suburbs 
of  Monterey — Loma  de  Independencia— Arrival  at  Monterey — Pronun- 
ciamentos — Visit  the  Bishop's  palace — Beautiful  valley — The  citadel — 
Prosperity  of  the  city — Its  climate — Elevation — Departure — Marin — 
Ramos — Carrizitos — Dense  chapporal — Miss  the  road — Cerralvo — Pun- 
tiagudo — Bad  road — Mier — Trade  for  serapes — Texan  Mier  expedition 
— Character  of  the  Rio  Grande  above  Mier — Ascent  of  a  steamboat  to 
Loredo — Ancient  oyster  beds — Rio  San  Juan — Mexican  brigade — Ca- 
margo — Cross  the  Rio  Grande — Arrival  at  Ringgold  barracks.     .     .     .  499 


CHAPTER  XLIV. 


RINGGOLD    BARRACKS    TO    CORPUS    CHRISTI. 

Rio  Grande  surveying  parties — State  of    the  Survey — Despatches  from 
Washington — Proviso   affixed   by  Congress   to   the   appropriation  for 


Xll  CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

the  Commission — Letter  of  the  Hon.  Alex.  H.  H.  Stuart,  Secretary  of 
the  Interior — Money  withheld — Compelled  to  disband  the  Commission 
and  return  home — Unfortunate  situation  of  the  party — Send  the 
train  and  government  property  to  San  Antonio — Leave  for  the  coast 
— The  grassy  prairies  of  Texas — San  Colorado — Wells  at  Santa  Teresa 
— Ravages  of  the  Comanches — Night  alarm  from  mustangs — Abun- 
dance of  deer  and  antelope — Los  Olmos — Immense  drove  of  mustangs 
— Exciting  race  over  the  prairie — Horse  lost — The  prairie  on  fire — Rio 
San  Francisco — Agua  Dulce — Arrival  at  Corpus  Christi 513 


CHAPTER  XLV. 

CORPUS    CHRISTI   TO   WASHINGTON. 

Corpus  Christi — Its  fine  position — Geographical  features  of  the  country — 
Nueces  bay  and  river — A  norther — Its  effects  on  the  fish  in  the  lagu- 
nas — Leave  Corpus  Christi  in  an  open  boat — Shallow  bays  and  lagunas 
of  the  Gulf — Vast  numbers  of  water  fowl — Bays  of  Aransas  and  Espiri- 
tu  Santo — Reach  Decrow's  Point — Matagorda  bay  and  its  commerce — 
Embark  for  New  Orleans — Galveston — Arrival  at  New  Orleans — Voy- 
age up  the  Mississippi,  and  by  way  of  Louisville,  Cincinnati,  Cleveland, 
Buffalo,  and  Albany  to  Providence — Arrival  at  home — Proceed  to  "Wash- 
ington  • 52S 


Results  of  the  Labors  of  the  Boundary  Commission. 539 


NATURAL  HISTORY. 

The  Natural  history  of  the  regions  traversed — Animal  life  on  the  deserts 
— Quadrupeds — Reptiles,  their  great  variety  and  number — Peculiar 
vegetation  of  the  deserts — The  "prairie  dog"  and  its  habits — The  an- 
telope, etc 555 


ADAPTATION  OF  THE  COUNTRY  FOR  A  RAILWAY. 

Brief  remarks  on  the  geography  of  the  countries  traversed  by  the  Boun- 
dary Commission,  and  upon  its  adaptation  for  a  railroad  connecting  the 
Atlantic  with  the  Pacific 565 


CONTENTS.  Xlll 

PAGE 

INTRODUCTION  OF  CAMELS. 

Remarks  on  the  introduction  of  Camels  as  a  means  of  transportation  on 
the  prairies  and  deserts  of  the  interior .  5*76 

Appendices 585 

Index. 607 


ILLUSTRATIONS  TO  SECOND  VOLUME. 


WOOD-CUTS. 

No.  Page 

1.  Interior  of  Hut  of  California  Indians,       .        .        .        .30 

2.  Summer  Huts  of  the          "               "         ....  31 

3.  Figure  cut  in  Wood, 32 

4.  California  Indians  catching  Salmon,        .        .        .        .  33 

5.  "                "         Men, 34 

6.  "                "         Women, 34 

7.  Geysers,  Pluton  Eiver,  California, 42 

8.  Golden  Gate.    Entrance  to  San  Francisco,    .        .        .  54 

9.  Quicksilver  Furnaces,  New  Almaden,  California,     .        .  58 

10.  Monterey,  California, 72 

11.  Mission  of  San. Luis  Eey,  California, 90 

12.  San  Diego,  California, 95 

13.  Mission  of  San  Diego,  California, 103 

14.  Monument.     Initial  Point  on  the  Pacific,        ..        .         .  105 

15.  Well  at  Alamo  Mucho,  on  the  Desert,       .         .         .         .134 

16.  Junction  of  the  Gila  and  Colorado  Eivers,  .        .        .  158 

17.  Pagoda  Mountain,  North  of  the  Eiver  Gila,     .         .         .  188 

18.  Petahaya,  or  Giant  Cereus, 189 

19.  Inscribed  Eooks.    Eiver  Gila, 196 

20.  "               "                    "            196 

21.  "               "                    "                196 


XVI  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

No.  Page 

22.  Basin  of  the  Bivee  Gila, 205 

23.  Inscribed  Books.    Bivee  Gila, 206 

24.  "  "                   "                    206 

25.  "  "                    "                ......  206 

26.  Bimo  Flute  and  Bunch  of  Deees'  Hoofs,         .        .        .  223 

27.  Bimo  Indian  Weaving, 225 

28.  Baskets  and  Botteet  of  the  Bimos  and  Ooco-Maeioopas,  227 

29.  Skin  Bough, 228 

30.  Mode  of  Consteuoting  "Wigwams, 234 

31.  Village  of  the  Coco-Maeicopa  Indians,       ....  235 

32.  Inteeioe  of  a  Stoee-House.    Bimo  and  Coco-Maeicopa,  .  236 

33.  Indian  Amusements,  Shooting  at  the  Betahata,         .        .  238 

34.  Bimo  Man  and  Woman, 238 

35.  Buins  on  the  Salinas, 246 

36.  Cultivated  Fields  and  Villages  of  the  Bimo  Indians,  .  248 

37.  Bimo  and  Coco-Maeicopa  Women, 253 

38.  Feagments  of  Ancient  Botteet.    Bivees  Gila  and  Salinas,  255 

39.  Hieeogltphio  on  Wall  of  Casas  Geandes,       .        .        .  273 

40.  Elevation  of  the  Casas  Geandes,  Bivee  Gila,  .        .        .  276 

41.  Geound  Blan  of  "                           "  276 

42.  Bioaoho  on  the  Tucson  Deseet, 290 

43.  Meteoeite  seen  at  Tucson, 298 

44.  "  "       the  Hacienda  de  Conception,        .        .  298 

45.  Beesidio  of  Janos,  Chihuahua, 340 

46.  Buins  at  Casas  Geandes,  Chihuahua, 348 

47.  "  "                        "                 ....  348 

48.  Baet  of  Geound  Blan  of  Casas  Geandes,  Chihuahua,       .  357 

49.  Geound  Blan  of  one  of  the   Buined  Buildings  at  Casas 

Geandes, 359 

50.  Feagments  of  Ancient  Fotteey  feom  Casas  Geandes,  Chi- 

huahua,                .        .  360 

51.  "  "                                      "  360 

52.  Belics  found  at  Casas  Geandes,  Chihuahua,  .        .        .  362 

53.  Deseet  Blain,  View  feom  the  Salado,  Chihuahua,     .        .  372 

54.  Militaet  Bost,  El  Baso,  Texas, 383 

55.  Oegan  Mountains,  seen  feom  the  Bio  Geande,   .        .        .  393 


ILLUSTRATIONS.  XV1J 

No.  Page 

56.  Apache  Indians  Attacking  the  Teain  and  Paety,  .        412 

57.  Caebying  "Wood  to  Maeket,  Chihuahua      .        .        .  .    422 

58.  Aqueduct  and  Church  op  Santa  Eita,  Chihuahua,  .        4-tl 

59.  Gigantic  Yucca  Teee,  Paeeas, 491 

60.  Stampede  by  "Wild  Hoeses  on  the  Plains  of  Texas,  .        523 


LITHOGRAPHS. 

No. 

1.  Ruins  at  Casas  Geandes,  Chihuahua,  (to  face  title-page.) 

2.  Geysees,  Pluton  Eivee,  Califoenia,  ....  40 

3.  "  "  "  40 

4.  Napa  Valley  feom  the  Obsidian  Hills,  Califoenia,       .  50 

5.  Ascent  to  the  Quioksilveb  Mine,  New  Almaden,       .        .       62 

6.  View  on  the  Rivee  Gila,  Big  Hoen  Mountain,       .        .        198 

7.  Casas  Geandes,  Rivee  Gila, 274 

8.  Ruins  at  Casas  Geandes,  Chihuahua,       ....        364 

9.  Oegan  Mountains,  New  Mexico, 392 

10.  Foet  Yuma,  Junction  of  the  Glla  and  Coloeado   Rivees, 

(to  face  title-page,  vol.  1.) 


S  - 


RUINS    AT 


FOUETH  DIVISION. 

JOUBNEYS  AND  INCIDENTS  IN  CALIFOBNIA. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

SAN   DIEGO   TO   NAPA   VALLEY. 

Arrival  of  Dr.  "Webb  and  his  party — Dr.  "Webb's  report  of  bis  journey — 
State  of  tbe  survey — Reduction  of  the  Commission — Advance  of  wages 
— Diegeno  Indians — H'hana  Indians — Leave  for  San  Francisco — Its  fine 
harbor — Extensive  commerce — Great  activity  and  enterprise  of  its  peo- 
ple— Origin  of  its  name — Contrast  between  the  wants  of  the  Californi- 
ans  in  1770  and  1850 — Trip  to  the  Geysers — Benicia — Application  to 
Gen.  Hitchcock  for  an  escort  to  the  Commission  on  its  journey  back — 
Vallejo — Napa  village — Napa  valley — Its  beauty  and  fertility — Mr 
Yaunt — His  history — Eed-wood  trees — Their  great  height — Enormous 
yield  of  vegetables — Thermal  springs. 

On  the  11th  February,  Dr.  Webb,  with  his  party, 
reached  San  Diego,  most  of  them  on  foot.  They 
had  experienced  great  privations,  and  had  lost  the 
larger  portion  of  their  animals  by  famine.  The 
following  letter  from  Dr.  Webb  shows  the  character 
of  his  journey. 

"San  Diego,  California,  February  14,  1852. 

"  Sir  :  I  have  the  honor  to  announce  that  I  arrived 
here  with  the  little  party  under  my  direction  on  the 

VOL.  II. —  1 


I  SAN    DIEGO    TO 

11th  instant,  all  in  good  health  and  spirits,  notwith- 
standing we  had  to  encounter  numerous  difficulties, 
undergo  some  hardships,  endure  some  privations — to 
be  exposed  to  the  hostile  attacks  and  depredations  of 
Indians,  and  subjected  to  the  loss  of  most  of  our  ani- 
mals and  much  of  our  clothing,  &c,  and  were  necessa- 
rily placed  on  short  allowance — compelled  to  walk  a 
large  portion  of  the  distance,  and  be  our  own  escort 
and  night  guard. 

"  The  mail  closes  so  very  soon,  that  it  is  impossible 
for  me  to  render,  in  detail,  a  report  of  the  trip  at  this 
time.  I  can  only  state,  in  brief,  that  the  party  con- 
sisted of  twelve  individuals  and  twenty-seven  riding 
and  pack-mules. 

"  The  animals,  which  were  mostly  feeble  at  the 
outset,  and  consequently  not  suited  for  such  a  journey, 
soon  gave  convincing  proofs  that  they  could  not  hold 
out,  and  daily,  after  leaving  the  Pimo  villages,  be- 
came reduced  in  number — sinking  under  the  combined 
influence  of  excessive  heat,  deficiency  of  grazing,  and 
destitution  of  water.  Of  the  twenty-seven,  but  three 
were  in  a  suitable  condition  to  be  brought  in ;  five 
more  I  left  at  Williams's  rancho,  about  fifty  miles  dis- 
tant, to  recruit ;  and  the  remainder  sank  under  their 
loads  at  various  places  on  the  desert,  and  were  necessa- 
rily abandoned  to  their  fate ;  which  was  either  to  fall 
into  the  hands  of  roving  Indians,  who,  like  so  many 
hungry  vultures,  were  continually  hovering  around, 
anxiously  awaiting  an  opportunity  to  avail  themselves 
of  any  accident  or  misfortune  that  might  occur, 
whereby  they  could  gain  possession  of  any  of  our  pro- 
perty ;  or  should  they  elude  the  Indians,  their  fate  most 


NAPA   VALLEY.  6 

inevitably  was,  in  their  enfeebled  state,  to  become  an 
easy  prey  to  the  hungry  wolves,  which  in  great  num- 
bers were  constantly  prowling  about,  making  night 
hideous  with  their  howlings  ;  and  not  unfrequently  so 
impatient  were  they  to  seize  upon  the  poor  animals, 
that  they  could  be  seen  skulking  close  to  our  camp  in 
broad  daylight. 

''■  The  loss  of  pack-mules  of  course  occasioned  a 
sacrifice  of  much  other  property,  as  we  had  no  relief 
mules  with  us.  Most  of  our  cooking  utensils  were 
dropped  from  time  to  time,  at  various  places  on  the 
route.  We  had  also  to  cache  all  of  our  camp  stools 
and  other  furniture,  some  of  our  bedding,  much  cloth- 
ing, books,  papers,  etc.  Eventually,  we  were  compelled 
to  abandon  our  tents :  so  that  rain  or  shine,  wet  or 
dry,  we  had  to  stop  at  the  end  of  our  day's  journey  in 
the  open  air,  without  any  means  of  protection  by  day 
from  the  scorching  heat  of  the  sun ;  and  at  night  we 
stretched  out  upon  the  ground,  unsheltered  from  the 
inclemency  of  the  weather,  and  the  cold  searching 
blasts  and  chilly  atmosphere,  though  at  mid-day  the 
dry,  brain-burning  heat,  was  almost  too  much  to  bear. 
Soon  after  sunset,  an  icy  feeling,  nearly  as  intolerable, 
would  pervade  us ;  the  variations  between  night  and 
day  often  amounting  to  sixty  and  seventy  degrees  of 
temperature. 

"  Twelve  days  of  the  journey  I  walked,  having 
relinquished  my  animal  for  pack-mule  purposes  before 
we  reached  the  junction  of  the  Gila  and  Colorado 
Rivers.  Subsequently,  others  followed  the  example ; 
until  at  length  but  two  retained  possession  of  ani- 
mals. 


4  SAN    DIEGO    TO 

"We  had  no  escort;  and  therefore,  after  walking 
all  day,  we  were  obliged  to  take  our  turns  at  standing 
guard  at  night.  Our  provisions  became  so  diminished 
in  quantity  as  to  compel  me  to  put  the  whole  party  on 
short  allowance.  We  lived  principally  on  meat,  mush, 
and.  mutton,  without  any  vegetables.  But  one  sheep 
(long,  lank,  raw-boned  animals)  was  allowed  to 
twelve  men  for  four  days,  and  even  then  our  last  meat 
was  consumed  a  week  before  our  arrival ;  and  we  were 
forced  to  deprive  ourselves  of  a  portion  of  our  mush 
to  furnish  food  to  our  animals,  owing  to  the  entire 
absence,  for  several  days  on  our  route,  of  all  grass, 
shrubs,  and  trees. 

"Much  is  said  by  travellers  respecting  the  desert 
of  Sahara ;  but,  in  barrenness  of  verdure,  destitution  of 
water,  tremendous  storms  of  sand,  etc.,  etc.,  it  is 
doubtful  if  any  tract  of  land  can  surpass  the  Jornada 
which  we  crossed.  Indeed  much  of  this  country,  that 
by  those  residing  at  a  distance  is  imagined  to  be  a 
perfect  paradise,  is  a  sterile  waste,  utterly  worthless 
for  any  purpose  than  to  constitute  a  barrier  or  natural 
line  of  demarcation  between  two  neighboring  nations. 

"  Notwithstanding  our  many  perils,  privations,  and 
suffering,  mostly  attributable,  when  traced  to  the  true 
source,  to  our  imperfect  outfit  at  the  Copper  Mines, 
from  the  negligence,  wilfulness,  or  some  other  unjusti- 
fiable cause  on  the  part  of  those  whose  duty  it  was  to 
attend  to  the  business ;  notwithstanding  the  many 
additional  obstacles  thrown  in  the  way ;  notwithstand- 
ing the  continued  succession  of  disappointments  which 
we  encountered  in  numerous  shapes,  and  of  varied 
hue,  where  the  doing  or  neglecting  to  do,  depended 


NAPA   VALLEY.  5 

upon  the  will  of  man ;  thanks  to  the  protecting  care  of 
a  divine  and  overruling  Providence,  we  escaped  un- 
harmed from  the  many  dangers  with  which  we  were 
surrounded,  and  the  difficulties  in  which  we  were 
involved,  and  have  brought  in  our  little  party  in  the 
enjoyment,  as  already  observed,  of  good  health  and 
spirits. 

"I  remain,  sir,  very  respectfully,  yours, 

(Signed)  THOMAS  H.  WEBB, 

Eecretanj  to  Boundary  Commission. 

"Hon.  J.  R.  Baetlett, 
"  Commissioner,  etc.11 

The  animals  brought  in  by  the  several  parties  were 
greatly  reduced  by  their  long  and  painful  journey, 
owing  chiefly  to  their  poor  and  scanty  food  along  the 
Gila,  and  from  that  river  to  the  coast.  They  were  now 
placed  in  a  grassy  valley  near  the  mission,  some  five  or 
six  miles  distant,  where  the  feed  was  pretty  good ;  but 
they  were  so  completely  broken  down,  that  many 
weeks  would  be  necessary  to  recruit  them.  The  sur- 
veying parties  during  this  time  were  engaged  in  re- 
ducing their  observations  and  in  plotting  their  maps. 

Although  the  entire  boundary  along  the  river  Gila 
was  not  completed,  it  was  a  source  of  peculiar  satisfac- 
tion to  me  that  we  had  accomplished  so  much.  It  is 
more  than  the  most  sanguine  in  the  Commission 
expected  to  perform  in  so  short  a  space  of  time,  sur- 
rounded, as  the  operating  parties  were,  with  so  many 
serious  impediments.  To  cross  a  wilderness,  such  as 
it  may  in  truth  be  called,  from  the  Rio  Grande  to  the 


6  SAN    DIEGO    TO 

Pacific  Ocean,  a  distance  of  more  than  eight  hundred 
miles,  would  at  any  time  be  a  labor  of  difficulty.  But 
when  this  whole  line  is  through  a  desolate  region,  with 
a  scanty  supply  of  grass  for  the  animals ;  with  large 
tracts  destitute  of  water,  and  no  means  of  procuring 
provisions;  and  furthermore,  when  nearly  the  entire 
distance  is  invested  by  hostile  Indians,  the  work  is  one 
for  the  near  completion  of  which  we  could  not  be  too 
thankful.  The  whole  came  through  in  good  health, 
and  with  the  loss  of  but  one  man,  Thomas  Harper,  an 
attendant  on  instruments  in  Lieutenant  Whipple's 
party,  who  was  unfortunately  drowned  whilst  bathing 
in  the  Colorado.  The  amount  of  public  property  lost 
or  abandoned  on  the  journey  was  not  large,  and  could 
easily  be  replaced  in  this  country. 

During  my  short  stay  at  San  Diego,  I  was  busily 
occupied  in  paying  off  and  reducing  the  Commission. 
Several  of  the  assistants  desired  to  leave  here,  and  the 
larger  portion  of  the  mechanics  and  laborers.  In  fact, 
I  found  it  difficult  to  keep  such  as  were  necessary  to 
take  care  of  the  animals  and  other  property,  as  well  as 
the  cooks  and  servants  needed  to  attend  the  several 
messes.  Wages  were  exceedingly  high,  and  I  was 
compelled  to  advance  the  pay  of  all  that  remained  to 
the  California  rates,  which  were  from  fifty  to  eighty 
dollars  a  month  for  servants,  cooks,  teamsters,  and 
herdsmen.  After  reducing  the  parties,  and  placing 
those  who  remained  in  comfortable  quarters  (for  the 
weather  was  cold  and  wet),  I  made  my  arrangements 
to  go  to  San  Francisco,  in  order  to  procure  a  new  out- 
fit of  tents  and  camp  equipage ;  to  have  the  instruments 
repaired  and  put  in  order  ;  to  lay  in  provisions  for  our 


NAPA   VALLEY.  i 

return ;  and  to  negotiate  my  drafts  on  the  government 
to  meet  these  several  expenditures,  as  well  as  to  pay 
the  officers  and  men  attached  to  the  Commission. 

No  event  that  is  worthy  of  mention  occurred  here, 
except  a  visit  from  a  band  of  Diegeno  Indians.  A 
chief  and  several  of  his  tribe  were  sent  to  me  at  my 
request  by  a  Californian  gentleman.  They  were  a  mis- 
erable, ill-looking  set,  with  dark  brown  complexions 
and  emaciated  bodies;  and  though  the  weather  was 
cold,  they  were  but  slightly  clad.  Articles  of  old  and 
cast-off  clothing,  such  as  a  tattered  shirt  and  panta- 
loons, were  all  that  the  best  could  boast  of.  One,  I 
think  the  chief,  had  a  piece  of  a  horse  blanket  around 
his  cadaverous-looking  body.  I  managed  to  get  from 
them  a  vocabulary  of  their  language ;  though  I  must 
confess  that,  with  the  exception  of  the  Apache,  I  never 
found  one  so  difficult  to  express,  in  consequence  of  the 
gutturals  and  nasals  with  which  it  abounded.  I  finally 
got  the  words  so  correct,  that  the  Indians  could  recog- 
nise them,  and  give  me  the  Spanish  equivalents.  I 
tried  to  write  down  some  short  sentences,  but  was 
obliged  to  give  up  the  attempt  as  unsuccessful.  I  could 
not  combine  the  words  so  as  to  be  understood,  in  a 
single  instance.  These  Indians  occupy  the  coast  for 
some  fifty  miles  above,  and  about  the  same  distance 
below,  San  Diego,  and  extend  about  a  hundred  miles 
into  the  interior.  They  are  the  same  who  were  known 
to  the  first  settlers  as  the  Comeya  tribe. 

I  also  found  an  Indian  here  from  the  Upper  Sacra- 
mento River.  He  had  been  taken  prisoner  by  the 
American  troops  about  three  years  before,  and  was  now 
living  with  some  of  the  officers.     He  was  quick  and 


0  •  SAN    DIEGO    TO 

intelligent,  and  answered  promptly  my  questions  rela- 
tive to  his  tribe  and  country.  I  could  not,  however, 
ascertain  the  precise  locality  of  his  people,  which  he 
called  the  ECliana  tribe — the  iZ"a  deep  guttural.  I  got 
from  him  a  complete  vocabulary  of  his  language. 

On  the  24th  of  February,  I  embarked  with  several 
officers  of  the  Commission  in  the  steamer  Sea  Bird,  for 
San  Francisco.  The  boat  stopped  on  the  way  at  the 
several  ports  of  San  Pedro,  Santa  Barbara,  and  Mon- 
terey ;  but  as  the  weather  was  boisterous  and  attended 
with  rain,  I  did  not  land.  On  the  evening  of  the  27th 
we  reached  San  Francisco. 

To  give  an  account  of  this  wonderful  city  Avhich 
has  sprung  into  existence  in  the  last  four  years,  and 
whose  rapid  growth  and  extraordinary  prosperity  have 
astonished  the  world,  is  not  my  intention.  No  city  on 
the  face  of  the  globe  has  ever  attained  the  position  that 
San  Francisco  has  in  the  same  period ;  and  it  is  yet 
progressing.  It  is  now  almost  the  first  in  population 
on  the  western  coast  of  the  American  continent ;  and 
but  a  few  years  will  elapse  before  it  will  surpass  all  the 
rest.  In  point  of  commerce,  the  great  ports  of  Europe 
and  on  the  Atlantic  coast  of  the  United  States  alone, 
can  vie  with  it.  As  the  outlet  of  the  principal  and 
almost  only  rivers  of  California,  it  will  continue  to 
bear  the  same  relation  to  the  interior  as  New  Orleans 
and  New  York  do  to  the  United  States  east  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains.  The  harbor  of  San  Francisco  is  one  of  the 
most  spacious  in  the  world,  easy  of  access,  of  a  conve- 
nient depth  for  anchorage,  and  protected  from  storms. 
The  city  itself  now  presents  a  strange  medley  of  build- 
ings, from  the  rudest  hovel  and  canvas  tent  to  the  ele- 


NAPA   VALLEY.  9 

gant  mansion  and  the  most  substantial  warehouses. 
The  former,  however,  are  rapidly  giving  way  to  the 
latter ;  and  now  that  bricks  of  a  superior  quality  are 
made  here,  and  excellent  building  stone  is  found  near 
at  hand,  no  one  will  think  of  putting  up  wooden  build- 
ings within  the  city.  In  the  streets  of  San  Francisco  all  is 
bustle  and  confusion.  Crowds  are  constantly  passing  and 
repassing.  The  wharves  are  thickly  lined  with  magnifi- 
cent ships  from  every  quarter  of  the  globe,  pouring  in 
their  thousands  of  immigrants,  and  discharging  their 
valuable  cargoes.  The  ocean  steamers,  each  bearing  from 
five  hundred  to  one  thousand  passengers,  are  weekly 
arriving  ;  while  the  river  boats,  which  take  their  daily 
departure  for  the  interior  every  morning  and  evening, 
present  the  same  moving  crowds  going  and  coming  as 
the  Hudson  River  boats  at  New  York.  All  go  full ;  and. 
one  is  as  much  puzzled  to  find  a  spare  seat  or  stool  on 
which  to  rest  his  weary  limbs,  as  on  board  the  excur- 
sion boats  from  our  Atlantic  cities.  The  stages  and 
other  means  of  conveyance  are  equally  crowded.  The 
throng  moves  to  and  fro,  from  the  city  to  the  mines 
and  the  interior,  and  thence  back  again  to  the  city. 
Go  to  the  business  streets,  and  the  auctioneer's  hammer 
is  heard  at  every  turn,  knocking  off  to  the  anxious 
bidder  every  article  of  commerce.  Stocks,  gold  mines, 
ships,  whole  cargoes  of  merchandise,  are  bought  and 
sold  with  the  same  freedom  as  in  the  Royal  Exchange 
of  London,  the  Bourse  of  Paris,  or  in  Wall-street,  New 
York.  There  are  customers  for  every  thing,  and  an 
^abundance  of  gold  to  meet  any  purchase  however  large. 
There  is  no  project  too  great  for  the  Californian  of  the 
present  day.    He  is  ready  for  any  undertaking,  whether 


10  SAN   DIEGO    TO 

it  be  to  make  a  railroad  to  tlie  Atlantic,  to  swallow  up 
Mexico,  or  invade  the  empire  of  Japan.  New  York  is 
now  the  first  city  on  the  American  continent,  and  San 
Francisco  is  destined  ere  long  to  be  second. 

San  Francisco  is  said  to  have  obtained  its  name  in 
the  following  manner:  "  When  Father  Juniper  Serra 
received  his  orders  from  the  Visitant-general  respecting 
the  names  which  he  was  to  give  to  the  new  missions  in 
California,  he  observed  that  the  name  of  the  founder 
of  their  order  was  not  among  them,  and  called  the  at- 
tention of  his  superior  to  the  fact,  exclaiming,  "Is 
not  our  Father  San  Francisco  to  have  a  mission  ?  "  to 
which  the  Visitant-general  replied,  u  If  San  Francisco 
-desires  a  mission,  let  him  show  you  a  port,  and  he  shall 
have  it."  In  the  year  1769  an  expedition  was  dis- 
patched from  San  Diego,  for  the  purpose  of  settling 
Monterey.  The  expedition  missed  the  port,  but  dis- 
covered a  much  larger  and  finer  bay  further  to  the 
•north,  which  had  been  till  then  unknown.  The  com- 
mander of  the  expedition  and  his  religious  associates 
•decided  that  this  discovery  must  be  the  work  of  St. 
Francis,  and  accordingly  they  gave  his  name  to  the 
place,  setting  up  a  cross,  and  taking  possession  after  the 
usual  manner.* 

To  show  the  striking  contrast  between  the  wants 
of  the  zealous  priests  who  colonized  California  in  the 
year  1770  and  the  Americans  of  1850,  I  give  another 
quotation  from  a  letter  written  by  the  same  excellent 
man  to  Father  Palou.  "  As  May  made  a  year  since  I 
received  a  letter  from  any  Christian  country,  your  Re- 

*  Palou.     Vicla  del  Padre  Fray  Junipero  Serra,  Mexico,  1*787,  p.  88. 


NAPA   VALLEY.  11 

verence  will  imagine  how  deficient  we  are  in  news :  but 
for  all  that,  I  only  ask  you  and  your  companions,  when 
you  can  get  an  opportunity,  to  inform  me  what  our 
most  holy  Father  the  reigning  Pope  is  called,  that  I 
majr  put  his  name  in  the  canon  of  the  mass ;  also  to 
say  if  the  canonization  of  the  beatified  Joseph  Cuper- 
tino, and  Serafino  de  Asculi  has  taken  place  ;  and  if 
there  is  any  other  beatified  one,  or  saint,  in  order  that 
I  may  put  them  in  the  calendar,  and  pray  to  them  ; 
we  having,  it  would  appear,  taken  our  leave  of  all 
printed  calendars.  Tell  me  also,  if  it  is  true,  that  the 
Indians  have  killed  Father  Joseph  Soler  in  Sonora,  and 
how  it  happened ;  and  if  there  are  any  other  friends 
defunct,  in  order  that  I  may  commend  them  to  God ; 
with  any  thing  else  your  Reverence  may  think  fit  to 
communicate  to  a  few  poor  hermits  separated  from 
human  society.  We  proceed  to-morrow  to  celebrate 
the  feast  of  Corpus  Christi  (although  in  a  very  poor 
manner),  in  order  to  scare  away  whatever  imps  there 
possibly  may  be  in  this  land."  * 

The  Californians  of  our  day,  instead  of  asking  for 
information  about  beatified  men  or  saints,  in  order  to 
put  them  on  the  calendar  and  pray  to  them,  would 
feel  a  much  deeper  interest  in  knowing  the  state  of 
political  parties  in  the  Atlantic  States,  or  the  prices  of 
stocks,  of  sugar,  and  whiskey ;  and  where  one  would 
care  to  hear  about  the  Pope  of  Rome,  a  hundred  would 
prefer  news  respecting  the  Emperor  of  China,  f 

*  Palou.     Vida  de  Fray  Junipero  Serra,  p.  102. 
f  I  have  reference  now  to  the  interest  felt  in  the  present  contest  in 
China  between  the  rebel  Tien-teh  and  the  Tartar  sovereign. 


12  SAN    DIEGO    TO 

For  three  weeks  after  I  arrived  in  San  Francisco 
it  rained  incessantly,  confining  me  most  of  the  time  to 
the  house.  The  result  was  a  great  rise  in  the  rivers, 
so  that  the  mining  regions  were  laid  under  water,  and 
became  impassable.  The  Sacramento  was  so  swollen 
as  to  inundate  the  city  of  the  same  name.  This  state 
of  things  prevented  me  from  visiting  the  interior,  and 
particularly  the  gold  region.  Having  a  couple  of 
weeks  still  to  spare  before  our  camp  equipage  would 
be  ready,  I  determined  to  avail  myself  of  this  brief 
space  in  visiting  some  of.  the  many  interesting  objects 
in  which  California  abounds.  To  examine  the  gold 
mines  in  so  short  a  time  with  any  satisfaction,  seemed 
impracticable.  I  therefore  concluded  to  visit  some 
localities  which  were  less  known,  and  which  would  be 
a  greater  novelty  than  the  gold  region,  with  which  I 
already  felt  pretty  well  acquainted  through  the  daily 
accounts  of  them  in  the  newspapers.  I  had  heard  an 
interesting  description  of  some  geysers  and  a  volcanic 
region  at  the  head  of  Napa  Valley,  which  I  determined 
to  visit  as  soon  as  the  travelling  would  permit. 

Accordingly  I  left  San  Francisco  on  the  17th  of 
March,  accompanied  by  Dr.  Webb  and  Mr.  Thurber, 
for  Benicia,  where  we  arrived  in  two  hours.  Our 
steamer  was  crowded  with  passengers,  chiefly  bound 
for  the  mines,  among  whom  were  a  number  of  Chinese. 
These  men  were  dressed  in  their  native  costume,  and 
each  carried  with  him  a  huge  pair  of  boots,  showing 
plainly  to  what  region  he  was  destined. 

Benicia  was  for  a  while  the  rival  of  San  Francisco  ; 
though  I  cannot  see  why  such  aspirations  should  have 
been  indulged  in  for  a  moment.     It  is  situated  on  the 


NAPA   VALLEY.  13 

Straits  of  Carquinez,  about  thirty  miles  from  San  Fran- 
cisco, on  a  gentle  slope,  which  becomes  almost  a  plain 
as  it  approaches  the  water's  edge.  It  contained  at  the 
time  of  my  visit  about  1500  inhabitants,  including  the 
soldiers  now  stationed  here.  Its  buildings  are  mostly 
of  wood,  and  among  these  are  several  hotels.  The  best 
of  them  is  the  "American,"  a  neat  and  well-kept  house, 
where  we  stopped.  It  was  then  the  Head-quarters  of 
the  Pacific  division  of  the  U.  S.  Army.  The  large 
deposit  of  Quarter-master's  and  Commissary's  stores  had 
been  recently  removed  hither,  and  efforts  were  making 
to  have  the  Navy  yard  here  also.  The  Pacific  Mail 
Steam  Ship  Company  had  its  depot  here,  and  next  to 
the  Navy  yard  was  the  most  valuable  accession  it  could 
possibly  enjoy.  The  steamers  all  lie  here  until  a  few 
days  before  sailing,  when  they  move  down  to  San 
Francisco.  This  company  furnished  much  business  to 
the  place  with  its  large  coal  depot,  ship  yard,  and 
various  workshops,  where  several  hundred  men  were 
constantly  employed.  The  military  post  is  about  a 
mile  from  the  town,  and  consists  of  a  few  wooden  build- 
ings. 

I  called  on  General  Hitchcock,  commanding  the 
Pacific  division  of  the  IT.  S.  Army,  for  the  purpose  of 
obtaining  an  escort  for  the  Commission  from  San  Diego 
to  the  Pimo  villages  on  the  Gila.  This  seemed  neces- 
sary, as  the  command  of  Colonel  Craig  amounting  to 
twenty-five  men,  which  accompanied  the  surveying 
parties  down  the  Gila,  had  all  deserted  but  five,  on 
their  arrival  at  San  Diego ;  and  of  these,  three  were 
non-commissioned  officers.  General  Hitchcock,  with 
the  promptness  and  liberality  which  have  ever  distin- 


14  SAN    DIEGO    TO 

guished  him,  at  once  acceded  to  my  request,  and  gave 
me  an  order  on  the  commanding  officers  at  San  Diego 
and  Fort  Yuma  to  furnish  me  with  such  a  force  as  they 
deemed  necessary. 

It  was  from  Benicia  that  we  were  to  take  the  road 
to  Napa  Valley.  On  making  known  to  General  Hitch- 
cock my  desire  to  visit  the  Geysers,  he  kindly  furnished 
me  with  horses  and  a  pack-mule  for  the  purpose.  To 
Major  Allen,  the  Quarter-master,  I  am  also  indebted 
for  his  promptness  in  facilitating  the  wishes  of  myself 
and  party  in  our  proposed  trip,  and  for  sending  me  a 
trusty  man. 

March  19  th.  Our  horses,  mule,  and  attendant  were 
promptly  at  the  door  by  7  o'clock ;  and  after  break- 
fast we  took  our  departure.  Proceeding  along  the 
shores  of  the  bay,  we  passed  the  great  projected  city 
of  Vallejo,  the  once  intended  capital  of  the  State.  It 
now  stands  naked  and  alone,  its  large  houses  tenant- 
less.  As  the  capital  of  California  it  might  have  become 
a  place  of  importance  ;  but  without  such  factitious  aid 
there  is  nothing  to  build  it. 

Here  we  entered  Napa  Valley.  The  hills  on  both 
sides  as  well  as  the  valley  were  covered  with  a  luxu- 
riant growth  of  wild  oats,  and  immense  herds  of  cattle 
were  roaming  about  feasting  on  them.  Wild  flowers 
of  varied  hues  were  thickly  scattered  around,  and  every 
thing  showed  that  the  heavy  and  continued  rains  had 
given  new  life  to  vegetation.  Our  course  was  now  a 
northerly  one,  directly  up  the  valley.  Napa  Creek, 
which  we  saw  at  a  distance,  makes  up  it,  and  affords 
sufficient  water  for  small  vessels,  several  of  which  we 
saw  gliding  up.     The  valley  soon  became  perfectly 


NAPA   VALLEY.  15 

level,  without  a  hill  or  depression.  In  many  places 
ploughmen  were  at  work  turning  up  the  soil,  which 
was  of  the  richest  description.  Barley  appeared  to  be 
the  principal  grain  sowed,  this  being  in  more  general 
use  for  horses  than  oats,  and  found  to  give  a  better 
yield.  In  one  place  I  noticed  a  hill,  the  whole  of  which 
had  been  sowed  with  barley,  presenting  a  field  of  more 
than  a  hundred  acres.  The  soil  here  was  loose ;  and 
as  the  water  had  run  off,  the  ground  was  in  a  fit  state 
for  cultivation.  The  valley  below  was  still  very  wet, 
and  would  not  be  in  a  fit  state  to  plough  for  weeks 
yet.  On  this  account,  the  declivities  possess  an  advan- 
tage for  early  planting,  over  the  level  plains. 

At  2  o'clock  reached  the  village  of  Napa,  where 
we  dined.  Distance  travelled,  twenty  miles.  The 
road  was  excellent,  except  in  two  places,  where  the 
valley  was  still  wet,  and  where  our  horses  sank  deep 
in  the  mud.  Napa  Creek  is  navigable  to  this  point, 
even  for  vessels  of  a  large  burden,  should  it  be  neces- 
sary to  bring  them  here,  which  will  hardly  be  the  case. 
Near  the  town  is  the  hulk  of  a  ship.  It  was  bought 
by  a  gentleman  in  San  Francisco  for  a  trifle  and  brought 
here,  where  it  is  used  as  a  storeship,  as  well  as  for 
the  residence  of  the  owner  and  his  family.  She  cost 
much  less  than  it  would  have  done  to  erect  a  small 
dwelling,  and  the  owner  has  besides  the  advantage  of 
a  large  warehouse.  She  lay  close  by  the  river's  bank  ; 
and  with  a  doorway  cut  in  her  side,  the  entrance  was 
made  quite  easy.  A  steamboat  now  runs  to  San  Fran- 
cisco, which  will  tend  to  populate  rapidly  this  beautiful 
valley,  and  render  the  town  of  Napa  the  centre  of  one 
of  the  richest  agricultural  districts  in  the  State.     After 


16  SAN    DIEGO    TO 

dinner  we  rode  five  miles,  to  the  house  of  Joseph  W. 
Osborne,  Esq.,  a  merchant  of  San  Francisco,  who  had 
invited  me  to  make  him  a  visit.  Mr.  0.  had  pre- 
ceded us  a  couple  of  days,  and  met  us  at  his  gate, 
giving  us  a  warm  reception. 

Mr.  Osborne's  place  was  the  most  beautiful  and 
picturesque  I  had  seen  in  the  valley.  In  fact,  it  was 
the  only  house  wherein  there  was  any  attempt  at  taste 
and  comfort ;  for  the  country  was  too  new  to  expect 
much  in  this  way  yet.  But  even  his  was  a  small  and 
unpretending  cottage  after  the  New  England  fashion. 
The  valley  here  is  about  four  miles  in  width.  Where 
it  opens  on  St.  Pablo  Bay  it  is  about  six  miles,  but  it 
gradually  contracts  towards  the  north.  At  the  entrance 
it  is  an  open  plain,  destitute  of  trees,  and  covered  with 
luxuriant  grass;  but  here  it  assumes  a  new  aspect, 
such  a  one,  too,  as  I  had  not  before  seen  in  the  coun- 
try. It  is  now  studded  with  gigantic  oaks,  some  of 
them  evergreen,  though  not  so  close  together  as  to 
render  it  necessary  to  cut  any  away  to  prepare  the 
land  for  cultivation.  These  magnificent  oaks  are  found 
sometimes  in  long  lines,  and  again  in  clusters  of  twenty 
or  thirty,  forming  beautiful  groves ;  then  again  a  space 
of  ten  or  twenty  acres  will  occur  without  a  single  tree. 
If  this  romantic  valley  were  transferred  to  the  older 
countries  of  Europe,  it  would  be  taken  for  the  domain 
of  a  prince  or  a  nobleman.  It  answers  to  the  idea  one 
has  of  the  old  and  highly  cultivated  parks  of  England, 
where  taste  and  money  have  been  lavished  with  an 
unsparing  hand,  through  many  generations.  As  one 
emerges  from  or  enters  each  grove,  he  involuntarily 
expects  some  venerable  castle  or  mansion  to  appear ; 


NAPA    VALLEY.  17 

or  to  find  himself  among  some  secluded  villages.  But 
in  the  entire  length  of  the  valley  there  are  no  houses 
to  be  found  within  a  less  distance  than  five  miles  of 
each  other,  and  these  too  of  the  most  humble  and 
unpretending  character.  What  is  singular,  and  to  me 
unaccountable  in  these  groves  of  large  trees  is,  that 
there  are  no  young  ones,  none  but  the  venerable  and 
full-grown  oaks,  which,  doubtless,  for  centuries  have 
held  exclusive  sway  over  this  wide-spread  and  beauti- 
ful domain.  Nor  is  there  any  undergrowth  of  other 
trees  and  shrubs.  I  can  only  account  for  this  defi- 
ciency by  attributing  it  to  fires  since  the  occupation  of 
the  country  by  the  Spaniards ;  or,  by  supposing  that 
the  immense  herds  of  cattle,  which  for  a  century  past 
have  occupied  the  valley,  have  browsed  upon  the 
shrubs  and  young  trees,  until  they  destroyed  them, 
and  afterwards  kept  down  the  shoots  as  they  sprang 
up. 

The  valley  is  hemmed  in  on  both  sides  by  ranges 
of  low  mountains,  running  north  and  south,  which  are 
generally  covered  to  their  very  summits  with  forest 
trees.  Here  and  there  bold  rocks  jut  out,  presenting 
the  most  fantastic  outlines ;  while  between  the  valley 
and  the  mountains  runs  a  lower  range  of  rounded 
hills,  dotted  with  small  bushy  oaks  and  pines,  which 
present  a  fine  contrast  with  the  more  sombre  hues  of 
the  mountain  foliage.  Occasionally  the  gigantic  palo 
Colorado  (red  wood)  raises  its  tall  head  far  above  every 
other  object,  making  even  the  huge  oaks  appear 
-diminutive. 

In  the  midst  of  the  valley  winds  a  small  stream, 
called  Napa  Creek,  its  course  marked  by  the  graceful 


18  SAN    DIEGO    TO 

willows  that  grow  along  its  margin.  This  creek  is  chiefly 
supplied  by  springs  near  the  head  of  the  valley  ;  but 
during  the  rainy  season  several  mountain  torrents 
empty  their  waters  into  it — indeed,  some  of  them  I 
was  told  contribute  a  portion  during  the  whole  year. 

The  larger  portion  of  Napa  Valley  was  still  in  the 
state  in  which  nature  had  left  it,  but  had  all  been 
taken  up  by  recent  settlers,  and  was  fast  being  brought 
into  cultivation.  A  road  had  just  been  laid  out 
through  its  centre,  and  every  farmer  was  occupied  in 
marking  out  his  land  and  dividing  it  into  lots  inclosed 
by  substantial  rail  fences.  Ploughs  were  cutting  up 
the  virgin  sward  in  all  directions ;  and  in  one  place  I 
saw  a  ditching  machine  in  operation.  It  answered 
the  double  purpose  of  making  a  ditch  four  or  five  feet 
wide,  with  an  embankment  of  sufficient  height  to 
answer  for  a  fence  or  wall.  This  machine  was  worked 
by  two  or  three  oxen  and  a  windlass.  It  is  a  rapid 
method  of  accomplishing  two  most  important  objects ; 
and  the  mound  is  said  to  keep  the  cattle  out  as  well  as 
.a  high  fence. 

Mr.  Osborne's  men  were  all  New  England  farmers, 
several  of  them  from  Rhode  Island  ;  and  it  is  astonish- 
ing to  see  how  much  more  work  one  of  these  men 
will  perform  than  a  Mexican  or  Californian.  He  pays 
them  seventy-five  dollars  a  month,  and  finds  them, 
which  pays  him  better  than  employing  ordinary  hands 
at  half  the  price.  Mr.  0.  has  owned  this  property  but 
one  year ;  and  a  furrow  was  never  turned  on  it  or  a 
seed  sown,  until  he  came  into  possession.  He  has  now 
more  than  a  hundred  acres  under  cultivation,  a  con- 
siderable portion  of  which  is  protected  by  a  post  and 


NAPA   VALLEY.  19 

rail  fence  of  red  wood.  Many  fruit  trees,  grape  vines, 
flowering  shrubs,  etc.,  are  in  a  flourishing  condition 
around  his  house.  In  no  part  of  the  Atlantic  States  or 
Mississippi  Valley  could  such  improvements  be  shown 
in  the  same  time,  except  on  prairie  land. 

March  20th.  This  morning  we  called  on  Mr. 
Yaunt,  a  Missourian,  and  one  of  the  oldest  settlers  in 
the  valley.  Mr.  Y.  came  here  some  twelve  or  fifteen 
years  ago,  and  obtained  a  large  grant  of  land  from 
the  Government ;  he,  however,  has  cultivated  very 
little  of  it,  but  has  used  it,  like  the  other  great  land- 
holders of  the  country,  for  a  cattle  range.  The  other 
original  grantees  of  land  in  Napa  Valley  were  Mr. 
Fowler,  Dr.  Bale,  an  Englishman,  and  Don  Salvador 
Vallejo.  The  usual  measure  of  land  in  this  country, 
as  well  as  in  Mexico,  is  the  square  league,  containing 
about  five  thousand  acres.  Senor  Vallejo,  who  was 
the  largest  proprietor  here,  owned  six  square  leagues, 
or  thirty  thousand  acres.  It  is  well  for  the  country 
that  these  large  estates  are  now  being  divided  and 
brought  into  market.  They  will,  doubtless,  ere  long 
be  eagerly  sought  after,  on  account  of  their  extraordi- 
nary fertility  and  beautiful  situation,  by  gentlemen  who 
wish  to  get  away  from  the  bustle  of  a  great  city,  and 
enjoy  the  retirement  of  a  country  life.* 

I  was  desirous  to  have  Mr.  Yaunt  accompany  us 

*  In  an  agreeable  work  by  Lieutenant  Revere,  I  find  the  following 
history  of  Mr.  Yaunt :  "  This  old  man  had  led  an  adventurous  and 
checkered  life ;  in  the  course  of  which  he  had  fought  under  Jackson  at 
New  Orleans,  and  in  the  Seminole  war  had  been  taken  prisoner  by  the 
Indians,  and  actually  bound  to  the  stake.  He  had  been  a  hunter  and 
a  trapper,  and  Indian  fighter  at  large,  in  the  heart  of  the  continent,  until 


20  SAN   DIEGO   TO 

to  the  Geysers,  and  he  readily  promised  to  go  ;  but  as 
he  did  not  appear  at  the  time  appointed,  we  waited 
for  him  till  twelve  o'clock,  and  then  determined  to 
proceed  without  him.  Mr.  Osborne  now  joined  our 
party,  and  we  resumed  our  journey. 

The  valley  continued  as  before,  level,  and  without 

his  combative  propensities  were  gratified — and  he  finally  found  himself 
one  day  at  the  "  jumping-off  place,"  and  made  his  first  attempt  at  ocean 
navigation  on  the  bosom  of  the  broad  Pacific.  In  the  unpretending 
skiff  of  an  otter  hunter,  often  unaccompanied  save  by  his  trusty  rifle,  he 
coasted  the  shores  and  islands  of  California  in  search  of  the  pelt  of  his 
valuable  prey.  "While  employed  one  day  (in  the  year  1836)  in  his 
regular  pursuit,  he  chanced  to  steer  his  skiff  into  the  navigable  creek  or 
estuary  of  Napa,  rightly  judging  it  a  place  of  resort  for  his  furry  friends. 
The  valley  was  then  inhabited  by  none  but  Indians ;  and  he  made  his 
way  up  to  a  beautiful  spot,  a  few  miles  from  his  boat,  which  had  been 
selected  for  a  rancheria  by  a  tribe  called  the  "  Caymas."  Here  he  sat 
down  to  rest;  when  suddenly  there  flashed  upon  his  mind,  like  a  gleam 
of  light,  a  long-forgotten  prophecy  of  an  old  fortune  teller  in  his  native 
State.  He  declares  that  the  sibyl  had  predicted  the  spot  of  his  future 
residence  in  terms  exactly  answering  to  the  description  of  this  valley,  in- 
cluding all  the  accessories  of  grove,  plain,  mountain,  river,  and  even  "  me- 
dicine water,"  as  the  Indians  call  the  springs.  The  old  man  pondered 
over  this  prophecy,  counted  his  gains,  which  had  been  considerable,  and 
philosophized  over  the  vicissitudes  of  human  life,  not  forgetting,  how- 
ever, to  examine  the  valley  more  carefully.  On  his  next  visit  to 
Monterey,  he  became  a  citizen  of  California,  and  obtained  a  grant  of 
land,  embracing  the  charmed  spot  indicated  by  the  Western  witch. 
He  then  came  and  settled  it,  purchasing  cattle  with  his  gains  in  the 
"  lower  country."  But  the  happy  valley  then  swarmed  with  Indians, 
jealous  of  white  men,  and  constantly  fighting  among  themselves ;  so  that 
this  elysium  was  turned  into  a  pandemonium  by  their  screams  and  war- 
whoops.  He  quitted  his  skiff,  formed  an  alliance  offensive  and  defen- 
sive, with  the  rancheria  of  Caymas,  erected  a  log  house,  after  the  man- 
ner of  his  ancestors  in  the  days  of  Daniel  Boone,  and  with  his  faithful 
rifle — the  only  fire-arm  in  the  valley — not  only  stood  and  repelled  the 


NAPA    VALLEY.  21 

a  hill  or  an  undulation.  A  luxuriant  growth  of 
grass,  studded  with  brilliant  wild  flowers,  lined  our 
path.  As  we  continued  north,  the  adjacent  hills 
became  more  thickly  wooded,  particularly  with  pines 
and  firs ;  the  red- wood,  a  species  of  cypress,  still  more 
conspicuous,  raising  its  tall  stem  far  above  the  others.* 

attacks  of  the  rival  rancherias,  but  attacking  in  turn,  exterminated  the 
unruly,  sustained  the  wavering,  and,  single-handed,  bullied  the  whole 
valley  into  submission.  Many  a  weary,  and  anxious,  and  watchful  night 
did  he  spend  ere  this  result  was  achieved ;  but  once  accomplished,  his 
sovereignty  remained  undisputed ;  the  conquered  became  his  servants ; 
and  the  allies  of  Caymus  remain  to  this  day  his  laborers  and  his  farm 
hands." — Tour  in  California,  p.  95. 

*  This  tree  is  remarkable  for  the  great  height  which  it  attains.  I  have 
been  told  by  credible  persons  that  specimens  are  now  growing  which  are 
three  hundred  feet  in  height ;  and  I  have  seen  persons  who  have  mea- 
sured fallen  trunks  two  hundred  and  sixty-six  feet  in  length.  It  is  one  of 
the  most  important  vegetable  productions  of  California ;  and  besides  the 
various  uses  to  which  it  is  applied  when  sawed  into  boards,  it  is  exten- 
sively employed  for  fencing  purposes,  the  grain  being  so  straight  that  it 
splits  with  the  greatest  ease ;  indeed,  before  the  introduction  of  saw- 
mills, it  was  usual  to  split  logs  of  the  red  wood  into  planks. 

It  is  also  said  to  be  very  durable.  Colonel  Fremont  saw  posts  which 
had  been  in  the  ground  three  fourths  of  a  century,  without  traces  of 
decay.  The  houses  built  by  the  Russians  at  Bodega  many  years  since, 
are  of  this  timber,  with  posts  sunk  in  the  ground,  into  which  the 
horizontal  pieces  are  mortised.  The  planks  upon  the  sides  are  about 
three  inches  thick,  and  had  been  but  little  smoothed  off  after  being  split. 
No  signs  of  decay  could  be  detected  even  in  the  posts.  At  this  place, 
Captain  Smith  erected  a  steam,  grist,  and  saw-mill,  in  1845,  being  the 
first  structure  of  the  kind  in  the  country.  He  states  that  they  could  not 
saw  logs  much  over  four  feet  in  diameter,  and  never  cut  any  less  than 
eighteen  inches ;  and  yet  the  average  number  of  cuts  or  logs,  each  of 
-sixteen  feet  in  length  from  a  single  tree,  was  between  eight  and  ten.* 

*  Report  of  P.  T.  Tyson  to  the  Secretary  of  War,  on  the  Geology  and  Topography  of  Califor- 
nia. 


22  SAN    DIEGO   TO 

Passed  the  farm  of  Mr.  Yaunt,  and  soon  after  that 
of  Senora  Bale,  the  widow  of  an  English  physician, 

Fremont  describes  the  largest  red-wood  measured  by  him  to  be  fif- 
teen feet  in  diameter,  and  275  feet  in  height.  Lieut.  Sloneman,  U.  S. 
Army,  speaks  of  another  of  about  the  same  height,  and  twenty-one  feet 
in  diameter.  The  largest  tree  seen  by  Mr.  Tyson  (quoted  above)  was  in 
the  forests  near  Bodega :  it  had  been  cut  down  and  a  portion  removed  ; 
the  stump  was  twelve  and  a  quarter  feet  in  diameter,  clear  of  the  very 
thick  baric.  He  saw  many  trees  of  nine  or  ten  feet,  and  those  of  six 
and  eight  feet,  were  very  common. 

After  examining  these  forests  to  some  extent,  Mr.  Tyson  says  he 
"  measured  off  a  space  equal  to  one  seventh  of  an  acre,  which  was  esti- 
mated to  contain  about  an  average  of  the  forests  of  that  region,  and 
found  within  it  three  trees  about  one  hundred  feet  high  and  eighteen 
inches  thick,  and  twelve  others  varying  between  four  and  eight  feet  in 
diameter,  and  from  180  to  230  feet  high."  It  is  difficult  to  form  an 
idea  of  the  product  of  timber  upon  an  acre  containing  the  proportion 
within  the  fractional  part  above  noted,  without  an  arithmetical  calcula- 
tion, when  it  will  be  found  to  produce  about  one  million  feet  of  boards, 
one  inch  thick,  besides  five  hundred  cords  of  wood  from  the  tops  and 
limbs. 

Captain  Smith  thinks  he  alone  has  seen  ten  thousand  acres  of  such 
forest,  and  Mr.  Tyson  saw  many  acres  which  would  yield  considerably 
more  in  proportion  than  the  measured  space. 

Judge  Thornton  speaks  of  pines  which  "  measured,  at  a  height  of  be- 
tween six  and  a  dozen  feet  above  the  ground,  forty  feet  in  circumference, 
their  bark  nearly  a  foot  thick,  and  between  two  and  three  hundred  feet 
high."  Between  Paget  Sound  and  Fort  Harrison,  some  of  the  fallen 
trees  have  been  found  to  be  265  feet  in  length.  "These  trees  are  per- 
fectly straight  and  without  branches  for  a  distance  of  150  feet.  In  many 
places  where  these  trees  have  fallen,  they  present  barriers  to  the  vision 
even  when  the  traveller  is  on  horseback." —  Oregon  and  California,  Vol. 
I.  p.  350. 

Mr.  Walter  Hitchcock  gives  the  following  account  of  forest  monsters 
which  fell  under  his  observation  : 

"The  big  trees  (for  there  are  131  of  them  over  ten  feet  in  diameter 
standing  on  the  limits  of  a  few  acres)  stand  in  Mammoth  Tree  Valley, 


NAPA   VALLEY.  23 

who  settled  and  died  here.  This  lady  has  a  large 
estate,  which  contains  more  improvements  than  any 

about  thirty  miles  north  of  Sonora,  in  Calaveras  county.  The  mam- 
moth tree  which  has  been  felled,  was  bored  down  with  long  augers,  and 
took  four  men  twenty-two  days  to  get  it  down.  The  stump  stands  about 
six  feet  above  the  level  of  the  ground,  and  its  top  has  been  made  level 
and  smooth,  which  required  sixteen  days  work.  I  measured  it  from  the 
inside  of  the  bark  across  to  the  inside  of  the  bark,  and  it  measured  twen- 
ty-five feet,  and  is  perfectly  sound  clear  to  the  heart.  The  bark,  to  the 
height  of  52  feet,  has  been  taken  from  the  trunk  in  sections,  and  sent  to 
the  fair  at  New- York.  If  the  top  half  of  the  tree  were  taken  off,  so  as  to 
make  a  level  surface,  a  stage  coach  with  four  horses  might  be  driven  on 
it,  from  the  butt  towards  the  tip,  a  distance  of  166  feet,  it  being  at  this 
length  ten  feet  in  diameter.  At  the  length  of  280  feet,  it  is  four  feet  in 
diameter.  At  this  j)oint  it  was  broken  off  in  falling,  and  the  tip  was 
broken  into  fragments  so  fine  I  could  not  measure  them  ;  but  its  height 
had  been  taken  before  it  was  felled,  and  set  down  at  300  feet.  It  is 
called  arbor  vitce;  but  it  is  not  fully  decided  to  what  variety  it  belongs. 
It  is  a  little  curious  that  no  other  trees  of  the  same  kind  can  be  found 
less  than  seven  feet  in  diameter,  and  this  tree  is  estimated  by  a  scientific 
gentleman  from  San  Francisco  to  be  3,100  years  old. 

"There  are  many  others  still  standing,  of  the  same  kind,  which  are 
monsters  ;  some  even  larger  than  this,  but  not  sound.  One,  called  Un- 
cle Tom's  Cabin,  has  a  more  commodious  room  in  it  than  many  miners' 
cabins.  There  are  some  large  ones  blown  down,  and  one  I  must  not 
fail  to  describe.  It  was  evidently  decayed  before  it  fell,  and  in  its  fall 
broke  off  sixty  feet  from  the  roots.  This  part  is  hollow ;  and  I  cannot 
give  you  a  better  idea  of  its  size,  than  by  telling  you  that  I  rode  my 
horse  through  it  from  end  to  end.  At  the  end  where  it  is  broken  off, 
the  shell  is  very  thin,  and  as  I  sat  on  the  horse,  I  could  not  reach  my 
hand  to  the  inner  surface,  over  my  head ;  but  half-way  through,  the 
shell  was  as  much  as  three  feet  thick  over  my  head,  and  more  than  that 
under  the  horse's  feet,  and  here  it  was  necessary  to  lean  forward.  But 
this  is  not  the  largest.  There  is  another  one  blown  down,  which  meas- 
ures 110  feet  in  circumference  and  410  feet  in  length.  This,  too,  is  hollow  ; 
and  if  the  hollow  were  enlarged  a  little,  it  would  make  a  very  good  rope- 
walk." 


24  SAN    DIEGO    TO 

other  farm  in  the  valley.  In  her  orchard  I  noticed 
pear  and  peach  trees,  and  grape  vines  in  abundance ; 
while  around  the  house  were  rose  bushes  and  other 
flowering  shrubs.  The  lady  was  at  work  in  her  gar- 
den, in  which  she  seemed  to  take  a  deep  interest ; 
while  frolicking  around  her  were  six  beautiful  chil- 
dren, whose  light  hair  and  fair  complexion  indicated 
their  Anglo-Saxon  parentage.  Passed  other  farms, 
some  of  which,  particularly  Mr.  Keller's,  bore  the 
marks  of  an  old  settlement,  from  the  extent  of  its 
fences,  its  barns,  saw-mill,  and  other  improvements. 
Here  was  a  large  orchard  of  peach  trees  in  full  bloom ; 
which  trees,  I  was  told,  were  brought  round  Cape 
Horn  from  the  Atlantic  States.  Every  thing  here 
was  in  a  flourishing  condition ;  although  in  the  form 
and  arrangement  of  the  buildings  a  sad  deficiency  of 
taste  was  visible. 

A  ride  of  three  miles  further  brought  us  to  Mr. 
Kilburn's,  a  Missourian,  with  a  Californian  wife.  We 
stopped  here  for  the  night,  and  were  disappointed  in 
not  finding  Mr.  K.  at  home.  He  is  another  old  resi- 
dent, having  been  some  seven  years  in  the  valley.  As 
this  gentleman  was  familiar  with  the  district  we  were 
about  to  visit,  we  had  relied  on  his  accompanying  us ; 
or,  failing  to  do  so,  we  had  hoped  to  obtain  such  infor- 
mation from  him  as  would  enable  us  to  find  the  objects 
of  which  we  were  in  search.  Mrs.  Kilburn  received 
us  kindly,  although  we  were  all  strangers  to  her; 
nevertheless  she  seemed  a  little  flustered  when  we  told 
her  we  had  come  to  pass  the  night  there.  She  is  quite 
young,  good-looking,  and  has  an  interesting  family  of 
little  ones   around  her,  who,   like  the  children  before 


NAPA    VALLEY.  25 

mentioned,  exhibit  their  Anglo-Saxon  descent.  A  fine 
supper  was  soon  prepared  for  us ;  after  partaking  of 
which,  we  were  directed  to  our  beds  in  the  chamber 
above,  all  clean  and  comfortable. 

The  valley  for  the  last  few  miles  had  diminished 
much  in  width,  being  not  more  than  a  mile  at  Mr.  Kil- 
burn's  farm.  The  soil,  too,  had  changed  from  a  black 
loam  to  clay  and  gravel.  Nevertheless,  vegetation 
seemed  quite  as  luxuriant,  and  the  valley  presented  a 
greater  variety  of  trees.  The  oak,  which,  as  I  have 
stated,  monopolizes  the  valley  below,  here  gives  way 
to  the  lofty  pine,  spruce,  red-wood,  cedar,  &c. 

I  had  heard  at  San  Francisco  of  the  large  yield  of 
vegetables  on  this  farm,  and  made  inquiry  as  to  its 
truth.  I  found  the  statement  to  be  correct ;  and  that 
from  two  acres  of  onions  planted  near  the  house,  Mr. 
Kilburn  had  realized  last  year,  in  the  market  of  San 
Francisco,  eight  thousand  dollars  in  cash.  He  also 
raised  an  immense  number  of  cabbages  and  other  vege- 
tables. In  explanation  of  this,  I  ought  to  mention  that, 
onions  are  considered  the  most  valuable  of  all  vege- 
tables among  the  gold  miners,  on  account  of  their  anti- 
scorbutic properties.  They  grow  here  to  an  enormous 
size,  and  give  an  immense  yield.  My  own  experience 
convinces  me  of  the  great  value  of  onions  where  there 
is  a  predisposition  to  scurvy,  and  there  is  no  vegetable 
which  one  craves  more  than  this.  Many  have  I  bought 
at  twelve  and  a  half  cents  a  piece,  and  eaten  with  more 
relish  than  I  ever  did  an  orange. 

In  our  ride  to-day,  we  crossed  the  valley  to  examine 
some  thermal  springs,  which  are  somewhat  celebrated 
here.     They  are  in  a  plain  near  the  base  of  a  small  hill 


26  SAN    DIEGO    TO    NAPA   VALLEY. 

of  conglomerate  rock ;  but  owing  to  the  wet  and  boggy- 
condition  of  the  valley,  we  were  unable  to  approach 
within  thirty  feet  of  them.  Columns  of  steam  were 
rising  from  them  on  all  sides.  These  springs  had  been 
visited  by  Professor  Shepard  the  year  before,  and  some 
account  of  them  given  by  him  to  the  public*  The 
temperature  is  said  to  be  constantly  changing.  Pro- 
fessor S.  heard  that  there  was  a  place  near  the  foot  of 
Mount  Helena,  where  the  hot  waters  formerly  flowed, 
but  which  had  now  ceased.  This  report  induced  him 
to  visit  the  spot.  "  Externally,"  he  says,  "  there  was 
no  uncommon  appearance  to  indicate  the  locality. 
Neither  a  surplus  or  a  scarcity  of  vegetation,  and  no 
appearance  of  scoria,  tufa  or  travertine,  as  might  have 
been  expected."  In  one  place,  however,  he  found  it 
slightly  warm  on  the  surface ;  and  on  excavating  to 
the  depth  of  two  feet,  it  became  so  hot  that  he  could 
not  bear  his  hand  in  the  mud  and  clay.  He  inserted 
the  bulb  of  his  thermometer,  and  the  mercury  at  once 
rose  to  one  hundred  and  twenty  degrees.  The  tem- 
perature of  the  springs  we  visited,  varied  from  105  to 
169  degrees. 

*  See  Silliman's  Journal,  Nov.  1851,  p.  154. 


THE    GEYSERS    OF    PLUTON    RIVER,    ETC.  27 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

THE  GEYSERS  OF  PLUTON  RIVER,  AND  RETURN  TO  SAN 
FRANCISCO. 

Mount  Helena — Eussian  inscription — Digger  Indians — Dwellings — Mode 
of  fishing — Dress — Pass  the  mountains — Meet  bear  hunters — Mode  of 
cooking  without  utensils — Pluton  River — The  Geysers — Description  of 
these  phenomena — Effect  of  the  water  on  wood — Extent  of  volcanic 
action — Return  to  Camp — Abundance  of  grizzly  bears — Eecross  the 
mountains — Return  through  Napa  Valley — Visit  to  the  Obsidian  hills 
— Extensive  use  of  this  material  by  the  Indians — Return  to  San  Fran- 
cisco. 

March  21st  Resumed  our  journey  after  breakfast ; 
and  at  Mr.  Fowler's,  three  or  four  miles  distant,  met  a 
man  who  manifested  much  curiosity  in  our  researches, 
when  he  found  us  inquiring  about  mines  and  the  vol- 
canic region.  He  showed  Dr.  Webb  a  specimen  of 
ore,  which,  he  said,  was  from  that  vicinity.  The  doc- 
tor at  once  pronounced  it  zinc,  and  expressed  a  doubt 
about  its  being  found  in  the  state  in  which  it  was 
exhibited  to  him.  But  the  man  insisted  that  his 
account  of  its  origin  was  correct,  and  furthermore 
offered  to  conduct  us  to  the  spot ;  whereupon  we  set 
off  together  under  his  guidance.  Crossing  the  valley 
to  the  opposite  side,  he  led  us  up  a  deep  ravine,  where 
he  leaped  from  his  horse  and  pointed  out  the  rock  from 


28         THE  GEYSERS  OF  PLUTON  RIVER, 

which  he  said  the  specimen  was  taken.  An  examina- 
tion showed  it  to  be  nothing  but  serpentine.  He  led 
the  doctor  to  several  ledges  at  some  distance,  but  their 
character  was  the  same.  He  had  evidently  been  im- 
posed upon,  for  he  acknowledged  afterwards  that  he 
did  not  find  the  specimen  himself.  Many  tricks  of 
this  kind  are  practised  on  the  ignorant,  and  they  even 
sometimes  lead  scientific  men  astray. 

While  this  man  was  hunting  up  his  imaginary  trea- 
sures, I  ascended  a  small  hill  and  took  a  sketch  of  the 
beautiful  scenery  around.  Directly  before  me  on  the 
eastern  side  of  the  valley  loomed  up  Mount  Helena  or 
Moyacino  of  the  Russians.  This  is  the  highest  moun- 
tain for  a  great  distance  around,  none  within  seventy 
or  eighty  miles  having  as  great  an  altitude.  On  its 
summit  is  an  inscription  in  Russian  characters  on  a 
plate  of  copper,  giving  the  latitude  and  longitude  of 
the  place.  We  met  several  persons  who  had  seen  the 
tablet.  The  Russians  had  a  settlement  called  Fort 
Rosse  on  Bodega  Bay,  opposite  this  mountain  ;  and 
the  tablet  was  doubtless  placed  there  to  show  the  line 
of  boundary  which  Russia  claimed. 

The  view  here  exhibited  the  finest  alpine  scenery 
I  had  yet  seen  in  California,  and  showed  that  we  were 
advancing  northward  as  well  as  reaching  a  higher 
elevation. 

Reached  Mr.  Knight's,  twelve  miles  from  Kilburn's, 
at  noon.  Here  the  valley  grew  quite  narrow,  or  rather 
terminated,  it  being  intersected  by  a  range  of  hills. 
At  this  place,  another  valley  opened  some  two  or  three 
miles  in  width,  and  extended  about  ten  miles  farther 
to  the  north. 


AND    RETURN    TO    SAN    FRANCISCO.  29 

Mr.  Knight  is  a  young  man  from  Vermont,  who 
came  across  the  continent  about  seven  years  before  our 
visit,  with  the  first  emigrants  to  Oregon.  As  the 
country  did  not  suit  him,  he  pushed  his  way  south- 
ward, until  he  struck  this  valley.  He  owns  a  large 
tract  of  land  here  ;  but  in  consequence  of  his  distance 
from  market,  he  has,  very  wisely,  turned  his  attention 
from  cultivating  the  soil,  to  that  of  raising  stock.  His 
isolated  position,  and  the  hills  of  grass  and  wild  oats 
which  surround  him  on  every  side,  render  it  a  most 
advantageous  one  for  this  purpose.  Although  sur- 
rounded by  wild  beasts  and  warlike  Indians,  and  with 
no  neighbor  within  twelve  miles  of  him,  he  had  not 
forgotten  all  the  enjoyments  that  belong  to  civilized 
communities,  as  was  evinced  by  a  piano-forte  and  a 
case  well  filled  with  books. 

An  Indian  village  stood  a  few  hundred  yards  from 
the  house  ;  and  at  my  request  Mr.  Knight  went  out 
and  brought  me  three  of  the  most  intelligent  among 
them,  from  whom  I  obtained  a  full  vocabulary  of  their 
language.  Like  many  other  tribes  of  the  country,  and 
of  this  region  in  particular,  they  appeared  to  have  no 
name  for  themselves  as  a  people.  By  the  white  peo- 
ple, these  and  all  other  Indians  between  the  Sacra- 
mento and  the  coast,  and  thence  through  the  central 
parts  of  the  State,  are  called  "Diggers,"  or  "Digger 
Indians,"  from,  the  fact  that  they  live  chiefly  on  roots, 
which  they  collect  by  digging.  I  therefore  set  them 
down  as  Indians  of  Napa  Valley.  We  had  met  with 
-several  small  bands,  and  passed  a  few  villages  on  our 
way  up ;  but  from  none  could  I  learn  that  they  had 
any  name  for  their  tribe.     This  fact  will  account  for 


30  THE    GEYSERS    OF    PLUTON    RIVER, 

the  great  diversity  in  the  names  of  the  California 
Indians  as  given  by  travellers.  In  examining  the 
various  books  on  this  country  and  articles  in  scientific 
journals,  I  find  tribes  mentioned  by  names  which  are 
not  elsewhere  to  be  found;  and  in  my  own  inquiries 
I  have  found  tribes  who  called  themselves  by  names 
which  I  never  heard  of  before.  This  has  induced  me 
to  believe  that  the  small  tribes  or  bands,  which  abound 
here  more  than  in  any  other  part  of  North  America, 
when  asked  to  what  tribe  they  belong,  give  the  name 
of  their  chief,  which  is  misunderstood  by  the  inquirer 
to  be  that  of  the  tribe  itself. 

Their  houses  are  circular,  and  from  twelve  to 
thirty  feet  in  diameter,  the  interior  usually  excavated 
about  three  feet  below  the  surface  of  the  ground. 
Within  this  circle  posts  are  planted,  forked  at  the  top, 
upon  which  rest  poles  reaching  from  one  to  the  other. 
The  spaces  between  the  posts  are  filled  in  with  sticks 
or  tules,  against  which  the  earth  is  firmly  banked  up 
outside.  The  roofs  are  dome-shaped,  and,  in  the 
smaller  houses,  supported  by  a  single  post  in  the  cen- 
tre, on  the  forked  top  of  which  rest  two  main  rafters, 
with  their  outer  ends  planted  in  the  ground.  From 
these  are  stretched  stout  poles,  about  a  foot  apart  and 
thatched  with  sticks  and  tules,  or  rushes  closely  inter- 
woven, and  covered  with  a  solidly  pressed  layer  of 
earth  about  a  foot  thick,  making  a  roof  completely 
water  proof  in  the  heaviest  rains.  In  some  villages 
the  houses  have  but  one  aperture,  which  is  on  the  top 
of  the  roof,  and  serves  for  both  door  and  chimney. 
This  is  entered  by  a  sort  of  rude  ladder,  or  by  notches 
cut  in  the  centre-post.     Others  have  an  ojDening  at  the 


AND    RETURN    TO    SAN    FRANCISCO. 


31 


side,  so  small  as  not  to  be  entered  except  by  crawling 
on  the  hands  and  knees.  Around  the  sides  of  the 
interior  are  wide  shelves,  formed  of  poles  and  rushes 
resting  on  forked  posts,  which  serve  for  beds. 


Summer  huts  of  California  Indians. 


In  the  view  of  the  interior  of  one  of  their  dwell- 
ings is  seen  a  number  of  decoy  ducks  which  they  use 
to  good  advantage.  Although  the  California  tribes 
exhibit  much  skill  in  fishing  and  in  trapping  game, 
and  the  erection  of  their  dwellings,  they  show  little  in- 
genuity in  the  arts  of  design.  The  accompanying  rude 
figure  in  wood,    of  a  woman  and  child,    which  was 


32  THE  GEYSERS  OF  PLUTON  RIVER, 

found  on  the  coast,  is  all  that  I  have  seen  of  their  carv- 
ing. 


The  Indians  dwelling  near  the  great  rivers  of  Cali- 
fornia make  much  dependence  upon  the  salmon  and 
sturgeon  which  they  can  take.  For  this  purpose  they 
use  both  nets  and  spears.  When  the  river  is  wide, 
the  nets  are  stretched  by  means  of  booms  projecting 
from  the  banks,  sometimes  a  hundred  feet  into  the 
stream.  These  booms  are  made  of  the  trunks  of  trees, 
fastened  together  at  the  ends,  and  kept  at  a  right  angle 
with  the  shore  by  stays  of  grape,  vine  stretching  from 
the  boom  to  trees  or  stakes.  Beneath  the  outer  end 
of  the  boom  is  a  float  or  raft  of  tule,  upon  which  is 
stuck  a  branch  gaily  trimmed  with  feathers  and  other 
ornaments,  as  a  charm  to  secure  success.  Other  charms, 
usually  made  of  bunches  of  feathers  raised  upon  poles, 
are  displayed  along  the  bank,  where  are  also  one  or 
two  huts  for  the  party  in  attendance.  One  of  the 
party  holds  constantly  in  his  hand  a  line  attached  to 
the  net,  by  means  of  which  he  can  feel  when  a  large 


AND    RETURN    TO    SAN    FRANCISCO. 


33 


fish  is  entangled,  whereupon  the  net  is  hauled  in  and 
the  prize  secured. 


California  Indians  catching  salmon. 

When  a  sturgeon  is  caught,  the  spinal  marrow, 
which  is  considered  a  delicacy,  is  drawn  out  whole, 
through  a  cut  made  in  the  back,  and  devoured  raw, 
with  a  rapidity  quite  startling  to  one  not  aware  of  the 
strength  of  an  Indian's  stomach. 

The  spear  is  a  very  ingenious  and  effective  con- 
trivance. When  thrown  into  a  fish,  the  head.,  which 
is  of  bone  with  a  line  attached  towards  the  point, 
detaches  itself  from  the  pole,  which  serves  as  a  drag 
to  weary  out  the  fish.  As  soon  ns  the  pole  can  be 
seized,  nothing  remains  but  to  haul  the  prey  in. 

The  men  either  go  naked  or  wear  a  simple  breech- 
cloth.  The  women  wear  a  cloth  or  strips  of  leather 
around   their  loins.     A  basket  pointed  at  the  lower 


34         THE  GEYSERS  OF  PLUTON  RIVER, 

end,  is  in  universal  use  among  theni,  for  gathering  the 
roots  and  seeds  which  form  their  chief  subsistence. 
This  is  carried  on  their  backs,  supported  by  a  band 
across  the  forehead.  Their  arms  of  defence  are  bows 
and  arrows.  Some  tribes,  however,  make  use  of  the 
spear  or  lance.  In  one  respect  the  California  Indians 
differ  from  all  others.  I  allude  to  their  beards,  which 
are  generally  permitted  to  grow.  It  is  true  they  are 
not  as  thick  and  bushy  as  in  the  white  race,  but  short, 
thin,  and  stiff.  I  have  never  seen  them  extend  beyond 
the  upper  lip  and  the  chin.  The  hair  of  all  the  Cali- 
fornia Indians  I  have  seen  is  cut  short. 

After  partaking  of  an  excellent  dinner,  we  took 
leave  of  our  host.  For  several  miles  our  journey  ex- 
tended over  a  plain  hemmed  in  on  all  sides,  on  which 
large  herds  of  cattle  were  grazing  ;  then  came  ranges 
of  low  hills,  all  covered  with  wild  oats  or  clover.  The 
cattle  truly  luxuriated  here.  A  ride  of  twelve  miles, 
alternately  over  low  hills  and  valleys,  and  winding 
through  clusters  of  trees  and  shrubbery,  brought  us  to 
the  establishment  of  MacDonald,  the  last  settler  in  this 
part  of  the  country,  towards  Oregon.  We  received  a 
cordial  welcome  from  Mr.  MacDonald  and  his  wife, — 
a  young  woman  of  twenty,  who  must  have  some  cou- 
rage to  settle  down  in  this  lonely  spot.  On  making 
known'  my  intention  to  visit  the  volcanic  region,  Mr. 
MacDonald  consented  to  be  our  guide,  although  busily 
engaged  in  putting  in  his  crops. 

Having  an  hour  or  two  to  spare  before  dark,  I 
took  a  sketch  of  the  valley  and  adjoining  mountains, 
all  of  which  presented  a  most  picturesque  appearance. 
The    valley  is    here  very  limited,  being    confined  to 


AND    RETURN    TO    SAN    FRANCISCO.  35 

patches  of  from  twenty  to  fifty  acres,  but  all  connected 
by  a  small  and  never-failing  stream  of  excellent  water. 
The  object  of  our  friend  in  settling  here  was  to  secure 
to  himself  a  large  tract  of  land  without  encroachment. 
Thus  he  has  a  section  of  good  tillable  land  of  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  to  two  hundred  acres,  and  on  the  low 
hills  around  it  about  four  thousand  acres  excellent  for 
grazing  purposes.  Having  secured  all  the  valley,  no 
one  would  take  up  land  on  the  hills.  His  section 
would,  therefore,  give  him  the  use  of  the  large  tract 
adjacent,  which  was  all  he  required. 

March  lid.  Took  an  early  breakfast,  and  started 
at  seven  o'clock.  MacDonald  led  the  way,  and  we 
followed  him  in  Indian  file.  We  had  now  no  more 
beautiful  valleys  or  grassy  plains  to  traverse.  Nothing 
but  a  succession  of  lofty  and  rugged  mountains  lay 
before  us,  through  the  intricacies  of  which  we  had  to 
wind  our  way.  There  was  no  road,  nor  even  a  trail, 
save  those  made  by  wild  animals,  of  which  there  was 
an  abundance  in  these  parts.  Our  guide  often  directed 
our  attention  to  the  huge  tracks  of  the  grizzly  and 
brown  bear,  and  again  to  those  of  the  elk,  which  con- 
stantly crossed  and  recrossed  our  path.  He  had  been 
several  times  to  the  place  we  were  going,  and  knew 
the  country  well ;  yet  so  wild  and  rugged  was  it,  so 
dense  the  forest,  and  with  such  a  succession  of  ascents 
and  descents,  that  he  sometimes  seemed  at  a  loss  which 
way  to  go.  The  general  direction  was  well  known ; 
but  among  such  a  number  of  deep  gorges  and  ravines, 
mountains,  hills,  and  valleys,  it  was  no  easy  task  to 
select  the  right  one  ;  and  a  mistake  in  the  mazes  of  such 
a  place  would  leads  us  into  inextricable  difficulties. 


36         THE  GEYSERS  OF  PLUTON  RIVER, 

At  noon,  having  been  five  hours  in  the  saddle,  we 
stopped  to  rest  ourselves,  as  well  as  our  animals,  on 
one  of  the  elevated  spurs,  from  which  we  had  a  grand 
view  of  a  vast  stretch  of  country  towards  the  coast. 
Some  ten  or  fifteen  miles  distant  lay  Russian  River, 
winding  its  way  along  a  beautiful  valley,  bounded  by  a 
succession  of  hills ;  and  beyond  this  rose  the  coast  range 
of  mountains.  While  the  animals  were  grazing,  I  took 
a  sketch  of  this  enchanting  spot. 

Pursuing  our  journey  still  over  hills  and  through 
ravines ;  forcing  our  way  among  the  thorny  chapporal 
and  thickets ; — now  winding  along  the  side  of  a  steep 
hill,  where  a  single  misstep  would  throw  horse  and 
rider  some  hundred  feet  below,  and  now  leading  our 
frightened  animals  up  some  precipitous  ascent  where 
it  was  unsafe  to  ride  them,  we  at  length  reached  the 
summit  of  the  mountain  beyond.  From  this  elevated 
point  the  view  was  grand  beyond  description.  On  the 
east,  far  in  the  distance,  the  horizon  was  bounded  by 
the  snow-capped  summits  of  the  Sierra  Nevada,  form- 
ing a  well  marked  line  with  the  deep  blue  of  the  ho- 
rizon. Nearer,  and  on  every  side,  lay  mountains 
of  every  variety  of  form ;  some  rugged  and  bare, 
others  covered  with  a  deep  Alpine  foliage,  while 
others  again  of  less  height,  from  their  yellow  hue, 
seemed  clothed  with  the  rich  verdure  of  wild  oats. 
Four  or  five  miles  distant,  in  an  opening  surrounded 
by  rugged  mountains,  lay  Clear  Lake. 

After  following  the  summit  we  were  now  on,  for 
a  couple  of  miles,  we  began  to  descend  again  into  the 
deep  gorge,  through  which  runs  Pluton  River,  on  whose 
banks  are   the    volcanic  phenomena  and  geysers   of 


AND    RETURN    TO    SAN    FRANCISCO.  37 

which  we  were  in  search.  The  descent  was  here  so 
steep  that  we  were  obliged  to  dismount  from  our  ani- 
mals and  lead  them  down.  Our  progress  was  now 
necessarily  rapid,  and  we  soon  reached  the  base  of  the 
mountain.  Here  we  suddenly  came  upon  four  men, 
who  had  come  out  a  few  days  before  us  from  MacDo- 
nald's  to  amuse  themselves  in  hunting  the  grizzly  bear. 
We  reached  this  place  at  four  o'clock,  a  distance  of 
but  sixteen  miles,  after  a  most  fatiguing  journey  ; 
although  the  beauty  and  variety  of  the  scenery  well 
repaid  us  for  the  effort.  As  there  was  still  a  descent 
of  five  hundred  feet  to  the  stream,  and  a  mile  to  the 
geysers,  we  determined  to  leave  their  examination  till 
morning,  and  devote  the  remainder  of  the  day  to  rest 
and  the  preparation  of  our  dinner. 

As  the  hunters  had  nothing  but  bear's  meat  in 
store,  three  of  them  took  their  rifles  and  went  out  to 
procure  a  deer  for  dinner.  In  less  than  an  hour  all 
returned,  each  bringing  with  him  the  hind  quarters  of 
a  fine  deer,  having  been  equally  successful  in  their 
short  hunt.  While  they  were  absent,  our  servant  had 
made  a  fire,  and  got  a  kettle  of  boiling  water  ready 
for  making  coffee.  In  ten  minutes  after  their  return, 
the  venison  and  bear's  meat  were  roasting  before  the 
fire,  and  emitting  the  most  appetizing  odors. 

The  method  of  preparing  a  fine  game  dinner  with- 
out a  single  cooking  utensil  deserves  to  be  mentioned. 
First,  a  number  of  sticks  are  cut  about  two  feet  in 
length,  the  size  of  one's  finger,  divested  of  their  bark, 
and  sharpened  at  one  end.  These  correspond  to  the 
spits  in  civilized  roast-ovens.  The  meat  is  now  cut  up 
into  pieces  about  three  quarters  of  an  inch  in  thickness 


38         THE  GEYSERS  OF  PLUTON  RIVER, 

and  half  the  size  of  one's  hand,  with  a  hole  in  the  cen- 
tre. Through  these  the  sharpened  stick  is  thrust,  and 
its  lower  end  planted  in  the  ground  before  the  fire. 
As  our  fare  consisted  of  venison  and  bear's  meat,  suc- 
cessive layers  of  each  were  put  upon  the  sticks,  the  fat 
of  the  latter,  as  it  dripped  down,  basting  and  furnish- 
ing an  excellent  gravy  to  the  former.  In  fifteen 
minutes,  with  occasional  turning,  the  dinner  was  pro- 
nounced ready  to  be  served  up. 

Being  unprovided  with  the  luxury  of  a  table,  we 
seated  ourselves  on  the  grass,  beneath  the  wide-spread- 
ing boughs  of  a  tree,  and  a  few  yards  from  the  fire,  in 
order  to  be  near  the  kitchen,  and  to  have  our  meats 
and  coffee  warm.  Before  each  person  was  stuck  in  the 
ground  a  stick  of  the  roasted  meat.  A  bag  of  hard 
bread  (pilot  bread),  some  sugar,  salt,  and  pepper, 
were  placed  near,  and  each  man  was  provided  with  a 
tin  cup  filled  with  coffee.  Thus  furnished,  and  with 
sharp  appetites,  we  fell  to,  and  never  was  a  feast  more 
heartily  appreciated.  Our  coffee  and  bread  were 
excellent ;  and  those  who  were  not  satisfied  with  one 
stick  of  meat,  found  another  ready  at  the  fire  when 
the  first  was  gone. 

By  the  time  we  had  finished  our  dinner,  it  was 
dark.  We  then  sat  for  an  hour  or  two  listening  to  the 
feats  and  adventures  related  to  us  by  the  hunters  before 
referred  to,  all  of  which  were  exciting  and  full  of 
interest ;  after  which,  one  by  one,  we  rolled  ourselves 
in  our  blankets,  and  dropped  asleep,  dreaming  of  grizzly 
bears,  elk,  venison,  and  the  wild  scenery  we  had  been 
enjoying  during  the  day. 

March  23d    Was  up  by  sunrise,  after  an  excellent 


AND    RETURN    TO    SAN    FRANCISCO.  39 

night's  rest ;  and  took  a  bath  in  the  waters  of  a  little 
stream  that  tumbled  down  within  twenty  feet  of  our 
camp-fire,  by  which  time  our  breakfast  was  ready. 
This  was  a  counterpart  of  yesterday's  dinner,  viz., 
bear's  meat,  venison,  hard-bread,  and  coffee.  Having 
dispatched  it,  we  set  off  for  the  geysers :  Dr.  Webb, 
with  his  hammer  and  leather  bags  for  minerals,  and 
with  boxes  and  bottles  for  small  zoological  specimens ; 
Mr.  Thurber,  with  his  portfolio  for  plants  ;  and  I,  with 
my  sketch-book.  We  were  all  provided  with  pistols  or 
rifles  besides.  It  would  have  been  easier  and  attended 
with  less  risk,  to  make  the  descent  on  foot;  but  we 
were  obliged  to  go  on  horseback,  on  account  of  having 
to  ford  the  stream.  The  river  or  creek  was  from  thirty 
to  forty  feet  wide  where  we  crossed  it,  about  half  up 
the  horse's  middle,  and  very  rapid.  On  either  side, 
the  banks  were  rocky  and  steep,  rendering  it  some- 
what difficult,  though  with  steady  animals  not  a  dan- 
gerous passage.  About  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the 
opposite  bank  we  dismounted,  unsaddled  our  animals, 
and  staked  them  out  to  feast  themselves  on  the  rich 
clover  which  there  abounded,  and  then  completed  our 
journey  on  foot.  A  few  hundred  yards  brought  us  to 
the  first  of  the  geysers,  or  "  volcanoes,"  as  they  were 
called  by  our  guide.  I  should  not  forget  to  remark,  that 
we  saw  in  several  ravines,  as  we  passed  along,  traces  of 
former  volcanic  action.  The  rocks  were  bare,  and  in  a 
decomposed  state,  showing  the  effects  of  heat  or  fire, 
although  no  heat  was  then  perceptible. 

At  the  first  place  we  stopped,  there  was  a  show  of 
about  half  an  acre  of  decomposed  granite,  and  other 
rocks,  from  cavities  in  which   issued  fumes  of  sulphur 


40  THE    GEYSERS    OF    PLUTON    RIVER, 

and  small  quantities  of  steam.  At  these  places  were 
beds  of  crystallized  sulphur;  and  in  others,  sulphur 
was  exposed  on  turning  up  with  a  stick  the  exterior 
crust.  There  was  every  appearance  around  us  that  the 
rocks  had  been  subjected  to  an  intense  heat,  which  was 
now  gradually  abating.  After  collecting  specimens  of 
the  sulphur  and  adjacent  rocks, _  we  continued  further 
up. 

Another  quarter  of  a  mile,  over  steep  hills  and  across 
deep  ravines,  brought  us  to  the  principal  "geysers." 
Here  was  truly  a  grand  prospect,  and  difficult  to  de- 
scribe by  one  unacquainted  with  such  scenes ;  for  to 
speak  with  scientific  precision  of  such  a  remarkable  spot 
as  this,  the  writer  should  be  familiar  with  volcanic  regions 
and  know  something  of  similar  phenomena.  The  action 
here  was  confined  within  a  narrow  ravine,  in  the  moun- 
tain side,  running  nearly  at  right  angles  with  Pluton 
River,  which  we  had  crossed.  The  banks  were  from 
one  hundred  and  twenty-five  to  one  hundred  and  fifty 
feet  in  height,  breaking  in  from  the  mountain,  which 
rose  up  from  ten  to  fifteen  hundred  feet  above,  and 
were  wholly  composed  of  decomposed  rocks.  In  the 
chasm  beneath  us,  columns  of  steam  were  spouting  out 
on  every  side ;  while  deep  at  the  bottom,  ran  a  small 
rivulet.  Vegetation  of  luxuriant  growth  crowded  close 
upon  the  crumbling  rocks,  consisting  of  various  kinds 
of  shrubbery,  pines,  oaks,  firs,  &c. 

We  clambered  down  to  the  spot  where  the  scoria 
or  burnt  rock  first  appeared,  and  seated  ourselves 
sunder  the  shade  of  a  pine  tree.  From  this  point  I 
ttook  a  sketch  looking  down  the  gorge.  On  each  side 
of  where  we  sat,  some  twenty  or  thirty  feet  below,  a 


AND    RETURN    TO    SAN    FRANCISCO.  41 

small  stream  came  tumbling  down,  concealed  from  view 
by  dense  foliage,  and  united  at  the  base  of  a  jutting 
mass  of  rocks,  as  seen  in  the  sketch.  I  thrust  a  staff, 
which  I  carried  with  me,  some  three  or  four  feet  into 
the  crumbled  granite  beneath ;  which  led  us  to  think 
it  not  quite  safe  to  remain  where  we  were.  From  this 
place,  we  got  down  with  some  difficulty  to  the  bottom 
of  the  gorge,  where  the  main  stream  ran.  The  water 
was  here  cold  and  pure,  exhibiting  no  unpleasant  taste. 
A  few  yards  further  brought  us  into  the  midst  of  the 
puffing  geysers,  or  steam-jets  ;  for  I  knew  not  by  what 
other  name  to  call  them.  Fumes  of  sulphur  here  met 
our  nostrils  at  every  step,  while  the  rustling  steam,  as 
it  spouted  from  a  hundred  cavities,  completely  envel- 
oped us.  The  latter  did  not  issue  in  one  continuous 
column,  but  at  short  intervals,  as  from  the  pipe  of  a 
high  pressure  engine.  It  was  with  some  difficulty  that 
we  could  breathe  here  among  the  fumes  of  sulphur  and 
the  steam;  and  we  crouched  low  in  the  bed  of  the 
rocky  stream  to  avoid  them.  In  cavities  along  both 
banks,  and  near  the  running  brook,  was  boiling  water, 
which  rose  and  fell,  accompanied  by  a  loud  gurgling 
noise,  resembling  that  of  a  gigantic  steam  condeilser. 
In  one  of  these  cavities,  stones  as  large  as  an  egg 
were  in  a  state  of  commotion,  presenting  a  curious 
resemblance  to  a  pot  of  boiling  potatoes.  I  held  my 
hand  fifteen  inches  above  this  boiling  pot,  at  which 
distance  the  water  scalded  it,  From  this  cavity  to  the 
running  stream,  was  just  the  width  of  my  hand ;  though 
"the  surface  of  the  boiling  water  in  the  cavity,  was  about 
a  foot  above  the  running  water.  The  whole  of  this 
violent  commotion  was  accompanied  by  a  tremendous 


42  THE    GEYSERS    OF    PLUTON    RIVER, 

noise  beneath  the  earth's  surface,  quite  equal  to  and 
resembling,  .that  made  by  several  ocean  steamers,  letting 
off  their  steam  through  their  large  pipes,  loud,  deep, 
and  harsh.  There  was  no  cessation  to  this  awful  roar, 
but  one  continued  noise,  as  though  a  vast  workshop 
beneath  was  in  full  operation. 

The  banks  of  the  gorge  were  now  too  steep  to 
attempt  to  ascend,  nor  would  it  have  been  safe  to  do  so 
among  so  many  jets  of  steam,boiling  caldrons,  and  fumes 
of  sulphur ;  so  we  made  our  way  down  the  gorge  in  the 
very  bed  of  the  stream,  jumping  from  rock  to  rock,  first 
on  one  side  and  then  on  the  other,  and  occasionally,  where 
the  stream  took  a  leap,  letting  ourselves  down  in  the  best 
way  we  could.  Thus  we  worked  our  way  along  for 
about  an  hour,  filled  with  admiration  and  wonder  at 
the  mysterious  workings  of  nature  around  us.  The 
water,  as  we  advanced,  grew  warmer,  in  consequence 
of  accessions  from  the  boiling  cavities  along  its  mar- 
gin, until  the  stream  became  quite  hot.  We  had  here 
an  opportunity  to  select  a  bath  of  any  temperature, 
from  one  of  icy  coldness  to  that  of  one  hundred  and 
fifty  degrees  ;  and  we  did  not  fail  to  improve  it  in  some 
of  the  deeper  basins  of  the  stream,  which  seemed  pre- 
pared by  nature  for  such  a  purpose. 

Having  thus  refreshed  ourselves,  we  clambered  up 
the  opposite  bank ;  and  as  we  had  now  passed  through 
that  portion  of  the  gorge  which  had  been  affected  by 
the  heat,  we  lay  down  awhile  under  the  shade  of  a  tree 
on  the  bank  of  Pluton  River.  Looking  up  here,  we 
saw  before  us,  at  the  distance  of  a  few  hundred  yards, 
another  of  these  volcanic  wonders.  This  was  directly 
on  the  north-east  bank  of  the  stream,  and  was  marked 


Mm    '' ' 


WSM 
\M 


lif 


AND    RETURN    TO    SAN    FRANCISCO.  43 

by  a  patch  of  decomposed  rock  of  a  whitish  cast,  cover- 
ing about  an  acre.  Here  also  jets  of  steam  issued 
forth,  but  not  in  so  many  places,  nor  with  as  much  force 
as  within  the  gorge  just  described.  Dr.  Webb  and  Mr. 
Thurber  examined  it,  and  afterwards  visited  several 
others,  further  up  the  river ;  but  none  of  them  were 
found  to  equal  the  first  in  grandeur.  I  remained  be- 
hind with  Mr.  Osborne,  to  take  a  sketch  from  the  bank 
where  we  stood,  showing  these  last  named  geysers, 
and  the  deep  mountain  gorge  through  which  Pluton 
River  runs.  The  scenery  here  was  truly  grand.  Im- 
mense pines  grew  on  the  mountain  sides  and  tops, 
while  oaks  and  smaller  trees  filled  the  narrow  valleys 
and  ravines,  which  the  rains  had  made.  Just  below  us 
ran  the  river,  dashing  over  rocks  in  its  steep  descent, 
and  often  concealed  by  the  thick  foliage  which  over- 
hung it. 

Mr.  Osborne  and  myself  then  returned  and  crossed 
the  foot  of  the  gorge  where  the  great  geysers  are,  with 
the  iritention  of  getting  a  view  of  the  chasm  looking 
up  towards  the  point  from  which  I  had  taken  my  first 
sketch.  To  reach  this  point  was  easier  said  than  done, 
and  proved  the  most  difficult  and  only  dangerous 
adventure  of  the  day.  However,  by  lying  flat  on  our 
breasts  and  working  a  resting-place  or  notch  with  our 
feet  in  the  crumbling  rocks,  and  occasionally  laying 
hold  of  a  projecting  root,  we  succeeded  in  reaching 
the  desired  point.  Here,  on  a  projecting  cliff,  grew  a 
few  shrubs  of  the  manacita,  beneath  which  I  crept  on 
my  hands  and  knees  ;  and  having  reached  the  point, 
sat  down  and  took  a  sketch,  while  my  companion  re- 
freshed himself  beneath  the  shade. 


44         THE  GEYSERS  OF  PLUTON  RIVER, 

From  this  point  is  a  fine  view  of  the  chasm  or 
gorge,  with  the  little  stream  at  the  bottom,  and  the 
jets  of  steam  spouting  from  its  sides.  The  projecting 
rock,  near  which  I  took  the  first  sketch,  is  seen  at  the 
head  of  the  gorge,  and  in  the  centre  of  the  picture. 
Close  upon  the  decomposed  rock  appears  the  luxuriant 
vegetation ;  while  the  mountain,  towering  far  above  all, 
forms  the  background. 

The  decomposed  rocks,  of  which  I  have  so  often 
spoken,  are  in  general  of  a  whitish  cast,  curiously 
interspersed  with  spots  of  every  hue.  I  noticed  many 
patches  of  deep  red,  and  some  of  light  yellow  and 
green ;  while  here  and  there  were  others  of  black, 
brown,  and  slate  color. 

Having  completed  my  sketches,  we  hastened  back 
to  the  place  where  we  had  left  our  animals.  Here  we 
threw  ourselves  on  the  grass  in  a  deep  grove  near  the 
bank  of  the  mountain  torrent,  to  await  the  return  of 
Dr.  Webb,  Mr.  Thurber,  and  MacDonald.  At  the 
same  time  I  sent  my' servant  ahead  to  our  place  of 
encampment  to  build  a  fire,  put  on  a  kettle  of  water, 
and  make  other  preparations  for  dinner.  Within  half 
an  hour  our  friends  made  their  appearance,  when  we 
mounted  our  nags,  recrossed  the  river,  and,  after  a 
little  hard  tugging  up  the  mountain,  reached  our 
camp  fire  in  safety,  delighted  with  the  adventures  of 
the  day. 

I  am  not  aware  that  this  interesting  spot  has  been 
visited  by  any  man  of  science,  except  Professor  Shep- 
herd, of  Western  Reserve  College,  Ohio ;  and  as 
his  experience  and  profession  better  fitted  him  for 
investigations  in  such  phenomena  than  mine,  I  quote  a 


AND    RETURN    TO    SAN    FRANCISCO.  45 

portion  of  his  remarks,  which  will  convey  a  fuller  and 
clearer  idea  than  rny  feeble  description.  My  time 
while  there  was  short,  and  mostly  spent  in  making 
sketches,  and  in  collecting  a  few  specimens  of  sulphur 
and  of  the  contiguous  rocks ;  nor  had  I  the  means 
of  testing;  or  examining  the  waters. 

"  You  may  here  find  sulphur  water,"  says  Professor 
Shepherd,*  "  precisely  similar  to  the  celebrated  Wliite 
Sulphur  of  Green  Brier  County,  Virginia,  except  its  icy 
coldness.  Also  red,  blue,  and  even  black  sulphur 
water,  both  cold  and  hot.  Also  pure  limpid  hot  water, 
without  any  sulphur  or  chlorine  salts ;  calcareous  hot 
waters,  magnesian,  chalybeate,  etc.,  in  almost  endless 
variety.  Every  natural  facility  is  afforded  for  either 
vapor,  shower,  or  plunging  baths.  Where  the  heated 
sulphuretted  hydrogen  gas  is  evolved,  water  appears 
to  be  suddenly  formed,  beautiful  crystals  of  sulphur 
deposited  (not  sublimated  as  by  fire),  and  more  or  less 
sulphuric  acid  generated.  In  some  places  the  acid 
was  found  so  strong  as  to  turn  black  kid  gloves  almost 
immediately  to  a  deep  red.  *  *  *  From  nume- 
rous experiments  made  here  and  in  the  mountains  of 
Virginia,  I  am  confident  that  all  sulphur  springs  possess 
a  high  temperature,  after  descending  below  the  cold 
surface  water.  Notwithstanding  the  rocks  are  so  hot 
as  to  burn  your  feet  through  the  soles  of  your  boots, 
there  is  no  appearance  of  a  volcano  in  this  extraordi- 
nary spot.  There  is  no  appearance  of  lava.  You  find 
yourself  standing  not  in  a  solfatara,  nor  one  of  the 
salses  described  by  the  illustrious  Humboldt.    The  rocks 

*  Silliman's  Journal  for  November,  1851,  p.  156. 


46  THE    GEYSERS    OF    PLUTON    RIVER, 

around  you  are  rapidly  dissolving  under  the  powerful 
metaniorpliic  action  going  on.  Porphyry  and  jasper 
are  transformed  into  a  kind  of  potter's  clay.  Pseudo- 
trappean  rocks  are  consumed  much  like  wood  in  a  slow 
fire,  and  go  to  form  sulphate  of  magnesia  and  other 
products.  Granite  is  rendered  so  soft  that  you  may 
crush  it  between  your  fingers,  and  cut  it  as  easily  as 
unbaked  bread.  The  feldspar  appears  to  be  converted 
partly  into  alum.  In  the  mean  time  the  boulders  and 
angular  fragments  brought  down  the  ravines  and  river 
by  floods  are  being  cemented  into  a  firm  conglomerate ; 
so  that  it  is  difficult  to  dislodge  even  a  small  pebble, 
the  pebble  itself  breaking  before  the  conglomerate 
yields. 

"The  thermal  action  on  wood  in  this  place  is  also 
highly  interesting.  In  one  mound  I  discovered  the 
stump  of  a  large  tree  silicified ;  in  another,  a  log 
changed  to  lignite  or  brown  coal.  Other  fragments 
appeared  midway  between  petrifaction  and  carboniza- 
tion. In  this  connection,  finding  some  drops  of  a  very 
dense  fluid,  and  also  highly  refractive,  I  was  led  to 
believe  that  pure  carbon  might,  under  such  circum- 
stances, crystallize  and  form  the  diamond.  Unfortu- 
nately for  me,  however,  I  lost  the  precious  drop  in 
attempting  to  secure  it. 

"  A  green  tree  cut  down  and  obliquely  inserted  in 
one  of  the  conical  mounds,  was  so  changed  in  thirty- 
six  hours  that  its  species  would  not  have  been  recog- 
nised except  from  the  portion  projecting  outside, 
around  which  beautiful  crystals  of  sulphur  had  already 
formed." 

According   to    the    statement  of  MacDonald,   our 


AND    RETURN    TO    SAN    FRANCISCO.  47 

guide,  who  had  made  several  visits  to  the  geysers, 
their  activity  has  greatly  diminished,  or  we  saw  them 
under  less  favorable  auspices  than  usual.  He  said  that 
when  last  here  the  water  spouted  up  from  five  to  ten 
feet  in  height ;  that  the  jets  of  steam  were  much  larger 
and  more  steady ;  and  furthermore,  that  a  day  often  ex- 
hibited a  material  difference.  That  the  action  has  les- 
sened, and  nearly  ceased,  is  certain  as  respects  the  first 
one  we  visited ;  for  it  now  appears  like  an  expiring  fire. 

When  Professor  Shepherd  visited  this  place,  a  year 
before  us,  he  says  that  within  the  space  of  half  a  mile 
square  he  "discovered  from  one  to  two  hundred  open- 
ings, through  which  the  steam  issued  with  violence, 
sending  up  columns  of  steam  to  the  height  of  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  to  two  hundred  feet,"  *  *  *  and  again, 
"  throwing  out  jets  or  volumes  of  hot  scalding  water 
some  twenty  or  thirty  feet,  endangering  the  lives  of 
those  who  stood  near.  In  some  places  the  steam  and 
water  came  in  contact,  so  as  to  produce  a  constant  jet 
cVeau,  or  spouting  fountain,  with  a  dense  cloud  above 
the  spray,  affording  vivid  prismatic  hues  in  the  sun- 
shine." With  such  jets  of  water  and  steam  as  these, 
the  grandeur  of  this  extraordinary  spot  would  be 
greatly  enhanced. 

Our  dinner  was  soon  ready,  and  we  seated  our- 
selves on  the  grass  again,  with  appetites  sharpened  by 
a  long  fast  and  a  laborious  tramp  of  nearly  ten  hours. 
Sticks  of  the  same  delicious  bear's  meat,  and  veni- 
son were  placed  before  us,  with  a  second  course,  on 
smaller  sticks,  of  some  fine  grouse  which  MacDonald 
had  shot.  This  was  a  bird  I  had  not  before  seen.  It 
was  larger  than  the  ordinary  prairie  fowl,  and  proved 


48         THE  GEYSERS  OF  PLUTON  EIVER, 

delicious  eating.  A  bath  followed  our  repast,  after 
which  we  rolled  ourselves  up  in  our  blankets  and  lay 
down  for  the  night.  The  novelties  of  the  day  occupied 
our  attention  for  an  hour,  when  we  quietly  dropped  off, 
and  slept  as  soundly  under  the  protection  of  the 
spreading  oak  as  beneath  a  tent  or  in  the  most  luxurious 
chamber.  These  were  the  first  nights  I  spent  in  the 
open  air,  on  the  bare  ground,  since  I  was  taken  sick  near 
Ures ;  and  I  felt  a  little  uneasiness  at  being  so  exposed. 
But  I  neither  took  cold  nor  suffered  any  other  incon- 
venience from  it,  although  in  the  month  of  March. 
One  soon  becomes  habituated  to  this  mode  of  life,  and 
is  less  liable  to  colds  and  illness  than  when  sleeping 
under  a  roof  with  the  addition  of  comfortable  fires. 

I  learned  from  the  hunters  who  were  with  us  the 
first  night  that  this  region  abounds  in  game,  particu- 
larly bears,  elk,  and  deer.  They  had  been  here  but 
three  days  before  our  arrival,  and  in  that  time  they 
had  seen  no  less  than  thirty-two  bears,  most  of  them 
of  the  grizzly  species ;  the  others  of  the  brown  and 
black  varieties.  Of  these  they  had  killed  and  obtained 
two  ;  three  they  had  wounded  and  lost.  Of  deer  they 
had  also  killed  many.  The  bear's  sense  of  smelling  is 
so  good,  that  they  soon  found  out  our  proximity,  and 
gave  us  a  wide  berth.     Deer  were  seen  all  around  us. 

March  24$h.  Our  excellent  guide  and  hunter, 
MacDonald,  called  us  to  breakfast  at  daylight;  soon 
after  taking  which  we  mounted  our  animals  and  began 
the  ascent  of  the  mountain,  whose  summit  we  speedily 
attained.  On  looking  at  the  valley  beyond,  we  found 
it  completely  buried  in  a  fog,  the  tops  of  the  moun- 
tains alone  being  visible.     These  appeared  like  islands 


AND    RETURN    TO    SAN    FRANCISCO.  49 

and  long  necks  of  land  in  the  midst  of  a  vast  body  of 
water.  While  we  were  on  the  crest  of  the  high  range, 
a  dense  fog  so  completely  enveloped  us  that  we  could 
see  nothing  but  the  point  on  which  we  stood.  We 
made  our  way  back  much  more  rapidly  than  we  came, 
it  being  earlier  in  the  day  and  much  cooler ;  so  that 
by  twelve  o'clock  we  were  at  MacDonald's  place, 
where  we  dined  and  allowed  our  animals  to  feed  and 
rest. 

At  half-past  two  we  bade  farewell  to  our  kind  and 
hospitable  hosts,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  MacDonald,  and  resum- 
ed our  journey.  Stopped  for  fifteen  minutes  at  Mr. 
Knight's,  when  we  again  pushed  on,  and  reached  Mr. 
Kilburn's  at  sunset.  This  gentleman  was  now  at 
home,  and  gave  us  a  warm  reception.  We  learned 
many  particulars  from  him  corroborating  the  statements 
we  had  heard  of  the  extraordinary  fertility  of  the  soil 
in  Napa  Valley,  as  well  as  the  great  yield  of  vegeta- 
bles on  his  own  land,  of  which  I  have  before  spoken. 

March  25th.  Took  an  early  start,  first  making 
inquiries  of  Mr.  Kilburn  about  the  locality  of  some 
hills  of  "  black  flint"  which  we  had  heard  of.  We  had 
occasionally  picked  up  along  the  road  small  pieces  of 
obsidian,  and  were  extremely  desirous  to  find  whence 
they  came.  After  many  inquiries  we  were  directed 
to  the  farm  of  Mr.  Kelly,  who  has  a  small  mill  on  Napa 
Creek,  a  short  distance  from  the  road.  We  found  Mr. 
Kelly  at  home ;  and  on  making  known  our  wishes  to 
examine  the  place  referred  to,  he  took  a  spade  and 
-accompanied  us  to  the  spot,  about  half  a  mile  distant, 
on  the  eastern  side  of  the  valley.  We  found  it  to  be 
a  spur   of  the  mountain  ridge,  about*  eighty  feet  in 


50         THE  GEYSERS  OF  PLUTON  RIVER, 

height,  projecting  quite  out  into  the  plain.  The  whole 
seemed  full  of  obsidian,  covered  with  a  layer  of  earth, 
on  which  is  a  thick  growth  of  trees  and  shrubbery, 
save  on  the  summit,  where  there  is  less  soil.  Here  in 
many  places  the  surface  was  covered,  from  six  to 
twelve  inches  in  depth,  with  broken  pieces  and  small 
boulders  of  this  volcanic  substance,  resembling  a 
newly  made  macadamized  road. 

Taking  the  spade,  I  scraped  away  the  fragments 
and  loose  pieces  to  reach  the  mass  below.  This  we 
found  existing  in  a  conglomerate  state.  The  mass  in 
which  the  obsidian  is  imbedded  is  quite  soft  and  friable 
towards  the  surface  ;  so  that  it  was  difficult  to  detach 
it  with  the  obsidian  adhering  to  it,  except  in  very 
small  pieces.  The  largest  of  the  specimens  obtained 
was  about  the  size  and  shape  of  an  ostrich's  egg^  from 
which  they  diminished  to  that  of  a  pea.  Many  pre- 
sented sharp  angles,  where  they  had  come  in  contact 
and  been  broken.  The  substance  in  which  the  obsi- 
dian is  imbedded  resembles  a  coarse  mortar  of  lime, 
sand,  and  gravel.  I  took  a  sketch  of  Napa  Valley 
from  these  hills,  showing  Mount  Diabolo  in  the  dis- 
tance, which  is  plainly  seen  from  San  Francisco  and 
Sacramento. 

Obsidian  is  used  by  the  Indians  for  their  arrow- 
heads in  all  parts  of  North  America  west  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains.  It  is  found  too  among  many  tribes 
to  the  east  of  this  range.  The  ancient  Mexicans  made 
of  it  the  knives  which  they  used  in  their  sacrifices. 
We  found  small  fragments  of  it  along  the  Gila,  wher- 
ever there  had  been  any  Indian  villages;  and  also 
among  the  ruins  of  the  Casas  Grandes,  in  Chihuahua, 


AND    RETURN    TO    SAN    FRANCISCO.  51 

as  well  as  those  of  the  Gila  and  Salinas  Rivers.  The 
Apaches  had  arrows  pointed  with  the  same  material. 
Yet  I  know  of  no  other  locality  where  obsidian  is 
found  in  place  in  any  of  the  regions  visited  by  the 
Boundary  Commission  except  this.  All  the  specimens 
we  saw  were  black,  occasionally  with  a  smoky  or 
brownish  tint.* 

We  now  continued  our  journey,  and  reached  Mr. 
Osborne's  at  two  o'clock.  After  dinner  we  rambled 
over  the  adjacent  hills  to  obtain  a  better  view  of  this 
delightful  valley,  which  lost  none  of  its  beauties  from 
whatever  point  it  was  observed. 

On  the  opposite  side  of  the  mountains  which 
bound  Napa  Valley  on  the  west,  is  Sonoma  Valley. 
This  is  similarly  situated,  running  north  and  south 
between  ranges  of  low  mountains.  It  likewise  pos- 
sesses great  fertility,  but  has  not  the  picturesque 
beauty  of  Napa.  The  same  may  be  said  of  the  valleys 
of  Petaluma,  Novato,  and  San  Rafael. 

March  2Qth.  Took  an  early  breakfast  and  bade 
adieu  to  our  kind  and  gentlemanly  host,  who  intended 
to  follow  us  in  a  few  hours.  We  did  not  wait  for  him, 
as  he  wished  to  stop  on  the  way,  and  I  was  desirous  to 
pay  my  respects  to  General  Hitchcock  and  the  other 
officers  at  Benicia  before  returning  to  San  Francisco. 

*  Obsidian  is  said  by  Pliny  (Nat.  Hist,  xxxvi.  26)  to  have  been 
first  found  in  Ethiopia  by  a  person  named  Obsidius,  from  whom  it  de- 
rives its  name.  It  occurs  also  in  various  parts  of  Europe,  Asia,  and 
America,  and  in  the  vicinity  of  most  volcanoes.  Pliny  says  that  gems. 
"  and  sometimes  whole  statues,  were  made  of  it.  He  also  speaks  of  four 
elephants  of  obsidian,  which  were  dedicated  by  Augustus  in  the  temple 
of  Concord. 


52  THE    GEYSERS    OF    PLUTON    RIVER,    ETC. 

As  it  was  quite  cool,  we  were  enabled  to  ride  fast  and 
reach  Benicia  by  two  o'clock.  Took  dinner,  and 
afterwards  walked  out  to  the  military  post,  when  I  made 
my  calls  upon  the  officers  there.  Mr.  Osborne  joined 
us  at  five  o'clock,  and  at  seven  we  took  the  steamboat 
for  San  Francisco,  where  we  arrived  at  nine. 


THE    QUICKSILVER   MINES,    ETC.  53 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

THE    QUICKSILVER    MINES    OF   NEW   ALMADEN. 

Leave  San  Francisco — San  Jose  Valley — Fertility  of  the  soil — Mission  of 
Santa  Clara — San  Jose — New  Almaden — Quicksilver  mine — Mode  of 
extracting  the  ore — Large  tanks  of  quicksilver — Account  of  the  quick- 
silver mines  of  Spain — Production  of  this  metal  in  all  parts  of  the 
"world — Situation  of  the  New  Almaden  mine — Descent  into  it — How 
worked — Laborers — Extent  of  the  mine — Effect  of  the  mercury  on 
laborers — History  of  the  mine — Eeturn  to  San  Francisco — Captain  Sut- 
ter— His  history. 

I  remained  in  San  Francisco  until  the  2d  of  April,  to 
close  up  my  business  there  before  returning  to  San 
Diego.  To  make  the  most  of  my  time  while  in  Cali- 
fornia, I  determined  to  undertake  the  journey  to  Mon- 
terey by  land,  first  sending  forward  our  outfit  and 
supplies. 

No  event  of  interest  happened  while  here  except  a 
trip  which,  in  company  with  a  small  party,  we  at- 
tempted to  make  in  the  steamer  Active,  Capt.  Alden, 
attached  to  the  U.  S.  Coast  Survey,  to  the  Faralones. 
These  are  some  small  rocky  islands,  which  lie  twenty- 
five  or  thirty  miles  off  the  entrance  to  the  Bay  of  San 
Francisco.  The  party,  however,  were  so  late  in 
assembling,  that  after  getting  outside  the  entrance  or 
Golden  Gate,  it  was  found  we  could  not  reach  the 


54  THE    QUICKSILVER   MINES 

islands  before  nightfall.;  in  consequence  of  which  the 
voyage  was  abandoned. 

April  2d.  Left  San  Francisco  at  8  o'clock  in  the 
stage  for  San  Jose,  forty  miles  distant.  We  were 
accompanied  by  Doctor  A.  Randall,  a  gentleman  of 
science  long  resident  in  the  country,  and  familiar  with 
its  localities  of  interest.  Our  course  was  south  through 
the  San  Jose  valley,  which  in  many  respects  resembles 
the  beautiful  valley  of  Napa.  It  is  entirely  flat,  with 
scarcely  an  undulation.  Like  the  former,  it  is  filled 
in  many  places  with  large  wide-spreading  oaks.  There 
are  also  spaces  for  miles  destitute  of  trees  or  shrubs, 
resembling  the  broad  grassy  plains  of  lower  Texas ; 
while  again  appear  beautiful  groves  and  clusters  of 
oaks,  cypresses,  and  sycamores,  as  picturesquely  dis- 
posed as  if  planted  by  the  hand  of  a  skilful  landscape 
gardener.  The  soil  is  rich,  and  was  covered  with  a 
luxuriant  growth  of  wild  clover  and  grass.  This  val- 
ley extends  for  more  than  a  hundred  miles  towards 
Monterey,  being  separated  from  the  coast  by  a  range 
of  low  mountains.  Its  width  for  a  long  distance  after 
leaving  San  Francisco  is  not  less  than  fifteen  miles, 
though  it  diminishes  as  we  approach  San  Jose.  Yet 
this  entire  valley  has  all  been  taken  up,  and  covered 
with  claims  upon  claims;  so  that  for  many  years  to 
come  the  lawyers  will  doubtless  derive  the  largest 
income  from  it.  As  yet  there  are  few  settlers  upon  it, 
and  but  little  land  under  cultivation.  When  we  take 
into  consideration  the  extraordinary  fertility  of  the 
soil  in  California,  it  will  be  seen  that  such  an  immense 
tract  as  this  San  Jose  valley  is  capable  of  producing  a 
vast  deal  towards  supplying  the  State  with  food.     Its 


tin  is 


;  *  wsi  mm. 

m  m  wxm  issii 

I?  1  VW  mW 


I  :f  I II 


m 


OF    NEW   ALMADEN.  55 

value  is  justly  appreciated  by  the  people ;  as  is  shown 
by  the  readiness  with  which  the  stock  for  a  railroad  to 
connect  San  Jose  with  San  Francisco  was  taken  up. 

The  road  is  excellent  for  the  entire  distance,  and 
the  stage  rolled  rapidly  over  it.  Three  miles  from  San 
Jose  we  passed  the  mission  of  Santa  Clara,  a  collection 
of  old  buildings  with  a  church.  Here  the  land  seemed 
to  have  been  long  under  cultivation,  judging  from  the 
long  rows  of  venerable  and  gigantic  overgrown  oaks 
which  border  the  road.  There  were  also  some  fine 
large  orchards  and  vineyards  here,  which  belong  to  the 
mission.  But  the  stage  did  not  stop  ;  and  we  had  no 
time  to  examine  it.  At  half-past  four,  we  reached 
San  Jose.* 


*  I  cannot  refrain  from  quoting  a  passage  from  Vancouver,  one  of 
the  most  reliable  of  the  early  voyagers  to  California,  giving  an  account 
of  his  journey  from  Monterey  to  Santa  Clara.  The  reader  will  be  struck 
with  the  resemblance  between  this  district  as  described  by  him  and  the 
beautiful  valley  I  visited  north  of  San  Francisco. 

"  We  considered  our  route  to  be  parallel  to  the  sea-coast ;  between 
which  and  out  path,  the  ridge  of  mountains  extended  to  the  south-east- 
ward ;  and  as  we  advanced,  their  sides  and  summits  exhibited  a  high 
degree  of  luxuriant  fertility,  interspersed  with  copses  of  various  forms 
and  magnitude,  and  verdant  open  spaces  enriched  with  stately  fruit- 
trees  of  different  descriptions..  About  noon  we  arrived  at  a  very  pleasant 
and  enchanting  lawn,  situated  amidst  a  grove  of  trees  at  the  foot  of  a 
small  hill,  by  which  flowed  a  very  fine  stream  of  excellent  water.  We 
had  not  proceeded  far  from  this  delightful  spot,  when  we  entered  a 
country  I  little  expected  to  find  in  these  regions.  For  about  twenty 
miles,  it  could  only  be  compared  to  a  park  which  had  originally  been 
planted  with  the  true  old  English  oak ;  the  underwood  that  had  pro- 
bably attained  its  early  growth,  had  the  appearance  of  having  been  clear- 
ed away,  and  had  left  the  stately  lords  of  the  forest  in  complete  posses- 
sion of  the  soil,  which  was  covered  with  luxuriant  herbage,  and  beauti- 


56  THE    QUICKSILVER   MINES 

Santa  Clara  was  but  recently  occupied  by  a  priest ; 
it  has  now  shared  the  fate  of  all  the  other  missions  of 
the  State,  which  have  either  been  abandoned  or  have 
fallen  into  the  hands  of  speculators. 

April  3d  After  breakfast,  walked  about  the  town, 
but  found  nothing  of  interest.  The  pueblo  of  San  Jose, 
is  an  old  place  ;  its  admirable  situation,  at  the  head  of 
the  rich  and  beautiful  valley  I  have  described,  attract- 
ed the  attention  of  the  Americans  soon  after  the  subju- 
gation of  the  country,  and  it  was  selected  as  the  capitol 
of  the  State.  This  gave  to  it  an  impetus,  and  brought 
it  at  once  into  notice.  Many  hotels  and  other  build- 
ings soon  sprang  up,  a  large  city  was  laid  out,  and,  as 
is  usual  in  such  cases,  much  money  was  made  and  lost. 
But  its  growth  was  as  suddenly  checked  by  the  subse- 
quent selection  of  another  place  for  the  future  capitol. 
It  is  situated  about  five  miles  from  the  southern  extremi- 
ty of  the  Bay  of  San  Francisco  ;  and  being  in  the  centre 
of  one,  of  the  most  fertile  districts  in  the  State,  it  will 
yet  become  its  first  agricultural  town. 

On  inquiring  for  Indians  here,  I  learnt  that  there 
was  a  woman  of  the  San  Luis  Obispo  tribe,  living  in 
the  place.  I  lost  no  time  in  calling  upon  her,  and  found 
she  was  married  to  an  American.  She  proved,  as  I  had 
heard,  to  be  quite  an  intelligent  person,  about  35  years 
of  age,  living  in  a  comfortable  house  with  her  family 
around  her.     On  my  requesting  to  know  the  principal 

fully  diversified  with  pleasing  eminences  and  valleys ;  which,  with  the 
lofty  range  of  mountains  that  bounded  the  prospect,  required  only  to  be 
adorned  with  the  neat  habitations  of  an  industrious  people,  to  produce 
a  scene  not  inferior  to  the  most  studied  effect  of  taste  in  the  disposal  of 
grounds." — Vancouver 's  Voyages,  vol.  ii.  p.  16. 


OP    NEW    ALMADEN.  57 

words  of  her  language,  she  readily  complied ;  and  in  a 
few  hours,  I  obtained  a  most  satisfactory  vocabulary. 

In  the  afternoon,  we  took  the  stage  for  New  Alma- 
den,  thirteen  miles  distant.  Our  route  lay  through  a 
valley  of  unequalled  beauty,  the  entire  distance  being 
dotted  with  large  oaks  and  sycamores,  with  an  occasional 
clump  of  firs  and  red-woods,  the  latter  towering  high 
above  all  others.  There  are  some  clusters  of  these  red- 
woods of  enormous  size  between  here  and  Monterey, 
of  which  we  heard  much,  and  regretted  that  we  had  no 
time  to  visit  them.  On  reaching  the  town,  I  drove  at 
once  to  the  house  of  Mr.  Young,  the  superintendent 
of  the  quicksilver  mines,  to  whom  I  had  a  letter  of 
introduction  from  Captain  Hallock,  U.  S.  A.  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, one  of  the  officers  of  the  Company. 

April  4tth.  New  Almaden  consists  exclusively  of 
the  buildings  belonging  to  the  company  which  owns 
the  quicksilver  mine.  It  embraces  furnaces,  store- 
houses, dwelling-houses  for  the  officers  and  laborers, 
offices,  mechanics'  shops,  &c.  Many  of  them  are  of 
wood ;  but  a  large  and  fine  range  of  substantial  brick 
buildings  is  now  in  the  process  of  erection,  to  take  the 
place  of  the  wooden  ones.  The  novelty  of  the  business 
of  extracting  the  quicksilver  from  the  cinnabar,  required 
a  number  of  experiments,  involving  a  very  heavy  ex- 
penditure ;  for  there  was  but  one  other  mine  in  the 
world,  that  of  Almaden  in  Spain,  where  the  operation 
was  carried  on  on  a  large  scale,  and  it  could  not  be 
expected  that  a  rival  company  like  this,  whose  opera- 
tions would  effectually  destroy  the  monopoly  the  latter 
had  for  ages  enjoyed,  would  be  permitted  to  derive- 
■  any  information  from  their  long  experience.     Machine- 


58  THE    QUICKSILVER   MINES 

ry  of  various  kinds  was  therefore  imported  from  Eng- 
land and  the  United  States  at  enormous  cost,  much  of 
which  has  since  been  rejected,  either  on  account  of  the 
great  expense  of  running  it,  or  its  inadequacy  to  per- 
form the  service  required.  Six  furnaces  are  now  in 
operation  reducing  the  ore,  all  of  which  seem  to  be 
alike,  and  of  the  most  simple  construction.  On  these 
furnaces  the  ore  is  heaped.  A  steady,  though  not  very 
strong  fire,  is  then  applied.  As  the  ore  becomes  heat- 
ed, the  quicksilver  is  sublimed ;  and  then  being  con- 
densed, it  falls  by  its  own  weight,  and  is  conducted  by 
pipes  which  lead  along  the  bottom  of  the  furnace  to 
small  pots  or  reservoirs  imbedded  in  the  earth,  each 
containing  from  one  to  two  gallons  of  the  ore.  The 
furnaces  are  kept  going  night  and  day,  while  large 
drops  or  minute  streams  of  the  pure  metal  are  constantly 
trickling  down  into  the  receptacles.  From  these  it  is 
carried  to  the  store-house,  and  deposited  in  large  cast- 
iron  tanks,  or  vats.  These  are  of  various  shapes  and 
-sizes,  and  are  fixed  in  solid  beds  of  stone  and  mortar. 
'The  largest,  a  square  vat  between  four  and  five  feet 
across,  contained  twenty  tons  of  pure  quicksilver.  By 
way  of  illustrating  the  great  specific  gravity  of  this 
metal,  a  board  was  placed  on  it,  upon  which  I  sat,  thus 
floating  upon  a  bed  of  quicksilver  ;  yet  my  weight  did 
not  sink  the  board  to  the  depth  of  a  quarter  of  an  inch. 
On  thrusting  my  bare  arm  into  this  vat,  a  most  singu- 
lar and  chilling  sensation  was  produced.  I  then  took 
a  stick  of  light  and  porous  wood,  which  I  immersed  for 
about  a  minute ;  and  when  I  withdrew  it,  the  metal  had 
penetrated  through  every  portion  of  it,  so  that  in 
weight  it  was  little  less  than  the  quicksilver  itself. 


OF   NEW    ALMADEN.  59 

In  the  warehouse  the  metal  is  prepared  for  market. 
This  is  done  by  putting  it  into  wrought  iron  flasks  or 
canisters  holding  75  pounds  each.  It  is  dipped  up 
with  ladles,  and  poured  into  the  flasks  through  an  ordi- 
nary tin  funnel.  The  opening  or  neck  of  the  flask 
(which  in  form  is  something  like  a  junk  bottle)  is 
then  stopped  with  a  close-fitting  screw,  put  in  with  a 
vice,  so  as  to  make  it  tight  as  possible.  These  flasks, 
which  weigh  twenty-five  pounds  each,  are  all  made  in 
England,  where  I  suppose  they  can  be  furnished  much 
cheaper  than  in  the  United  States.  From  the  ware- 
house the  flasks  are  transported  by  ox-carts  to  tide- 
water, about  twenty  miles  distant,  whence  they  are 
shipped  to  San  Francisco.  The  present  (1852)  price  of 
the  metal  there  is  sixty  cents  a  pound,  a  very  great 
reduction  from  that  which  the  quicksilver  from  Spain 
has  commanded,  though  of  equal  quality.  A  shipment 
of  a  thousand  flasks  was  lately  made  to  Canton,  by  way 
of  an  experiment.  In  China  it  is  chiefly  used  in  the 
manufacture  of  vermilion  and  other  articles  of  com- 
merce.* 

*  As  this  is  the  only  quicksilver  mine  yet  known  in  the  United 
States,  and  is  only  second  in  the  world  to  that  of  Almaden,  in  Spain,  a 
few  words  on  the  latter,  and  of  other  quicksilver  mines,  do  not  seem  inap- 
propriate. 

Quicksilver,  or  mercury,  has  been  known  from  the  earliest  ages,  but 
is  found  nowhere  in  large  quantities,  except  in  Spain  and  California- 
Almaden  has  long  been  famed  for  its  mines  of  this  metal,  which,  accord- 
ing to  Bowles,  are  the  richest  in  their  produce,  the  most  instructive  as 
to  the  mode  of  working  them,  the  most  curious  for  their  natural  history, 
and  the  most  ancient  in  the  world.  We  find  them  mentioned  in  Theo- 
phrastus,  three  hundred  years  before  Christ,  and  Vitruvius  also  speaks 
of  them.     Pliny  places  Cisapona,  or  as  it  is  sometimes  written  Sisapona, 


60  THE    QUICKSILVER   MINES 

I  did  not  learn  what  quantity  was  produced  at  the 
time  of  my  visit  here,  but  have  since  seen  it  stated  to 
be  about  one  thousand  flasks  per  month,  or  nearly  a 
million  pounds  a  year.     According  to  Dumas,  the  an- 


in  Bsetica,  and  says  that  this  mine  was  kept  sealed  with  the  greatest 
care,  and  was  only  opened  to  take  the  quantity  of  cinnabar  necessary 
for  the  consumption  of  Rome.  (Nat.  Hist,  xxxiii.  7.)  The  Romans  con- 
sidered this  mineral  poisonous ;  but  notwithstanding  this,  their  matrons 
painted  their  faces  with  it,  and  their  painters  employed  it  as  a  pigment. 
The  Romans  certainly  worked  this  mine,  but  no  traces  remain  of  their 
labors.     The  Moors,  perhaps  owing  to  some  prejudice,  did  not  work  it. 

"  The  country  about  Almaden  abounds  in  iron  mines ;  and  what  is 
more  surprising,  in  the  same  mine  we  find  iron,  mercury,  and  sulphur, 
mixed  so  as  to  form  one  mass.  The  neighboring  hills  are  found  of  the 
same  stone,  and  on  all  of  them  the  same  species  of  plants  grow ;  from 
which  we  may  infer  that  the  mercury  does  not  possess  any  poisonous 
qualities,  as  is  generally  supposed,  injurious  to  vegetation. 

"  The  brothers  Mark  and  Christopher  Fugger,  of  Germany,  undertook 
to  work  this  mine,  and  contracted  to  give  the  government  four  thousand 
five  hundred  quintals  (of  100 lbs.  each)  of  mercury,  annually;  but  not 
being  able  to  fulfil  their  promise,  they  abandoned  it  in  1635,  together 
with  the  silver  mine  of  Gualcanal,  which  they  also  had.  While  con- 
nected with  these  mines,  however,  their  riches  became  proverbial  in 
Spain,  and  their  descendants  live  at  present  in  Germany,  with  the  rank 
of  princes.  A  branch  of  this  family  afterwards  took  the  mine,  and  worked 
it  till  1645.  In  the  following  year,  the  government  undertook  the  man- 
agement of  it.  Don  Juan  Bustamente  established  the  furnaces,  and  also 
troughs  for  cooling  the  mineral.  These  furnaces  are  twelve,  and  are 
called  by  the  names  of  the  twelve  apostles.  Each  is  capable  of  contain- 
ing ten  tons  weight  of  stone.  The  furnace  is  kept  burning  for  three  days 
and  the  same  period  is  required  for  cooling." — Introduction  a  la  Geo- 
grafica  Fisica  y  la  Historia  Natural  de  Espana. 

The  other  quicksilver  mines  worthy  of  notice,  are  one  at  Huancave- 
lica,  in  Peru  ;  at  Idria  in  Carniola  ;  in  Hungary,  Transylvania,  and  the 
district  of  Deux  Ponts  in  Germany.  There  is  a  mine  of  cinnabar  near 
Alicante,  and  another' not  far  from  San  Felipe  in  Spain.     Mercury  has 


OF    NEW   ALMADEN.  61 

nual  product  of  the  Spanish  mine  at  Almaden  is  about 
three  millions  of  pounds. 

April  4dh.  After  breakfast  we  set  out  on  foot  for 
the  mine,  which  is  situated  near  the  top  of  a  mountain 
immediately  adjoining  the  works.  The  ascent  begins 
directly  in  the  rear  of  the  store-houses,  by  a  well  con- 
also  been  found  in  China  and  Japan  :  and  though  the  amount  of  the 
produce  is  unknown,  it  is  believed  to  be  considerable. 

Le  Play,  a  French  geologist,  who  visited  Almaden  in  1833,  describes 
the  mines  as  being  richer  than  at  any  former  period,  furnishing  anually 
nearly  2,  244,000  pounds  of  mercury.  About  seven  hundred  workmen 
are  employed  under  ground,  and  two  hundred  in  the  operations  con- 
nected with  extraction  of  the  metal  from  the  ore  at  the  surface. 

According  to  Dumas,  the  following  mines  yield  annually,  the  annex- 
ed number  of  quintals  of  mercury  (a  quintal  is  108  lbs.  avoirdupois, 
nearly) : 

Almaden      (Spain)  25,000        to  32,000. 


Idria 

6,000 

u 

10,000, 

Hungary 
Transylvania 

\ 

700 

u 

900. 

Deux  Ponts 

400 

a 

500. 

Palatinate 

180 

u 

200, 

Huancavelica 

3,000 

a 

3,000, 

At  present,  it  is  understood  that  Messrs.  Rothschild,  of  London,  have 
the  control  of  the  Almaden  mines. 

During  the  year  1853,  the  total  exports  of  quicksilver  from  San  Fran- 
cisco, amounted  to  18,800  flasks,  valued  at  $683,189.  All  this,  together 
with  the  large  amount  used  in  California,  was  the  produet  of  the  New 
Almaden  mine.  The  following  shows  to  what  points  the  quicksilver  was 
exported:  "  Hongkong,  5,642  flasks,  valued  at  $180,272  ;  Shanghae, 
812,131,199;  Canton,  366,  $14,125  ;  Whampoa,  300,  $11,500;  Cal- 
cutta, 50,  $1,875  ;  Mazatlan,  2,811,  $96,250  ;  Mazatlan  and  San  Bias, 
255,  $10,000;  San  Bias,  1,942,  $72,463  ;  Callao,  1,800,  $66,500  ;  Val- 
paraiso, 1,977,  $71,875 ;  New-York,  1,845,  $77,180  ;  Philadelphia, 
1,000,  $50,000." 


62  THE    QUICKSILVER   MINES 

structed  road  of  gradual  and  easy  ascent,  which  the 
Company  has  been  engaged  in  making  for  the  last  six 
months.  It  is  a  mile  in  length,  and  is  now  only  used 
by  mules ;  but  it  is  intended  to  use  carts  and  wagons 
on  it.  It  winds  the  whole  way  along  the  side  of  the 
mountain,  rising  twenty-five  feet  in  every  hundred 
until  you  reach  the  mouth  of  the  mine,  at  an  elevation 
of  a  little  less  than  one  thousand  feet  above  the  com- 
mencement of  the  ascent. 

About  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet,  in  a  direct  line 
below  the  opening,  they  were  digging  a  tunnel  for  the 
purpose  of  intersecting  the  main  shaft.  This  tunnel, 
which  is  cut  entirely  through  the  solid  rock,  had 
already  pierced  the  mountain  seven  or  eight  hundred 
feet,  and  will,  when  completed,  be  not  much  short  of 
one  thousand  feet.  It  is  about  eight  feet  high,  and 
between  eight  and  ten  feet  wide.  This  will  prove  a 
vast  saving  in  labor ;  for  the  ore  up  to  the  time  of  our 
visit  was  transported  on  the  backs  of  men  in  leather 
sacks  from  the  bottom  of  the  shafts  to  the  entrance  to 
the  mine,  a  distance  of  from  two  hundred  and  fifty  to 
three  hundred  feet.  It  is  not  the  cinnabar  alone  that 
has  to  be  thus  carried  from  the  bottom  of  the  mine, 
but  the  refuse  rock,  which  forms  a  greater  bulk  than 
the  ore  itself.  It  cannot  be  separated  in  the  mine, 
but  has  all  to  be  brought  to  the  surface. 

We  waited  for  Mr.  Bester,  the  engineer,  to  join  us 
before  entering  the  mine ;  and  as  he  had  not  returned 
from  San  Jose,  where  we  left  him,  we  determined  to 
forego  the  examination  of  its  interior  to-day,  and  con- 
tent ourselves  with  what  we  could  see  on  the  sur- 
face. 


OF    NEW   ALMADEN.  63 

The  mountain  rises  one  hundred  and  sixty  feet 
above  the  entrance  to  the  mine,  terminating  in  a  cone. 
On  a  level  with  the  entrance,  a  quarter  of  a  mile  dis- 
tant, is  the  village,  perched  on  the  very  summit  of  a 
rock,  in  which  the  miners  live  with  their  families. 
This  mountain,  as  well  as  the  others  adjoining  it,  is 
covered  with  grass,  and  dotted  with  small  oaks  to  its 
summit.  There  is  nothing  to  distinguish  the  mountain 
in  which  the  mine  is  worked  from  the  others ;  hence 
it  is  reasonable  to  suppose  that  they  may  also  contain 
veins  of  cinnabar.  The  intervening  valleys  are  well 
wooded,  and  have  a  thick  undergrowth. 

April  5th.  Set  out  this  morning  for  the  mine,  ac- 
companied by  Mr.  Bester,  on  mules,  as  the  journey  up 
was  fatiguing,  and  we  wished  to  preserve  our  strength 
for  the  exploration  of  the  various  shafts.  On  reach- 
ing the  entrance,  we  found  all  actively  employed; — 
the  laborers  emerging  every  minute  from  the  mines, 
bent  under  the  weight  of  their  loads,  which  they 
deposited  under  a  shed  about  eighty  feet  from  the 
opening.  Here  the  ore  was  separated,  the  refuse  being- 
thrown  down  the  hill,  and  the  rest  laid  aside  to  be 
sent  to  the  furnaces.  At  the  same  time  the  mulada,  or 
collection  of  some  eighty  or  a  hundred  mules,  was 
being  loaded  with  the  ore.  This  was  put  into  sacks 
or  panniers  of  raw  hide,  which  hung  across  their 
backs  like  saddle-bags,  each  mule  carrying  on  an 
average  a  carga,  or  three  hundred  pounds.  Men  stood 
by  with  a  balance,  in  which  every  mule  load  was 
weighed,  so  that  the  exact  quantity  of  ore  sent  to  the 
furnaces  is  known.  The  weighing  is  also  necessary ; 
as  the  company  pays  so  much  a  carga  for  bringing  it 


64  THE    QUICKSILVER   MINES 

from  the  bottom  to  the  surface,  and  for  transporting  it 
from  the  mine  to  the  furnaces.  This  plan  is  preferred 
by  the  proprietors  to  that  of  employing  the  laborers 
directly  themselves.  The  work  is  wholly  performed 
by  native  Mexicans  or  Californians,  the  overseers  and 
contractors  who  employ  them  being  their  countrymen, 
though  of  a  better  class.  These  men  understand  the 
management  of  their  countrymen  better  than  Ameri- 
cans do ;  and  the  Mexican  laborers  are  better  arrieros, 
and  understand  all  that  appertains  to  the  mule  better 
than  Americans. 

The  laborers  wore  no  clothing,  save  a  breech- 
cloth,  and  a  handkerchief  around  their  heads.  The 
arrieros  had  on  but  little  more;  a  fancy  colored 
calico  shirt  being  the  extent  of  their  additional  cos- 
tume. The  laborers  who  bring  up  the  ore  to  the  sur- 
face make  from  forty  to  fifty  trips  a  day.  The  mules 
make  but  two  journeys  from  the  mine  to  the  furnaces, 
completing  their  day's  labor  by  one  o'clock.  They  are 
then  turned  out  to  feed  in  the  valley  or  on  the  moun- 
tain side,  where  the  grass  is  good.  With  so  little 
labor,  they  are  always  in  fine  condition.  About  two 
hundred  men  are  employed  in  the  various  operations 
carried  on  here. 

After  being  provided  with  torches,  consisting  of  a 
candle  fastened  to  the  end  of  a  stick,  we  commenced 
the  descent  of  the  mine,  Mr.  Bester,  the  engineer, 
taking  the  lead.  We  first  advanced  some  sixty 
feet  in  a  horizontal  direction,  after  which  the  shaft 
takes  a  turn  downwards,  and  soon  after  becomes  perpen- 
dicular. In  such  places  the  descent  is  made  on  a  single 
notched  log,  which  is  preferred  by  the  miners  to  the 


OF    NEW   ALMADEN.  65 

common  ladder ;  and  although  very  awkward  at  first, 
we  soon  got  used  to  it.  With  one  hand  you  take  hold 
of  the  ladder,  and  with  the  other  the  torch.  These  lad- 
ders,  although  almost  perpendicular,  are  seldom  more 
than  twelve  or  fifteen  feet  long,  being  separated  by 
intervals,  where  the  descent  is  more  gradual,  with 
steps  cut  in  the  rock.  In  this  way  we  passed  down 
through  various  shafts  or  veins  to  the  bottom  of  the 
mine,  two  hundred  feet  below  the  entrance.  Passa- 
ges following  the  veins  of  ore  extend  in  every  direc- 
tion, sometimes  horizontal,  then  perpendicular,  and 
again  at  every  inclination.  Their  whole  extent  now 
exceeds  seven  thousand  feet.  When  a  vein  is  struck, 
it  is  followed  as  far  as  it  can  be  with  safety,  what- 
ever may  be  its  course.  The  engineer,  who  keeps 
before  him  a  map  of  the  mine,  is  obliged  to  have  an 
eye  to  the  support  of  the  superincumbent  mass.  Some 
of  the  veins  are  five  feet  in  diameter,  others  half  that 
size.     Some  are  also  richer  than  others. 

In  each  of  the  veins  is  a  single  miner ;  for  not  more 
than  one  can  work  to  advantage  in  these  narrow  re- 
cesses. Picks,  drills,  and  crowbars  are  the  tools  used. 
The  miners  are  paid  in  different  ways  ;  some  at  a  stipu- 
lated price  for  each  foot  of  the  rock  excavated,  and 
others  at  a  certain  rate  per  carga  (three  hundred 
pounds)  of  ore  carried  to  the  surface.  On  reaching 
the  greatest  depth,  where  the  ore  is  very  rich,  I  took 
a  pick  and  knocked  off  some  fine  specimens.  We  now 
retraced  our  steps,  and  reached  the  open  air  in  safety.. 

It  is  an  evidence  of  the  admirable  system  pursued: 
here,  and  the  watchful  care  exercised  by  the  company 
over  their  employees,  that  no  accident  has  yet  happened. 

VOL.  II. — 5 


66  THE    QUICKSILVER   MINES 

to  any  miner  or  carrier  engaged  in  these  subterranean 
labors.  The  workmen,  nevertheless,  are  not  without 
their  fears,  and  have  taken  their  own  method  to  secure 
*  themselves  from  harm,  by  placing  in  a  niche  just  with- 
in the  entrance  to  the  mine,  an  image  of  their  saint, 
very  prettily  decorated  with  muslin  and  gaudy  silks. 
Before  this  every  man  falls  on  his  knees,  and  says  his 
prayers,  invoking  the  protection  of  the  saint  during  the 
day.  I  have  never  seen  a  more  happy  and  contented 
set  of  laborers  than  these. 

Knowing  the  effects  of  mercury  on  the  system,  the 
question  will  naturally  arise  in  the  mind  of  the  reader 
as  to  whether  those  employed  in  the  mine  or  about  the 
furnaces  suffer  from  their  close  contact  with  the  ore  or 
the  quicksilver.  The  miners,  and  those  who  merely 
handle  the  cinnabar,  are  not  injured  thereby ;  but  those 
who  work  about  the  furnaces,  and  inhale  the  fumes  of 
'the  metal,  are  seriously  affected.  Salivation  is  common  ; 
and  the  attendants  on  the  furnaces  are  compelled  to 
desist  from  their  labor  every  three  or  four  weeks,  when 
a  fresh  set  of  hands  is  put  on.  The  horses  and  mules 
are  also  salivated ;  and  from  twenty  to  thirty  of  them 
die  every  year  from  the  effects  of  the  mercury. 

The  ore,  after  it  is  deposited  near  the  furnaces,  is 
separated  according  to  its  quality.  The  larger  masses 
are  first  broken  up,  and  then  all  is  piled  up  under 
sheds  near  the  furnace  doors.  Seven  or  eight  days  are 
required  to  fill  the  furnaces,  extract  the  quicksilver, 
and  remove  the  residuum,  the  latter  being  the  most 
dangerous  part  of  the  process.  All  is  done  as  much 
in  the  open  air  as  possible,  the  furnaces  being  merely 
protected  by  a  roof. 


OF   NEW   ALMADEN.  67 

I  took  several  sketches  of  the  village  of  New  Al- 
rnaden,  as  well  as  of  the  exterior  of  the  mine,  and  the 
picturesque  scenery  in  the  vicinity.  The  company 
possess  a  large  tract  of  land  here,  including  mountain, 
hill,  and  valley.  Much  of  it  is  well  timbered.  A  fine 
stream  of  water  runs  directly  through  the  village ;  and 
on  its  very  margin  is  a  natural  soda  spring,  which  may 
yet  make  this  spot  doubly  attractive. 

This  mine  was  long  known  to  the  Indians,  who 
resorted  hither  for  the  vermillion  which  they  could  col- 
lect from  the  cinnabar.  They  had  dug  some  thirty  or 
forty  feet  into  the  mountain ;  but  it  does  not  appear 
ever  to  have  been  worked  by  the  Spaniards.  In  recent 
times,  its  commercial  value  was  first  discovered  by 
Senor  Castillero,  who  became  its  legal  owner.  Don 
Jose  Castro,  who  subsequently  became  proprietor  of 
it,  sold  out  his  interest  to  Barron  &  Forbes,  an  Eng- 
lish house  doing  business  in  Mexico.  Another  partner 
js  Mr.  Walkinshaw,  an  English  gentleman  long  resident 
in  Mexico,  and  well  skilled  in  mining.  This  gentle- 
man now  resides  about  a  mile  from  New  Almaden,  on 
one  of  the  natural  parks  which  I  have  before  described, 
and  which  he  is  rendering  still  more  beautiful  by  the 
introduction  of  fruit-trees,  vines,  flowering  shrubs,  etc. 
To  this  gentleman,  to  Mr.  Young,  the  superintendent, 
and  Mr.  Bester,  the  engineer,  I  feel  under  many  obli- 
gations for  the  civilities  extended  to  me  and  the  gen- 
tlemen who  were  with  me,  in  our  visit  to  New  Alma- 
den and  its  mine.  After  a  sumptuous  dinner,  we  took 
the  stage  and  returned  to  San  Jose. 

April  6th.  In  coming  to  San  Jose,  I  had  the  double 
object  in  view  of  visiting  the  quicksilver  mine,  and  of 


68  THE    QUICKSILVER    MINES 

continuing  on  by  land  to  Monterey ;  but  I  here  learned 
that  it  would  be  impossible  to  proceed  further  by  land, 
as  the  heavy  rains  and  freshets  a  few  weeks  before,  had 
carried  away  the  bridges,  and  rendered  the  streams  im- 
passable, except  by  swimming  the  horses.  This  I  did 
not  feel  disposed  to  do :  so  the  only  alternative  was  to 
return  to  San  Francisco,  and  go  to  San  Diego  by  water. 
We  accordingly  took  the  stage  at  8  o'clock,  with  twen- 
ty-one passengers  inside  and  out;  and  reached  San 
Francisco  at  4  o'clock  in  the  afternoon. 

I  remained  in  San  Francisco  six  days,  waiting  for  a 
steamer  to  San  Diego ;  and  during  this  time  I  had  the 
pleasure  of  meeting  with  Captain  Sutter,  whose  name 
is  well  known  to  all  who  have  heard  or  read  of  the 
recent  history  of  California.  The  history  of  his  early 
adventures  has  been  on  several  occasions  presented  to 
the  public  by  letter-writers ;  so  that  it  will  be  super- 
fluous at  this  time  to  relate  them,  excepting  the  follow- 
ing anecdote,  which  I  have  not  seen  in  print. 

"  While  in  Oregon,  whither  he  had  come  from  the 
United  States,  Captain  Sutter  met  with  a  party  who 
gave  such  a  glowing  account  of  California  and  particu- 
larly of  the  valley  of  the  Sacramento,  that  he  determin- 
ed to  visit  it,  believing  it  to  be  precisely  the  rich  coun- 
try and  salubrious  climate  of  which  he  was  in  search.  But 
to  get  there  was  not  so  easy,  there  being  then  no  com- 
munication from  Oregon  by  sea.  He  therefore  shaped 
his  course  for  the  Sandwich  Islands,  and  from  thence 
to  Mexico.  At  San  Bias  or  Mazatlan,  he  found  a  vessel 
about  sailing  for  Monterey  ;  he  embarked  in  her,  and 
afterwards  reached  the  Bay  of  San  Francisco,  nearly 
twelve  months  after  leaving  Oregon.     But  the  country 


OF    NEW   ALMADEN.  69 

he  was  in  search  of  was  a  perfect  terra  incognita  even 
to  the  people  who  then  composed  the  settlement  at 
Yerba  Buena ;  nor  could  he  gain  any  information  re- 
specting the  river  which  led  to  it,  or  even  as  to  where 
it  entered  the  bay.  His  scheme  of  settling  in  the  inte- 
rior among  the  wild  Indians,  was  considered  a  danger- 
ous one,  and  efforts  were  made  to  dissuade  him  from  it ; 
but  he  had  made  up  his  mind  to  go,  and  accordingly 
got  a  small  boat  and  set  off  with  a  few  men  to  find  the 
Sacramento  River.  They  coasted  along  the  bay  in  vain 
for  several  days,  and  were  about  to  abandon  their 
search,  when  one  night  as  they  were  moving  slowly 
along  by  moonlight,  Captain  Sutter  himself  discovered 
an  opening  which  proved  to  be  the  mouth  of  that  river. 
He  passed  up  it,  and  selected  the  spot  where  he  built 
his  fort,  and  of  which  he  afterwards  obtained  a  grant 
from  the  Mexican  government." 

When  we  hear  of  the  pioneers  of  the  West,  we 
imagine  them  to  be  such  as  our  Daniel  Boon,  who  led 
the  life  of  a  hunter,  trapper,  and  Indian  fighter,  until 
his  home  was  surrounded  by  settlers,  when  he  again 
moved  farther  off,  desiring  always  to  be  beyond  the 
pale  of  civilization.  Captain  Sutter  was  not  of  this  class ; 
although  he  has  had  his  share  in  fighting  the  battles 
of  Europe,  as  well  as  encountering  the  Indian  on  the 
prairie.  He  has  the  manners  of  an  intelligent  and  cour- 
teous gentleman,  accustomed  to  move  in  polished  socie- 
ty. He  speaks  several  languages  with  fluency.  He  is 
kind,  hospitable,  and  generous  to  a  fault ;  as  very  many 
Americans  know  who  have  lived  on  his  bounty.  Had 
he  been  permitted  to  retain  his  immense  estate  on  the 
Sacramento,  and  dispose  of  it  as  wanted  by  actual  set- 


70  THE    QUICKSILVER   MINES    OF    NEW   ALMADEN. 

tiers,  lie  would  have  been  one  of  the  richest  men  in 
America ;  but  speculators  took  advantage  of  his  easy 
disposition,  led  him  into  wild  speculations,  induced  him 
to  lend  his  name  to  a  large  amount,  and  thus  extorted 
from  him  or  compelled  him  to  give  up  all  of  his  valu- 
able property,  but  the  Hock  farm,  where  he  now  re- 
sides. He  still  seems  cheerful,  and  endeavors  to  make 
the  most  of  his  misfortunes.  When  I  saw  him,  he  told 
me  he  had  not  visited  San  Francisco  for  a  year.* 

*  Captain  Sutter  is  a  native  of  Switzerland,  from  55  to  60  years 
of  age,  and  of  fine  personal  appearance.  He  was  one  of  the  officers  of 
the  Swiss  Guard  in  the  Revolution  of  July,  during  the  reign  of  Charles  X. 
After  this  he  emigrated  to  the  United  States,  became  naturalized,  and 
resided  several  years  in  Missouri.  From  thence  he  went  overland  to 
Oregon,  and  in  1839  reached  California.  He  bought  out  the  Russian 
establishment  at  Fort  Ross  and  Bodega,  when  the  Russians  abandoned 
their  settlement  in  California.  His  fort  on  the  Sacramento  was  a  large 
inclosure,  five  hundred  feet  in  length  by  one  hundred  and  fifty  in  breadth, 
where  he  had  under  his  control  a  body  of  Indians,  whom  he  employed 
in  cultivating  the  soil.  After  obtaining  his  large  grant  from  Mexico, 
that  government  made  him  military  commander  of  the  frontier. 


RETURN    FROM    SAN    FRANCISCO    TO    SAN   DIEGO.        7] 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

RETURN    FROM   SAN  FRANCISCO    TO    SAN    DIEGO. 

Leave  San  Francisco — Monterey — Its  harbor — Society — Californian  ladies 
— Father  Juniper  Serro's  account  of  Monterey  in  1770 — Visit  to  the  Mis- 
sion of  San  Carlos  at  Oarmel — Father  Garces'  visit  in  1777 — Leave 
Monterey — Point  Conception — San  Pedro — Visit  to  Los  Angeles — Eich 
prairies — Large  herds  of  cattle — Vineyards  and  wines — Indians  of  the 
Missions — Mission  of  San  Gabriel — Return  to  San  Pedro — Craw  fish — 
Arrival  at  San  Diego — Preparations  for  return  to  El  Paso — Engage 
Mr.  Leroux  as  guide — Trip  to  Los  Coronados — Description  of  these 
islands — Sea  Lions — Climate  of  San  Diego — Visit  to  the  Mission  of  San 
Luis  Rey — Extensive  buildings — Fine  Valley — Kechi  Indians — History 
of  Father  Peyri — Description  of  the  harbor  of  San  Diego — Viscaino's 
account  of  San  Diego  in  1602 — Father  Juniper  Serro's  account  in 
1769 — Mission  of  San  Diego — Picturesque  situation — Fine  lands — Olive 
trees — Society  of  San  Diego — Initial  Point  and  monument  on  the  Pa- 
cific. 

On  the  14th  of  April  I  embarked  in  the  steamer  Ohio 
for  Monterey,  at  which  place  I  intended  availing  my- 
self of  a  polite  invitation  given  me  by  Captain  Ottin- 
ger.  of  the  United  States  revenue  cutter  Frolic,  to  take 
passage  with  him  for  San  Diego.  His  duties  required 
him  to  stop  at  the  various  ports  between  the  two 
places,  which  would  give  me  a  better  opportunity  to 
see  the  country  than  by  remaining  on  board  the 
steamer.  We  went  to  sea  at  five  p.  m.  with  a  large 
number  of  passengers,,  and,   having   but  little  wind,, 


72  RETURN   FROM   SAN   FRANCISCO 

shot  rapidly  through  the  "  Golden  Gate."  Outside 
it  was  so  calm,  that  the  broad  surface  of  the  Pacific 
resembled  an  ocean  of  glass. 

April  15th.  Reached  Monterey  at  eleven,  a.  m.5 
where  I  found  Captain  Otti-nger  with  his  beautiful 
little  craft. 

The  coast  between  San  Francisco  and  Monterey 
presents  nothing  but  low  sandy  hills,  covered  with 
chapporal  or  scanty  verdure.  Large  quantities  of  sand 
are  blown  up  from  the  sea,  and  in  many  places  overtop 
the  vegetation. 

On  coming  to  this  place  from  San  Francisco,  one 
is  struck  with  its  remarkable  dulness;  yet  until  the 
discovery  of  gold  in  the  country,  it  was  the  chief 
place  on  the  coast,  and  the  capital  of  California. 
Many  of  its  houses  are  now  deserted,  or  in  a  dilapi- 
dated state,  and  the  grass  may  be  seen  growing  in 
its  streets. 

The  town  is  prettily  situated  on  a  gentle  slope  of 
land,  facing  the  north,  about  two  miles  from  Point 
Pinos,  which  forms  the  southern  extremity  of  the  har- 
bor or  roadstead.  The  harbor  is  not  a  good  one, 
being  exposed  to  the  prevailing  north-westerly  winds, 
and  exhibiting  a  long  beach,  with  as  troublesome  a  surf 
as  the  open  sea.  From  the  southwesters  it  is  well  pro- 
tected by  Point  Pinos.  On  the  east  is  a  succession  of 
small  hills,  rising  one  above  the  other  directly  from  the 
slope  on  which  the  town  stands,  and  covered  chiefly 
with  pines.  Behind,  and  immediately  contiguous  to 
these,  rises  the  coast  range  of  mountains.  On  the 
north,  the  bay  makes  a  broad  semi-circular  sweep  some 
fifteen  or  twenty  miles  distant,  terminating  at  a  point 


TO   SAN   DIEGO.  73 

on  the  ocean  opposite  to,  though  far  outside  of,  Point 
Pinos,  and  not  visible  from  the  town.  The  houses  are 
of  two  classes ;  first,  those  of  adobe,  belonging  to  the 
old  town.  These  are  large  and  well  built,  many  being 
of  two  stories,  with  projecting  eaves  to  protect  them 
from  the  sun.  Those  of  wood  are  of  recent  erection, 
and  have  not  the  substantial  appearance  of  the  adobe 
buildings ;  these  latter  have  very  thick  walls  as  a  secu- 
rity from  the  earthquakes,  which,  though  not  severe, 
are  quite  common  here.  An  old  church  stands  alone 
upon  the  plain  east  of  the  town,  which  appeared  to  be 
in  a  ruinous  condition.  Beyond  this  is  a  lagoon,  said  to 
have  been  formerly  connected  with  the  bay,  but  now 
separated  from  it  by  a  sandy  beach,  and  a  grassy  mea- 
dow, about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in  width.  The  old  pre- 
sidio, or  garrison,  is  on  an  elevation  back  of  the  town, 
towards  Point  Pinos,  and  is  now  occupied  by  United 
States  troops. 

Monterey  has  always  been  noted  for  its  excellent 
society;  and  although  the  Americans  have  monopo- 
lized every  other  town  in  the  State,  it  still  preserves 
much  of  its  original  character.  The  old  Californian  or 
Castilian  families  are  still  in  the  ascendancy ;  but  the 
young  Americans  and  other  foreigners  are  making  ter- 
rible inroads  upon  them,  and  carrying  off  their  fair 
daughters.  Many  officers  of  the  United  States  army 
have  married  in  California;  and  from  what  I  heard, 
here  and  at  other  places,  others  intend  following  their 
example.  The  young  seiloritas  certainly  possess  many 
attractions ;  and  although  shut  up  in  this  secluded 
part  of  the  world,  without  the  advantages  of  a  good 
education,  or  of  intercourse  with  refined  society,  they 


74  RETURN    FROM    SAN    FRANCISCO 

need  not  fear  a  comparison  with  our  own  ladies.  In 
deportment  they  are  exceeding  gentle  and  ladylike, 
with  all  the  natural  grace  and  dignity  which  belong  to 
the  Castilian  nation.  Their  complexion  is  generally  as 
fair  as  the  Anglo-Saxon,  particularly  along  the  sea  coast, 
with  large  black  eyes  and  hair.  In  this  respect  they 
differ  much  from  the  Mexican  ladies  of  the  interior, 
who  are  generally  brunettes.  In  form  too  they  differ 
from  their  Mexican  sisters.  The  latter  are  too  often 
short  and  stout,  while  the  Californian  ladies  are  as 
slender  and  delicate  in  form  as  those  of  our  Atlantic 
States.  I  was  struck  too  with  the  elegance  and  purity 
of  their  language,  which  presented  a  marked  contrast 
with  the  corrupt  dialect  spoken  in  Mexico. 

The  Californians  as  a  people  appear  superior  to  the 
Mexicans,  which  may  be  attributed  to  two  causes. 
Both  countries,  it  is  true,  were  colonized  by  the  same 
race  ;  but  I  think  a  superior  class  of  men  came  to  Cali- 
fornia, who  have  preserved  their  Castilian  blood  from 
all  admixture  with  that  of  the  aborigines.  There  were, 
doubtless,  fewer  of  the  poorer  class  too  who  came 
here,  owing  to  the  greater  length  and  cost  of  the  jour- 
ney, and  the  increase  by  immigration  has  been  trifling 
since.  The  original  colonists  possessed  large  tracts  of 
lands,  and  have  ever  since  continued  in  an  isolated 
state,  marrying  among  themselves,  and  enjoying  a  life 
of  luxury  and  ease.  The  climate,  unlike  that  of  Mex- 
ico, is  healthy  and  invigorating;  while  the  humid 
atmosphere  of  the  coast  gives  a  fairness  and  brilliancy 
to  the  complexion  unknown  to  the  dry  and  burning 
plains  of  Mexico. 

Although  San  Francisco  will  always  rank  first  in 


TO    SAN   DIEGO.  75 

the  scale  of  Californian  cities,  by  reason  of  its  superior 
harbor  and  great  commercial  facilities,  Monterey  will 
become  the  residence  of  gentlemen  of  fortune,  on 
account  of  its  more  genial  climate  and  its  distance  from 
the  noise  and  bustle  of  a  great  city.  It  will  be  to  San 
Francisco  what  Newport  is  now  to  New  York. 

The  following  account  of  Monterey  was  written  by 
the  Reverend  president  of  the  California  missions,  F.  Ju- 
nipero  Serra,  to  his  biographer,  Father  Palou,  in  a  letter 
announcing  his  arrival  at  this  place.  It  appears  that 
an  expedition  sent  by  land  to  Monterey  failed  to  reach 
it,  but  found  San  Francisco  ;  and  that  subsequently 
two  other  expeditions,  one  by  land  the  other  by  water, 
were  sent  in  search  of  it.  In  the  latter  of  these  was 
Father  Junipero.     He  thus  writes  :* 

"  Long  live  Jesus,  Mary,  and  Joseph! 

"  Reverend  Father,  Professor,  and  President,  Fr. 
Francisco  Palou : 

"My  dearest  Friend  and  Sir: — On  the  31st  of  May, 
by  the  favor  of  God,  after  a  painful  voyage  of  a  month 
and  a  half,  the  packet  San  Antonio,  commanded  by 
Don  Juan  Peres,  arrived  and  anchored  in  this  horrible 
port  of  Monterey,  which  is  the  same,  unaltered  in 
appearance  and  condition,  that  it  was  when  visited 
by  the  expedition  of  Don  Sebastian  Viscayno,  in  the 
year  1603.  It  gave  me  great  satisfaction  to  learn  that 
eight  days  previous  the  land  expedition  had  arrived, 
and  with  it  Father  Juan,  and  that  all  were  in  good 
health.     When   the   holy   day  of  Pentecost   arrived, 

*  Relacion  Historica  de  la  Viola  y  apostolicas  Tareas  del  padre  Fray 
Junipero  Serra,  por  Fr.  Francisco  Palou,  p.  101.     Mexico,  1 787. 


76  RETURN    FROM    SAN    FRANCISCO 

which  was  on  the  3d  of  June,  the  whole  of  the  officers, 
naval  as  well  as  military,  and  all  the  people,  assembled 
together  in  a  small  ravine,  where  the  Fathers  caused 
an  altar  to  be  erected,  and  the  bells  to  be  rung.  They 
then  chanted  the  Vent  Creator,  blessed  the  water, 
erected  and  blessed  a  grand  cross  and  the  royal  stand- 
ards, and  chanted  the  first  mass  that  was  ever  per- 
formed in  this  place.  We  afterwards  sung  the  Salve 
to  our  Lady,  before  an  image  of  the  most  illustrious 
Virgin,  which  occupied  the  altar,  and  then  I  preached 
a  sermon.  We  concluded  the  festival  with  a  Te  Deum. 
After  this  the  officers  took  possession  of  the  coun- 
try in  the  name  of  our  Lord  the  King,  whom  God  pre- 
serve. We  all  dined  together  in  a  shady  place  on  the 
beach ;  the  whole  ceremony  being  accompanied  by 
many  volleys  and  salutes,  on  the  land  as  well  as  from 
the  vessels.     To  God  alone  be  the  honor  and  glory! 

"With  regard  to  the  former  expedition,  its  not 
finding  the  port  of  which  it  was  in  search,  and  having 
asserted  that  it  did  not  exist,  I  will  express  no  opinion, 
and  will  not  judge  of  their  motives.  It  is  enough  to 
say,  that  it  has  been  found,  and  the  duty  performed, 
although  rather  late.  This  I  desire  may  be  made 
known  to  the  Visitor  General,  and  to  all  those  who  feel 
an  interest  in  this  spiritual  conquest. 

"Mission  of  San  Carlos  de  Monterey.  June,  the 
day  of  San  Antonio  Padua,  1770. 

"I  kiss  your  hands,  etc. 

"FR.  JUNIPERO  SERRA." 

April  Iftth.  This  morning  I  got  a  horse  and  rode 
out  to  the  Mission  of  San  Carlos,  on  the  river  Carmel, 


TO    SAN    DIEGO.  77 

four  miles  from  Monterey.  The  ride  was  a  delightful 
one  over  gentle  hills,  and  through  valleys  with  beauti- 
ful grassy  slopes,  thickly  wooded  with  pine,  fir,  and  oak 
trees.  The  whole  country  about  Monterey  presents 
a  most  pleasing  prospect  to  the  eye,  after  seeing  the 
parched  and  barren  hills  along  the  coast. 

The  Mission  establishment,  which  consists  of  a  church 
and  the  usual  accompaniments  of  a  large  inclosure  with 
ranges  of  small  buildings,  stands  upon  a  little  elevation 
between  the  hills  and  the  sea,  from  which  it  is  distant  only 
a  few  hundred  yards.  The  church  which  is  built  of  stone, 
has  two  towers,  containing  six  bells ;  its  walls  are  very 
thick,  with  an  arched  roof,  and  supported  by  heavy  but- 
tresses. The  towers,  as  usual,  differ.  The  adobe  build- 
ings near,  were  all  in  a  state  of  ruin,  and  tenantless ; 
not  a  human  being  was  to  be  seen  near,  while  the  rank 
grass  and  weeds  which  monopolized  the  ground,  showed 
that  even  curiosity  did  not  often  tempt  visitors  to  its 
deserted  precincts.  One  corner  of  the  church  began  to 
show  the  ravages  of  time :  its  cornice  had  fallen,  and 
weeds  had  already  taken  root  among  its  opening  crevices. 
The  remains  of  an  orchard  and  vineyard,  are  still  seen 
near,  in  a  decaying  state.  Small  pine  trees  cover  the 
hills  within  a  short  distance  of  the  church ;  and  on  its 
other  side,  the  ocean  rolls  up  its  waves  with  a  dull  mo- 
notonous sound,  which  adds  to  the  solitary  feeling  of 
the  place. 

Near  by,  the  river  Carmel,  a  diminutive  stream,  to 
which  the  appellation  of  brook  would  be  more  appro- 
priate, emerges  from  a  valley  between  two  high  ranges 
of  grass-covered  hills,  and  falls  into  the  sea.  Up  this 
valley  I  noticed  ploughed  fields  and  ranchos ;  beyond 


78  RETURN    FROM   SAN    FRANCISCO 

it  higher  mountains  arise,  completely  shutting  in  the 
river  on  the  East. 

This  Mission  was  for  some  time  the  residence  of  the 
Fathers  Juniper  Serra,  and  Francisco  Palou,  two  of  the 
most  distinguished  of  the  early  Catholic  missionaries  in 
California.  When  Father  P.  Font  arrived  in  Monterey, 
in  1777,  from  Sonora,  in  Mexico,  with  a  body  of  men  to 
strengthen  the  Colony  at  that  place,  he  says  the  "  Fa- 
ther President,  F.  Junipero  Serra,  with  four  other  priests, 
came  from  the  mission  of  San  Carlos  to  welcome  us, 
and  we  chanted  mass  in  thanksgiving  for  our  safe 
arrival ;"  and  it  "  was  determined  that  we  should  go  to 
the  mission  of  Carmel,  as  there  were  no  lodgings  for  us 
here."*.  .  He  states  that  there  were  seven  priests 
at  the  mission,  that  it  was  "an  excellent  spot,  and  the 
land  very  fertile." 

April  17  th.  Set  sail  from  Monterey  in  the  U.  S. 
revenue  cutter  Frolic,  Captain  Ottinger.  The  wind 
was  ahead  and  light ;  so  that  by  dark  we  were  scarcely 
beyond  Point  Pinos,  so  named  from  the  pines  which 
grow  upon  it,  and  which  distinguish  it  from  the  barren 
head-lands  on  the  Californian  coast. 

April  IStJi.  At  sea.  With  a  fresh  breeze  from  the 
north-west,  we  scudded  along  finely.  It  is  necessary 
to  keep  at  a  distance  from  the  land,  as  there  are  no 
light-houses  on  the  coast. 

April  ISth.  Hailed  the  Pacific  mail-steamer  North-* 
erner  as  she  passed  us,  and  put  letters  on  board  for  the 
United  States,  as  we  should  be  too  late  for  the  mail  at 
San  Diego.     Towards  evening  the  winds  died  away, 

*  Manuscript  Relation,  in  the  possession  of  the  author. 


TO    SAN   DIEGO.  79 

leaving  us  within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  Point  Concep- 
tion. This  is  a  plateau  extending  a  couple  of  miles 
beyond  the  coast  range  of  mountains.  Saw  two  or  three 
ranchos,  surrounded  by  clusters  of  trees,  and  large  num- 
bers of  cattle  grazing  upon  the  declivities  of  the  moun- 
tains and  upon  the  plain,  which,  to  judge  from  its  bril- 
liant green  hue,  was  covered  with  rich  grass.  In  the 
night,  the  wind  came  around  from  the  north-east  with 
a  thick  fog. 

April  20th.  The  northern  point  of  the  island  of 
Santa  Rosa,  bore  south  six  miles.  Light  winds  and 
calms  during  the  day.  At  2  p.  m.  the  steamer  Active, 
of  the  Coast  Survey,  passed  us.  At  nine,  saw  a  light 
ahead  and  pursued  it  for  an  hour  or  more,  thinking  the- 
vessel  it  was  in  might  prove  a  smuggler.  Finally  came- 
up  with  and  hailed  her ;  when  she  was  found  to  be  a, 
small  craft  bound  to  the  islands  in  search  of  sea-lions, 
which  abound  there,  and  are  taken  for  the  oil  they 
furnish. 

April  21st.  Light  winds  during  the  day,  with  fog 
and  haze.  Could  discover  no  current.  Reached  San 
Pedro  at  9  p.  m.,,  and  came  to  anchor.  The  wind  blew 
quite  fresh  from  the  north-west  during  the  night. 

April  22d.  San  Pedro  is  an  open  bay  or  roadstead, 
about  fifteen  miles  across  from  the  two  points  which 
bound  it,  and  scarcely  deserves  the  name  of  a  harbor. 
It  is  exposed  to  the  prevailing  winds,  and  affords  no 
protection  save  on  the  east  and  north.  When  caught 
with  a  southerly  gale,  vessels  are  obliged  to  stand  across 
to  the  islands  of  Catalina,  twelve  miles  distant,  for  safe- 
ty. It  is  the  Port  of  Los  Angeles,  twenty-nine  miles 
distant,  and  contains  but  two  houses.     These  are  quite 


80  RETURN    FROM   SAN   FRANCISCO 

large,  being  used  as  warehouses  for  merchandise,  as 
well  as  for  dwellings.  Vessels  stop  here  for  water, 
which  has  to  be  carted  from  a  distance  of  three  miles. 
Many  also  provide  themselves  here  with  beef,  which 
is  furnished  at  a  less  rate  than  at  other  places. 

I  was  desirous  to  visit  Los  Angeles  for  the  purpose 
of  buying  mules,  which  were  scarce  and  high  at  San 
Diego.  Soon  after  breakfast  I  went  on  shore  with 
Captain  Ottinger,  and  we  both  took  the  stage  then 
about  to  start  for  Los  Angeles.  There  were  twelve 
passengers  to  go,  who  filled  two  ordinary  lumber  wag- 
ons, each  drawn  by  four  mules.  On  leaving  the 
coast,  the  road  was  somewhat  hilly  for  a  few  miles. 
Passed  several  lagoons  about  three  miles  from  San 
Pedro,  in  which  were  large  numbers  of  ducks,  plover, 
curlew,  and  snipe,  embracing  varieties  which  I  had 
not  before  seen ;  on  leaving  these,  we  entered  upon  a 
broad  plain,  which  extended  as  far  as  the  eye  could 
reach,  unbroken  by  hill  or  tree.  This  plain,  the  surface 
of  which  was  slightly  undulating,  was  covered  with 
luxuriant  grass  and  clover ;  and  sometimes  a  patch  of 
yellow  mustard,  growing  to  the  height  of  five  or  six 
feet,  filled  a  space  of  a  mile  or  two.  Flowers  of  bril- 
liant hues  were  thickly  scattered  over  the  plain,  giving 
it  here  and  there  a  tingle  of  purple,  orange,  or  yellow. 
In  every  direction,  the  eye  fell  upon  large  herds  of 
cattle  and  horses  luxuriating  on  the  rich  grass ;  so 
numerous  were  they,  that  at  one  time  there  could  not 
have  been  less  than  ten  thousand  head  in  sight. 

It  was  here  that  a  skirmish  took  place  between  Com- 
modore Stockton, or  a  party  sent  by  him,  and  the  Cali- 
fornians ;  but  from  what   I  could  learn,  it  was  little 


TO    SAN    DIEGO.  81 

more  than  a  running  fight,  in  which  no  great  harm  was 
done  by  either  party. 

We  reached  "  La  Ciudad  de  los  Angeles,"  the  City 
of  Angels,  at  4  o'clock,  and  put  up  at  the  "Bella 
Union,"  a  very  indifferent  hotel.  At  the  most  misera- 
ble tavern  in  the  back  woods,  I  have  found  better 
accommodations  than  at  this  place. 

After  dinner,  I  called  at  the  office  of  the  "  Los  An- 
geles Star,"  to  obtain  a  file  of  the  paper,  which  contains 
a  series  of  articles  on  the  Californian  Indians.  Mr. 
Rand,  one  of  the  editors,  cheerfully  complied  with  my 
request,  and  gave  me  the  papers  I  desired.  I  also  met 
Mr.  Hayes  here,  a  gentleman  connected  with  the  bar, 
who,  with  Mr.  Rand,  manifested  much  interest  in  the 
objects  of  my  inquiry;  and  Mr.  Hayes  kindly  offered 
to  accompany  me  to  the  mission  of  San  Gabriel,  twelve 
miles  distant,  where  resided  Mr.  Hugo  Reid,  the  author 
of  these  papers.  These  gentlemen  informed  me  that 
Mr.  Reid  was  better  acquainted  with  the  Indians  of  that 
portion  of  the  State  than  any  other  person.  With  the 
hope  therefore  of  obtaining  more  information  on  this 
subject,  I  gladly  accepted  the  proposal  of  Mr.  Hayes ; 
and  we  agreed  to  set  off  for  the  Mission  as  soon  as 
horses  could  be  procured. 

After  waiting  two  hours,  the  horses  promised  Mr. 
Rand  were  still  not  forthcoming ;  we  were  therefore 
compelled  to  give  up  our  ride  this  afternoon,  and  post- 
pone it  until  morning.  I  regretted  this,  as  I  had  in- 
tended to  pass  the  evening  at  the  Mission,  and  return 
in  the  morning  in  time  to  take  the  stage  back  to  San 
Pedro.  The  horses  were  promised  to  be  saddled  and 
at  the  door  by  5  o'clock  in  the  morning. 

VOL.  II. — 6 


82  RETURN    FROM    SAN    FRANCISCO 

Spent  the  hour  that  remained  before  dark  in  walk- 
ing oyer  the  hills  with  Mr.  Hayes.  Los  Angeles  is  situ- 
ated in  one  of  the  finest  agricultural  districts  in  the 
State.  It  has  at  various  times  contained  from  fifteen 
hundred  to  two  thousand  inhabitants,  and  was  formerly 
a  place  of  much  wealth.  There  are  many  large  haci- 
endas and  ranchos  in  the  valley,  which  is  in  a  high  state 
of  cultivation,  abounding  in  orchards  and  vineyards. 
Judging  of  the  wine  I  saw,  and  the  imperfect  mode  fol- 
lowed in  producing  it,  there  is  no  doubt  that  an  article 
of  superior  quality  might  be  made  here  in  abundance. 

I  saw  more  Indians  about  this  place  than  in  any 

part  of  California  I  had  yet  visited.     They  were  chiefly 

"  Mission  Indians,"  i.  e.  those  who  had  been  connected 

with  the  missions,  and  derived  their  support  from  them 

until  the  suppression  of  those  establishments.     They 

are  a  miserable   squalid-looking  set,  squatting  or  lying 

about  the  corners  of  the  streets,  without  occupation. 

They  have  now  no  means  of  obtaining  a  living,  as  their 

lands  are  all  taken  from  them ;  and  the  missions  for 

which  they  labored,  and  which  provided  after  a  sort 

for  many  thousands  of  them,  are  abolished.     No  care 

:seems  to  be  taken  of  them  by  the  Americans;  on  the 

contrary,  the  effort  seems  to  be,  to  exterminate  them 

.as  soon  as  possible.     One  of  the  most  intelligent  of 

-them,  who  was  brought  to  me  by  the  kindness  of  my 

friends  here,  was  unacquainted  with  the  name  of  the 

tribe  to  which  he  belonged,  and  only  knew  that  it  had 

been  attached  to  certain   missions.     I  obtained  from 

him  a  vocabulary,  which  I  found  on  examination,  to  be 

the  Diegeno  language,  with  some  words  different  from 

that  obtained  at  San  Diego.    * 


TO    SAN    DIEGO.  83 

April  3d.  Up  at  daylight,  to  reach  the  Mission  of 
San  Gabriel  by  breakfast- time ;  but  the  horses  were 
not  ready,  as  promised.  After  waiting  three  hours, 
we  concluded  to  breakfast  here.  The  horses  at  last 
were  brought,  the  only  excuse  for  the  delay  being  that 
they  could  not  be  caught  before.  It  now  began  to  rain ; 
but  hoping  that  it  would  not  continue,  we  set  off, 
Mr.  Rand  accompanying  me.  But  after  we  had  got 
about  three  miles,  the  prospect  for  fair  weather  grew 
less  encouraging  ;  and  as  we  were  already  pretty  wet, 
we  thought  it  best  to  give  up  the  jaunt  and  return, 
much  to  my  regret.  Being  thus  disappointed  in  seeing 
the  Mission,  I  was  kindly  furnished  by  the  editors  of 
the  "Los  Angeles  Star"  with  the  following  brief 
account  of  it,  which  had  appeared  in  their  paper  a  few 
days  before : 

"Situated  in  the  midst  of  a  fertile  valley,  surround- 
ed with  abundant  timber,  and  supplied  by  a  thousand 
springs,  with  an  inexhaustible  flow  of  water,  the 
Mission  of  San  Gabriel  flourished  and  became  exceed- 
ingly rich.  Authentic  records  are  said  to  exist  which 
show  that  at  one  time  the  mission  branded  fifty  thousand 
calves,  manufactured  three  thousand  barrels  of  wine, 
and  harvested  one  hundred  thousand  fanegas  (two  hun- 
dred and  sixty-two  thousand  bushels)  of  grain  a  year. 
The  timber  for  a  brigantine  was  cut,  sawed,  and  fitted 
at  the  mission,  and  then  transported  to  and  launched  at 
San  Pedro.  Five  thousand  Indians  were  at  one  time  col- 
lected and  attached  to  the  mission.  They  are  repre- 
sented to  have  been  sober  and  industrious,  well  clothed 
and  fed ;  and  seem  to  have  experienced  as  high  a  state 
of  happiness  as  they  are  adapted  by  nature  to  receive. 


84  RETURN    FROM   SAN    FRANCISCO 

"  These  five  thousand  Indians  constituted  a  large 
family,  of  which  the  Padres  were  the  social,  religious, 
and  we  might  almost  say  political,  heads. 

"  Living  thus,  this  vile  and  degraded  race  began  to 
learn  some  of  the  fundamental  principles  of  civilized 
life.  The  institution  of  marriage  began  to  be  re- 
spected, and,  blessed  by  the  rites  of  religion,  grew  to 
be  so  much  considered  that  deviations  from  its  duties 
were  somewhat  unfrequent  occurrences.  The  girls,  on 
their  arrival  at  the  age  of  puberty,  were  separated 
from  the  rest  of  the  population,  and  taught  the  useful 
arts  of  sewing,  weaving,  carding,  etc.,  and  were  only 
permitted  to  mingle  with  the  population  when  they 
had  assumed  the  characters  of  wives. 

"  When  at  present  we  look  around  and  behold  the 
state  of  the  Indians  of  this  country — when  we  see 
their  women  degraded  into  a  scale  of  life  too  menial 
to  be  even  domestics — when  we  behold  their  men 
brutalized  by  drink,  incapable  of  work,  and  following 
a  system  of  petty  thievery  for  a  living,  humanity  can- 
not refrain  from  wishing  that  the  dilapidated  Mission 
of  San  Gabriel  should  be  renovated,  its  broken  walls 
be  rebuilt,  its  roofless  houses  be  covered,  and  its  desert- 
ed halls  be  again  filled  with  its  ancient  industrious, 
happy,  and  contented  original  population." 

I  noticed  here  quantities  of  craw-fish,  weighing 
from  two  to  ten  pounds,  which  are  taken  in  this  bay. 
We  ate  of  them,  and  bought  a  quantity  to  take  to 
our  friends  in  San  Diego.  Their  flavor  resembles  that 
of  the  lobster,  but  is  so  much  inferior  that  they  would 
hardly  be  tolerated  on  the  tables  of  the  Atlantic  coast. 

We  went  on  board  our  vessel  before  dark,  and  im- 


TO    SAN    DIEGO.  85 

mediately  got  under  way,  with  a  strong  wind  from 
the  north-west.  Our  little  craft  scudded  before  it  with 
great  speed,  the  log  showing  thirteen  and  a  half  miles 
an  hour.  This  continued  during  the  night,  carrying 
us  rapidly  towards  our  place  of  destination. 

April  24tth.  Passed  Point  Loma  at  eight  o'clock, 
and  before  nine  anchored  at  San  Diego.  The  first 
news  I  heard  was  the  removal  of  Mr.  Gray  as  survey- 
or, and  the  appointment  of  Major  Emory  in  his  place. 
This  compelled  me  to  discharge  all  Mr.  Gray's  party, 
and  commit  the  completion  of  the  survey  of  the  Gila 
to  Lieutenant  Whipple, — an  arrangement  which  re- 
duced the  party  about  to  retrace  its  steps  to  the  Rio 
Grande  about  two  fifths. 

We  now  set  vigorously  to  work  to  prepare  for  our 
return.  Our  animals,  which  were  so  completely  used  up 
in  the  journey  out,  had  now  recovered  their  strength, 
with  the  exception  of  five  or  six,  which  were  past 
recovery.  I  had  been  unable  to  purchase  any  mules 
at  Los  Angeles  or  elsewhere  to  the  north,  and  was 
compelled  to  depend  wholly  upon  San  Diego  and  its 
vicinity  to  make  up  our  deficiencies.  Our  camp 
equipage  had  been  procured  in  San  Francisco  ;  but  the 
harness  and  pack-saddles  needed  mending  and  putting 
in  order.  The  wagons  also  required  the  labor  of  the 
blacksmith  and  carpenter  on  them. 

A  few  days  after  my  return,  I  was  waited  upon  by 
Mr.  Antoine  Leroux,  of  New  Mexico,  the  celebrated 
guide  who  had  conducted  Colonel  Cooke  and  his 
brigade  to  California  in  1846,  '47,  and  who  had  a  short 
time  before  arrived  with  the  exploring  party  under 
Captain  Sitgreaves,  which  he  had  conducted  by  the 


86  RETURN    FROM    SAN    FRANCISCO 

Zuni  River  to  the  Colorado,  and  thence  by  Fort 
Yuma  to  California.  Mr.  Leroux  now  wished  to  re- 
turn to  New  Mexico,  and  offered  ine  the  services  of 
himself  and  two  men,  together  with  several  pack  and 
riding  mules,  for  a  moderate  compensation.  As  my 
party  was  now  quite  reduced,  and  as  it  was  necessary 
to  hire  more  men,  I  gladly  accepted  the  proposals  of 
Mr.  L.,  and  placed  the  animals  and  arrieros  directly 
under  his  charge,  with  orders  to  prepare  the  train  as 
soon  as  possible  for  the  march. 

While  these  preparations  were  being  made,  Lieute- 
nant Whipple  and  his  assistants  were  busily  occupied 
in  reducing  his  astronomical  observations,  and  in  plot- 
ting the  maps  of  the  survey  of  the  Gila  as  far  as  it  had 
been  carried.  Duplicates  were  also  made  of  all  the 
notes  connected  with  the  survey,  which  were  trans- 
mitted by  an  officer  to  Washington  for  safe  keeping. 
For  Lieutenant  Whipple's  E-eport  of  the  survey  of  the 
Gila,  see  Appendix  D. 

Before  Captain  Ottinger  left,  he  invited  me,  with 
others  of  the  Commission,  to  accompany  him  on  in 
excursion  to  the  Coronado  Islands,  a  small  group  lying 
twenty  miles  from  San  Diego.  Some  ten  or  twelve 
gentlemen  availed  themselves  of  the  Captain's  polite- 
ness ;  and,  on  the  morning  of  the  5th  of  May,  the 
"Frolic"  stood  out  to  sea  with  a  north-west  wind, 
which  brought  us  to  the  islands  in  three  hours.  We 
came  to  anchor  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  east  of  the 
larger  and  more  southerly  island  of  the  group. 

One  party  immediately  went  with  Captain  Ottin- 
ger to  examine  the  anchorage  about  the  islands,  while 
the  other  landed.     This  island  rises  so  abruptly  from 


TO    SAN    DIEGO.  87 

the  sea,  that  it  was  with  some  difficulty  that  we  could 
find  a  landing  place.  Seeing  a  little  nook,  which  the 
dashing  waters  had  worn  away  from  the  rocky  mass, 
we  made  for  this,  and  succeeded  in  getting  on  shore. 
From  this  place  it  required  much  labor  to  clamber 
up  the  rocks  for  some  fifty  feet ;  after  which  the 
ascent  became  easy,  and  we  met  with  no  difficulty 
in  reaching  the  crest  of  the  island,  half  a  mile  distant. 
The  island  is  a  solid  wedge-shaped  rock,  about  five 
hundred  feet  high,  save  at  the  point  where  we  landed, 
where  it  is  slightly  shelving.  It  runs  north-east  and 
south-west,  and  is  about  a  mile  in  length,  by  half  that 
in  breadth  at  its  widest  part.  Towards  the  northern 
end  its  breadth  is  less  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile.  There 
is  some  soil  on  its  surface ;  yet  it  is  entirely  destitute 
of  trees.  A  few  small  shrubs  are  seen  ;  and  wherever 
there  is  soil,  it  is  covered  with  grass  and  a  great  abun- 
dance of  wild  flowers,  which  in  certain  spots  are  so 
numerous,  that  they  appear  like  patches  of  orange, 
purple,  and  yellow,  when  seen  from  the  water.  I 
walked  across  and  along  the  whole  length  of  the 
island,  but  could  descend  in  no  place  except  where 
we  landed.  Cacti  and  other  plants  grew  among  the 
rocks,  of  which  Mr.  Thurber  obtained  specimens. 

About  a  mile  to  the  north-west  is  another  island  of 
nearly  the  same  dimensions  as  that  we  were  upon,  and 
between  them  two  smaller  ones,  or  rather  .two  masses 
of  rocks,  some  fifty  feet  high,  without  any  vegetation. 
It  was  among  these  that  Captain  Ottinger  wished  to 
examine  the  depth  of  water ;  and  he  was  gratified  to 
find  excellent  anchorage  there.  Vessels  may,  therefore, 
anchor  on  both  sides  of  these  islands,  and  be  well  pro- 


00  RETURN    FROM    SAN    FRANCISCO 

tected  against  south-east  and  south-west  gales.  The 
protection  from  the  north-west  winds  would  not  be  so 
good.  One  of  these  small  islands  was  found  to  be 
covered  with  sea-lions,  huge  animals  as  large  as  an  ox. 
The  creatures  were  asleep  when  the  party  landed,  and 
suffered  themselves  to  be  approached  by  the  seamen, 
who  for  mere  sport  killed  several,  by  knocking  them 
on  the  head  with  stones.  Some  were  believed  to 
weigh  as  much  as  one  thousand  two  hundred  pounds. 
Some  fine  fish  were  taken  by  the  boats ;  and  all  were 
again  on  board  before  dark.  After  starting  on  our 
return,  the  wind  died  away  and  left  us  becalmed, 
so  that  we  did  not  reach  San  Diego  until  the  follow- 
ing morning.  The  Coronados  were  discovered  and 
named  by  Sebastian  Viscaino,  in  the  year  1602, 
when  he  entered  the  port  of  San  Diego.  * 

The  harbor  of  San  Diego  abounds  in  excellent  fish ; 
but,  owing  to  the  deficiency  of  timber,  there  is  but 
little  game.  Rabbits  are  plentiful,  and  occasionally  a 
deer  is  brought  in.  On  the  hills  near,  and  for  many 
miles  around,  grow  wild  oats  in  great  profusion,  fur- 
nishing an  excellent  fodder  for  horses  and  cattle.  The 
other  productions  are  wheat,  barley,  maize,  beans,  and 
vegetables  of  various  kinds.  The  climate  is  mild  and 
healthy.  During  the  months  of  March,  April,  and  May, 
fogs  are  frequent  in  the  morning ;  and  up  to  the 
time  when  we  left,  there  was  scarcely  a  morning  or 
evening  when  a  little  fire  was  not  necessary.  The 
atmosphere  is  at  all  times  more  moist,  with  much  less 
heat,  than  at  San  Francisco  and  the  adjacent  country. 

*  Torquemada,  Monarquia  Indiana,  lib.  v.     Voyage  of  Viscaino. 


TO    SAN   DIEGO.  89 

While  the  preparations  were  being  made  for  our 
journey,  I  made  a  brief  visit  to  the  Mission  of  San 
Luis  Rey,  forty  miles  north  of  San  Diego.  This  is  the 
latest  of  all  the  California  missions,  and  was  founded  in 
1798.  It  stands  in  a  rich  valley,  from  one  to  two  miles 
wide,  and  is  about  three  miles  from  the  ocean,  being 
separated  therefrom  by  a  range  of  hills.  Of  all  the 
missionary  establishments  in  the  State,  this  possesses 
the  most  extensive  as  well  as  the  most  imposing  struc- 
ture. It  is  built  of  adobe,  although  stone  and  brick  are 
used  in  some  portions  of  it.  It  faces  the  south,  and  has 
a  front  of  five  hundred  and  thirty  feet,  the  greater  por- 
tion of  which  exhibits  a  colonnade  of  some  architectural 
beauty,  although  but  sixteen  or  eighteen  feet  high.*  On 
the  front  is  also  a  church  ninety  feet  in  depth,  with  a 
tower  and  dome.  North  and  south,  the  dimensions  are 
upwards  of  six  hundred  feet.  This  vast  space  included 
every  thing  that  appertained  to  the  mission.  On  the 
south-eastern  corner  is  a  small  Campo  Santo.  Next 
comes  the  church  with  the  priests'  apartments  immedi- 
ately adjoining,  and  a  small  inclosure,  or  garden,  shut 
in  by  the  church  walls  on  one  side  and  by  the  main  build- 
ing on  the  other.  This  garden  was  handsomely  laid  out, 
and  still  contains  a  variety  of  fruit  and  ornamental 
trees.  The  main  building  is  about  three  hundred  feet 
square,  with  a  colonnade  in  front.  In  the  interior,  is 
an  open  area  of  the  same  dimensions,  with  a  beautiful 
colonnade  all  around.  In  the  centre  of  this  was  a  gar- 
den ;  but  the  only  plant  of  interest  that  remains,  is  a 

*  The  general  plan  of  this  building  and  its  admeasurements  have 
been  mislaid,  so  that  I  am  unable  to  give  the  exact  dimensions. 


90 


RETURN    FROM    SAN    FRANCISCO 


pepper  tree.  This  stands  in  a  circular  bed  elevated 
four  or  five  feet  above  the  area,  and  is  protected  by  a 
wall. 


Mission  of  San  Luis  Key,  California. 


On  the  four  sides  of  this  extensive  area  are  double 
rows  of  apartments,  some  of  which  are  very  large,  in- 
cluding reception  rooms,  dining  halls,  sleeping  apart- 
ments, kitchen,  &c.  In  the  rear  were  corrals  or  inclo- 
sures  for  cattle  ;  so  that  every  thing  appertaining  to 
this  vast  establishment  might  be  brought  within  its 
walls.  It  is  all  in  a  good  state  of  preservation  except 
the  north-west  corner  of  the  area,  where  the  roof  has 
fallen  in.  Some  of  the  cattle  yards  and  stables  are  also 
out  of  repair.  But  the  church,  and  nearly  all  the  apart- 
ments occupied  for  dwellings,  are  still  habitable. 


TO    SAN    DIEGO.  91 

This  establishment  had  been  abandoned  with  most 
of  the  other  Californian  missions  ;  but  when  the  United 
States  became  the  possessors  of  the  country,  several 
claimants  sprang  up  for  it,  and  its  valuable  lands  adja- 
cent, some  resting  on  purchase,  pretended  or  real,  and 
some  on  other  grounds.  It  is  said  to  have  been  pur- 
chased by  some  native  Californians  from  the  govern- 
ment about  the  time  the  country  was  changing  owners, 
who  sold  it  to  the  Americans.  Its  ownership  will  be 
settled  by  the  Board  of  Land  Commissioners  appointed 
by  the  United  States  government  for  the  purpose.  In 
the  mean  time  General  Hitchcock,  commanding  the 
Pacific  Division  of  the  U.  S.  Army,  has  placed  a  file  of 
soldiers  here,  to  protect  the  property  and  keep  off  plun- 
derers and  squatters. 

I  remained  here  two  nights,  accompanied  by  Dr. 
Webb  and  Mr.  Pratt,  artist  of  the  Commission,  and  was 
hospitably  entertained  by  the  Sergeant  in  charge ;  the 
officer  in  command  being  absent  in  San  Diego.  In 
such  a  place  as  this,  with  such  a  range  of  buildings  and 
cultivated  grounds,  a  prince  or  a  nabob  might  luxuriate 
to  his  heart's  content.  Near  by  is  an  extensive  orchard 
and  garden,  inclosed  with  high  walls,  and  filled  with 
every  variety  of  fruit-tree,s ;  but  the  acequias,  or  irrigat- 
ing canals,  had  been  neglected,  the  dams  and  embank- 
ments washed  away,  and  the  beautiful  gardens  and 
shady  walks,  where  the  devotees  passed  the  long 
hours  when  not  attending  to  their  religious  duties, 
were  all  overflowed.  A  swamp  filled  with  rushes  and 
rank  weeds  had  taken  possession  of  these  walks  and 
groves  ;  and  here  the  screaming  heron  and  other  water 
fowl  had  their  hiding-places. 


92  RETURN    FROM    SAN    FRANCISCO 

The  Sergeant,  at  my  request,  sent  for  an  old  Indian 
of  the  neighborhood,  who  called  himself  a  chief.  On 
learning  that  an  officer  of  the  U.  S.  government  wished 
to  see  him,  he  made  his  appearance  with  three  others 
of  his  tribe.  The  old  man  presented  himself  in  the 
dress  of  a  Mexican  officer — a  blue  coat  with  red  facings 
trimmed  with  gold  lace,  and  a  high  military  cap  and 
feather.  He  was  quite  communicative,  and  answered 
my  questions  readily.  In  giving  me  the  words  of  his 
language,  he  enunciated  them  with  great  distinctness, 
and  would  not  be  satisfied  with  my  pronunciation  until 
all  could  at  once  recognise  the  word.  When  I  had 
completed  my  vocabulary,  and  read  off  the  native 
words,  he  evinced  great  pleasure  as  he  repeated  the 
corresponding  word  in  Spanish,  occasionally  exclaim- 
ing Bueno,  or  Muy  Bueno !  He  called  his  tribe  the 
Kechi. 

On  inquiring  as  to  the  state  of  things  when  the 
padres  were  here,  the  old  man  heaved  a  deep  sigh. 
He  said  his  tribe  was  large,  and  his  people  all  happy, 
when  the  good  fathers  were  here  to  protect  them.  That 
they  cultivated  the  soil ;  assisted  in  rearing  large  herds 
of  cattle  ;  were  taught  to  be  blacksmiths  and  carpen- 
ters, as  well  as  other  trades ;  that  they  had  plenty  to 
eat,  and  were  happy.  He  remembered  when  three 
thousand  of  his  tribe  were  settled  in  the  valley,  depend- 
ent upon  or  connected  with  this  mission.  Now  he  said 
they  were  scattered  about,  he  knew  not  where,  with- 
out a  home  or  protectors,  and  were  in  a  miserable  starv- 
ing condition.  A  few  hundred  alone  remained  in  some 
villages  up  the  valley,  a  few  miles  from  the  mission. 
He  spoke  with   much  affection  of  Father  Peyri,  its 


TO    SAN   DIEGO.  93 

original  founder,  who  had  resided  here  for  thirty-four 
years.  At  no  time,  he  said,  were  there  more  than  six- 
teen Spanish  soldiers  here,  who  occupied  a  building 
facing  the  mission,  which  is  still  standing. 

Father  Antonio  Peyri  took  possession  of  this  Mis- 
sion of  San  Luis  Rey  (i.  e.  St.  Louis  the  king)  in  the 
year  1798.  He  first  built  a  small  thatched  cottage,  and 
asked  for  a  few  cattle  and  Indians  from  the  mission. 
At  the  end  of  his  thirty-four  years  residence,  he  left  it 
stocked  with  nearly  sixty  thousand  head  of  domesti- 
cated animals  of  all  sorts,  and  yielding  an  annual  pro- 
duce of  about  thirteen  thousand  bushels  of  grain.  Af- 
ter so  many  years  of  successful  labor,  in  which  he  ex- 
pended the  most  valuable  part  of  his  life,  the  worthy 
Father  left  his  mission  with  only  what  he  judged  suffi- 
cient means  to  enable  him  to  join  his  convent  in  the 
city  of  Mexico,  where  he  threw  himself  upon  the  charity 
of  his  order.  The  toil  of  managing  such  an  establish- 
ment, would  be  sufficient  motive  for  a  man  of  Father 
Peyri's  age  to  retire  ;  but  the  new  order  of  things,  which 
had  introduced  new  men  and  new  measures,  accele- 
rated his  resignation.  Whatever  his  motives  may  have 
been,  his  voluntary  retirement  in  poverty,  to  spend  the 
remainder  of  his  days  in  pious  exercises,  must  be 
applauded  by  the  religious  ;  and  his  noble  disinterest- 
edness by  all. 

Mr.  Alexander  Forbes,  who  met  the  venerable  Peyri, 
and  who  has  given  us  this  account  of  his  history,  thus 
closes  his  remarks  on  this  mission,  and  the  affection 
entertained  by  the  Indians  for  their  pastor :  "  The  best 
and  most  unequivocal  proof  of  the  good  conduct  of 
these  Fathers,  is  to  be  found  in  the   unbounded  affec- 


94  RETURN    FROM    SAN    FRANCISCO 

tion  and  devotion  invariably  shown  towards  them  by 
their  Indian  subjects.  They  venerate  them  not  merely 
as  friends  and  fathers,  but  with  a  degree  of  devotedness 
approaching  to  adoration.  On  the  occasion  of  the 
removals  that  have  taken  place  of  late  years,  from  po- 
litical causes,  the  distress  of  the  Indians  in  parting 
with  their  pastors  has  been  extreme.  They  have 
entreated  to  be  allowed  to  follow  them  in  their  exile, 
with  tears  and  lamentations,  and  with  all  the  demon- 
strations of  true  sorrow  and  unbounded  affection.  In- 
deed, if  there  ever  existed  an  instance  of  the  perfect 
justice  and  propriety  of  the  comparison  of  the  priest 
and  his  disciples  to  a  shepherd  and  his  flock,  it  is  in 
the  case  of  which  we  are  treating.  These  poor  people 
may  indeed  be  classed  with  the  '  silly  sheep'  rather 
than  with  any  other  animal ;  and  I  believe  they  would, 
in  the  words  of  the  poet,  even  '  lick  the  hand  though 
it  was  raised  to  shed  their  blood ' — if  this  were  the  hand 
of  the  friar."* 

The  harbor  of  San  Diego  is  second  only  to  that  of 
San  Francisco  on  the  Californian  coast.  On  the  north 
and  north-west,  it  is  formed  by  Point  Loma,  a  neck  of 
land  which  stretches  far  into  the  ocean  terminated  by 
a  bold  bluff,  one  of  the  most  prominent  and  well-mark- 
ed headlands  on  the  coast.  From  this  the  shore  takes 
an  easterly  direction  for  about  four  miles,  when  it  turns 
and  runs  from  twelve  to  fifteen  miles  towards  the  south. 
The  southern  and  western  shores  of  the  bay,  are  low 
and  sandy.  The  south-western  shore  is  no  more  than 
a  sand  beach,  connected  by  a  narrow  neck  with  the 

*  Forbes's  California. — London,  1836,  p.  230. 


TO    SAN   DIEGO. 


95 


main  land,  and  for  the  greater  portion  of  its  length  is 
little  more  than  a  natural  breakwater.  The  northern 
part  of  this  neck  is  more  elevated  and  about  a  mile 


S"^        .■:;._ 


'■^K.?\WHtTNEY-0O"'-^N' 


San  Diego,  California. 


across.  Point  Loma  and  the  northern  shore  of  the 
bay,  is  a  promontory  about  two  hundred  feet  high, 
and  nearly  two  miles  wide,  tapering  off  gradually  with 
a  succession  of  hills  as  it  approaches  the  town.  These 
hills  were  covered  with  chapporal ;  their  declivities, 
both  on  the  side  of  the  ocean  and  of  the  harbor,  being 
cut  into  deep  ravines.  At  the  base  on  the  inner  side, 
is  good  grazing. 

The  entrance  to  this  harbor  is  not  more  than  three  or 
four  hundred  yards  wide.  There  is  a  deep  channel  lead- 
ing into  the  inner  harbor,  which  requires  some  skill  in 


96  RETURN    FROM    SAN    FRANCISCO 

navigating ;  but .  when  once  the  entrance  is  passed, 
there  is  an  abundance  of  water.  I  saw  large  ships 
some  six  miles  within  this  harbor,  and  was  informed 
that  the  Pacific  mail  steamers,  and  one  of  our  frigates, 
had  also  been  there.  An  accurate  survey  has  lately 
been  made  by  the  United  States  "  Coast  Survey"  and 
elaborate  maps  published  with  the  soundings  and  all 
the  bearings  laid  down,  to  enable  navigators  to  enter  it. 

About  half  a  mile  from  Point  Loma,  is  the  Playa, 
or  beach,  where  the  mail  steamers,  and  other  vessels, 
stop  for  coal  and  supplies.  It  is  convenient  of  access 
with  any  wind,  and  affords  a  safe  anchorage.  Here  is 
a  small  village,  and  the  "hide  houses  "  which  have  be- 
come somewhat  celebrated  from  the  graphic  account 
of  life  in  California,  and  the  process  of  curing  hides, 
given  by  Mr.  Dana,  in  his  "  Two  Years  before  the 
Mast."  They  still  stand  precisely  as  he  describes  them, 
and  are  now  only  used  as  barns  or  store-houses.  A 
fine  road  along  the  beach  leads  to  the  old  town  of  San 
Diego,  standing  on  a  flat  at  the  base  of  a  high  hill 
which  extends  about  two  miles  to  the  south  :  this  flat 
reaches  more  than  a  mile  into  the  bay,  preventing  the 
nearer  approach  of  vessels  or  boats.  It  also  extends 
northwardly  to  a  shallow  opening  on  the  north  side  of 
the  promontory  before  described,  called  "  False  Bay." 

At  San  Diego,  a  small  stream  runs  into  the  bay ; 
but  during  the  summer,  it  becomes  dry.  At  its  floods, 
it  brings  down  great  quantities  of  sand,  which  are  de- 
posited in  the  channel ;  whence  fears  of  serious  injury 
to  the  harbor  have  been  entertained.  To  obviate  this, 
it  has  been  proposed  to  change  the  course  of  the  river 
to  False  Bay,  into  which  it  formerly  run.     It  would  no 


TO    SAN   DIEGO.  97 

doubt  be  beneficial,  and  the  plan  is  worthy  the  atten- 
tion of  the  government. 

Three  miles  south  of  San  Diego  is  another  town 
near  the  shore  of  the  bay,  which  was  surveyed  and 
plotted  by  Mr.  Gray,  U.  S.  Surveyor  to  the  Boundary 
Commission,  while  on  duty  here.  This  is  called  ''  New 
San  Diego."  It  consists  of  a  few  substantial  frame 
houses,  and  is  the  depot  for  the  United  States  Subsist- 
ence and  the  Quarter-master's  Departments.  A  large 
and  fine  wharf  was  built  here  at  a  great  expense  ;  but 
there  is  no  business  to  bring  vessels  here,  except  an 
occasional  one  with  government  stores.  There  is  no 
water  nearer  than  the  San  Diego  river,  three  miles  dis- 
tant. Efforts  indeed  are  making  to  find  it  with  an  Ai*- 
tesian  well ;  but  with  what  success,  remains  to  be  seen. 
There  is  no  timber  near,  and  wood  has  to  be  brought 
some  eight  or  ten  miles :  nor  is  there  any  arable  land 
within  four  miles.  Without  wood,  water,  or  arable 
land,  this  place  can  never  rise  to  importance.  At  the 
head  of  the  bay  are  some  good  lands  with  pastures  for 
grazing.  The  bottom  lands  along  the  stream  back  of 
the  old  town  of  San  Diego,  possess  great  fertility,  and 
with  proper  attention  might  be  made  very  productive. 

The  admirable  harbor  of  San  Diego  and  its  position 
on  the  coast,  will  always  make  it  an  important  stopping 
place  for  shipping ;  but  whether  the  Playa  or  beach  near 
the  entrance,  the  old  town  of  San  Diego,  or  "  Gray 
Town"  as  New  San  Diego  is  called  by  the  people  of  the 
old  town,  will  have  the  ascendancy,  remains  to  be  seen : 
— each  has  its  advantages  and  disadvantages. 

It  appears  from  the  early  Spanish  writers,  that  the 
promontory  north-west  of  the  harbor  was  once  well 


98  RETURN    FROM    SAN    FRANCISCO 

wooded ;  a  fact  not  generally  known.  The  earliest 
published  account  of  this  harbor,  must  possess  an  inter- 
est for  all  who  watch  the  progress  of  California.  The 
reader,  too,  will  perceive,  as  in  the  case  of  San  Fran- 
cisco and  Monterey,  that  the  early  discoverers  saw  the 
great  advantages  of  the  places  ;  although  it  was  left  for 
the  Americans  one  hundred  and  fifty  years  later  to  avail 
themselves  of  them.  The  United  States  were  in  pos- 
session of  California  before  the  discovery  of  its  gold 
placers  ;  and  although  they  have  been  the  means  of  its 
rapid  advancement  to  the  extraordinary  rank  it  has 
now  attained,  yet  it  is  certain  that,  even  without  the 
gold,  it  would  sooner  or  later  have  become  what  it  now 
is,  from  its  agricultural  resources  and  great  commercial 
advantages. 

Sebastian  Viscaino  having  been  employed  as  early 
as  the  year  1594  in  the  "  pacification  and  conquest  of 
California,"  was  selected  as  the  head  of  an  expedition 
fitted  out  for  further  explorations  and  colonization  in 
1602.  After  touching  at  various  places  in  Lower  Cali- 
fornia, it  reached  the  Coronados  Islands.  "  To  the 
north  of  these  islands,"  says  the  narrative,  "  on  the 
main  land,  is  the  famous  harbor  called  San  Diego, 
which  the  squadron  entered  at  seven  in  the  evening, 
on  the  10th  of  December;  and  the  day  following, 
the  general  ordered  several  persons  to  survey  a  forest 
lying  on  the  north-west  side  of  the  bay.  This  expedi- 
tion was  undertaken  by  Ensign  Alarcon,  Captain  Pe- 
guero,  Father  Antonio  de  la  Ascension,  and  eight 
soldiers.  In  this  forest  they  found  tall  and  straight 
oaks  and  other  trees,  some  shrubs  resembling  rosemary, 
and  a  great  variety  of  fragrant  and  wholesome  plants. 


TO    SAN    DIEGO.  99 

The  high  grounds  commanded  a  view  of  the  whole 
harbor,  which  appeared  spacious,  convenient,  and  well 
sheltered.  The  forest  borders  on  the  harbor,  towards 
the  north-west,  and  is  about  three  leagues  in  length,  and 
half  a  league  in  breadth.  And  to  the  north-west  of  the 
wood  is  another  harbor.  On  their  return  with  their 
report  to  the  general,  he  ordered  a  tent  to  be  pitched 
for  religious  worship,  and  that  the  ships  should  be 
cleaned  and  tallowed,  the  people  in  the  mean  time 
being  employed  in  wooding  and  keeping  guard.  They 
had  their  water  from  a  little  island  of  sand,  where  they 
dug  deep  trenches,  in  which,  during  the  flood,  the 
water  was  fresh  and  good,  but  on  the  ebb  salt.  One 
day  a  sentinel  placed  in  the  wood  gave  notice  that  he 
saw  a  great  number  of  Indians  coming  along  the  shore, 
naked,  and  their  skins  daubed  with  black  and  white 
colors,  and  armed  with  bows  and  arrows.  On  this  the 
general  desired  Father  Antonio  to  go  and  offer  them 
peace.  He  was  attended  by  Ensign  Juan  Francisco 
and  six  soldiers.  On  coming  up  to  the  Indians,  hav- 
ing made  signs  of  peace  with  a  bit  of  white  linen,  and 
throwing  the  earth  up  with  their  hands,  the  savages 
immediately  delivered  their  bows  and  arrows  to  the 
soldiers.  Father  Antonio  embraced  them  ;  gave  them 
bread  and  necklaces,  with  which  they  were  greatly 
pleased.  But  on  coming  to  the  general's  quarters,  the 
Indians,  at  the  sight  of  such  a  number  of  men,  drew 
back  to  a  little  eminence,  from  whence  they  sent  two 
women.  These  approaching  the  general's  tent  with  a 
timid  air,  the  religious  and  others  made  them  presents 
of  beads,  biscuits,  and  strings  of  bugles ;  and  then 
dismissed  them,  to  give  their  countrymen  an  account 


100  RETURN  FROM  SAN  FRANCISCO 

of  the  usage  they  had  met  with  from  the  strangers. 
Their  report  was  doubtless  very  favorable  ;  for  soon 
after  they  all  came  with  them  to  see  the  Spaniards. 
Most  of  them  were  painted  or  besmeared  with  black 
and  white,  and  their  heads  loaded  with  feathers.  The 
general  and  others  received  them  with  great  courtesy, 
distributing  among  them  several  things,  and  a  great 
many  fish  which  had  been  caught  with  the  net  in  their 
presence.  The  kind  of  paint  they  used  looked  like  a 
mixture  of  silver  and  blue  color ;  and  on  asking  them 
by  signs  what  it  was,  they  gave  them  a  piece  of  metal- 
lic ore,  from  whence  they  made  it;  and  signified  by 
signs  that  a  certain  people  up  the  country,  who  had 
beards  and  were  clothed  like  the  Spaniards,  made  from 
this  material  very  fine  ribbons,  resembling  the  laces  on 
the  soldiers'  buff  coats  ;  and  some  like  that  on  a  pur- 
ple velvet  doublet,  in  which  the  general  was  then 
dressed ;  adding,  that  these  men,  by  their  dress,  com- 
plexion, and  customs,  seemed  to  be  of  the  same  coun- 
try with  themselves.  The  Indians  were  quite  trans- 
ported with  the  good  treatment  shown  them,  and 
«every  third  day  came  for  biscuit  and  fish,  bringing 
with  them  skins  of  several  kinds  of  beasts,  as  sables, 
wild  cats,  and  the  nets  with  which  they  catch  them."* 

Another  interesting  account  of  San  Diego  is  con- 
tained in  a  letter  written  by  Father  Junipero  Serra  to 
Father  Palou,  in  the  year  1769,  when  the  former 
landed  here  for  the  purpose  of  establishing  the  mis- 
sion :f 

"  My  dear  Friend  and  Sir : — Thank  God,  I  arrived 

*  Torquemada  Monarcbia  Indiana,  lib.  v. 

f  Palou.     Vida  de  Fray  Junipero  Serra,  p.  76. 


TO    SAN    DIEGO.  101 

the  day  before  yesterday,  the  first  of  the  month,  at 
this  port  of  San  Diego,  truly  a  fine  one,  and  with  rea- 
son famous.  Here  I  found  those  who  had  set  out 
before  me,  by  sea  as  well  as  by  land,  excepting  such 
as  died  on  the  way.  The  brethren,  Fathers  Crespi, 
Biscay  no,  Parron,  and  Gomez  are  here,  and,  with  my- 
self, all  well,  thanks  be  to  God.  Here  are  also  two 
vessels ;  but  the  San  Carlos  is  without  seamen,  all 
having  died  except  one  and  the  cook.  The  San  An- 
tonio, although  she  sailed  a  month  and  a  half  later, 
arrived  twenty  days  before  the  San  Carlos,  losing  on 
the  voyage  eight  seamen.  In  consequence  of  this  loss, 
the  San  Antonio  will  return  to  San  Bias,  to  procure 
seamen  for  herself  and  the  San  Carlos.  The  causes  of 
the  delay  of  the  San  Carlos  were,  first,  the  want  of 
water,  and,  second,  the  error  which  all  were  in  respect- 
ing the  situation  of  this  port.  They  supposed  it  to  be 
in  thirty-three  or  thirty-four  degrees  north  latitude ; 
and  strict  orders  were  given  to  Captain  Vila  and  the 
rest  to  keep  out  in  the  open  sea  till  they  should  arrive 
in  thirty-four  degrees,  and  then  make  the  shore  in 
search  of  the  port.  As,  however,  the  port  in  reality 
lies  in  32°  34',  according  to  the  observations  which 
have  now  been  made,  they  went  far  beyond  the  port, 
thus  making  the  voyage  much  longer  than  was  neces- 
sary. The  people  got  daily  worse  from  the  cold  and 
the  bad  water ;  and  they  must  all  have  perished,  if  they 
had  not  discovered  the  port  about  the  time  they  did; 
for  they  were  quite  unable  to  launch  the  boat  to  pro- 
cure more  water,  or  to  do  any  thing  whatever  for  their 
preservation.  The  Father  Fernando  did  every  thing 
in  his  power  to  relieve  the   sick;  and   although   he 


102  RETURN    FROM    SAN    FRANCISCO 

arrived  much  reduced  in  flesh,  he  had  not  the  disorder, 
and  is  now  well.  We  have  not  suffered  hunger  or 
privations,  neither  have  the  Indians  who  came  with 
us ;  all  have  arrived  fat  and  healthy.  The  track 
through  which  we  have  passed  is  generally  very  good 
land,  with  plenty  of  water  ;  and  there,  as  well  as  here, 
the  country  is  neither  rocky  nor  overcome  with  brush- 
wood. There  are,  however,  many  hills,  but  they  are 
composed  of  earth.  The  road  has  been  in  many  places 
good,  but  the  greater  part  bad.  About  half  way,  the 
valleys  and  banks  of  rivulets  began  to  be  delightful. 
We  found  vines  of  a  large  size,  and  in  some  cases  quite 
loaded  with  grapes ;  we  also  found  abundance  of  roses, 
which  appeared  to  be  the  same  as  those  of  Castile.  In 
fine,  it  is  a  good  country,  and  very  different  from  that 
of  Old  California.  We  have  seen  Indians  in  immense 
numbers ;  and  all  those  on  this  coast  of  the  Pacific  con- 
trive to  make  a  good  subsistence  on  various  seeds,  and 
by  fishing;  this  they  carry  on  by  means  of  rafts,  or 
canoes  made  of  tule  (bulrush),  with  which  they  go  a 
great  way  to  sea.  They  are  very  civil.  All  the  males, 
old  and  young,  go  naked  ;  the  women,  however,  and 
even  the  female  children,  were  decently  covered  from 
their  breasts  downwards.  We  found  in  our  journey, 
as  well  as  in  the  places  where  we  stopped,  that  they 
treated  us  with  as  much  confidence  and  good  will  as 
if  they  had  known  us  all  their  lives;  but  when  we 
offered  them  any  of  our  victuals,  they  always  refused 
them.  All  they  cared  for  was  cloth ;  and  only  for 
something  of  this  sort  would  they  exchange  their  fish 
or  whatever  else  they  had. 

"  From   this   port   and   intended   mission   of  San 


TO    SAN    DIEGO. 


103 


Diego,  in  Northern  California,  3d  July,  1769.  I  kiss 
the  hands  of  your  Reverence,  and  am  your  affectionate 
brother  and  servant, 

aFR.  JUNIPERO  SERRA." 

Six  miles  from  the  town  of  San  Diego,  following 
up  the  valley,  is  the  venerable  Mission  of  the  same 
name,  a  spot  possessing  great  picturesque  beauty,  and 


*>£«        '      I'M      \, 


Mission  of  San  Diego. 


surrounded  by  fertile  and  well  watered  lands.  It  was 
the  last  of  the  California  missions  that  was  abandoned  ; 
and   but   five  years   ago    its  ancient   library  and  its 


104  RETURN    FROM    SAN    FRANCISCO 

priest  still  remained.  The  buildings,  which  are  of 
adobe,  are  not  extensive,  but  are  in  good  preservation. 
They  possess  more  of  an  Oriental  appearance  than 
any  similar  establishments.  There  was  formerly  a 
large  vineyard  and  orchard,  containing  figs,  peaches, 
etc.,  a  portion  of  which  is  still  in  existence.  The 
place  is  celebrated  also  for  a  flourishing  orchard  of 
olive  trees,  which  still  remains,  yielding  a  great  abun- 
dance of  olives,  the  excellence  of  which  we  had  an 
opportunity  of  testing  on  our  homeward  journey. 
The  mission  is  at  present  occupied  by  United  States 
troops,  under  the  command  of  Colonel  J.  B.  Magruder, 
and  in  consequence  is  kept  in  good  repair. 

San  Diego,  like  Monterey,  is  noted  for  its  excellent 
society.  There  remain  many  of  the  old  Castilian 
families  here,  who  have  preserved  their  blood  from  all 
admixture  with  the  Indians.  In  this  circle,  all  Ame- 
ricans and  foreigners  visiting  the  place  have  expe- 
rienced much  pleasure ;  for  such  is  its  refined  and 
social  character,  that  one  almost  imagines  himself 
again  enjoying  the  delights  of  home.  The  Californian 
ladies  are  said  to  possess  all  the  finer  qualities  of  the 
sex,  whether  of  the  head  or  the  heart,  and  to  make 
most  excellent  wives.  Such  have  been  the  attractions 
of  these  fair  senoritas  for  the  young  American  officers, 
that  many  have  been  induced  to  relinquish  their  com- 
missions in  the  United  States  army,  and  become 
planters  or  stock  raisers  in  California. 

While  detained  here,  I  took  occasion  to  visit  the 
monument  erected  at  the  Initial  Point,  on  the  Pacific, 
of  the  boundary  between  the  United  States  and  Mexi- 
co, one  marine  league  south  of  the  southernmost  point 


TO    SAN    DIEGO. 


105 


of  the  Bay  of  San  Diego."  It  is  an  obelisk  of  white 
marble,  resting  on  a  pedestal,  and  is  about  twenty  feet 
in  height.  It  stands  near  the  margin  of  the  table- 
land, about  two  hundred  yards  from  the  sea  shore,  and 
bears  the  name  of  the  Commissioner,  Surveyor,  and 
Astronomer  of  the  two  governments,  together  with 
the  latitude  and  longitude,  viz. : 

Latitude  north,  32°  31'  59"  58'; 

Longitude,  7h  48'  21"  01  west  from  Greenwich. 


Monument  at  Initial  Point,  Pacific. 


This  monument  stands  directly  opposite  the  Coro- 
nado  Islands,  and  is  seen  from  a  great  distance  on  land 
as  well  as  by  vessels  at  sea.  On  the  table-land  around 
and  south  of  it,  grow  large  numbers  of  the  beautiful 
agave. 


106  RETURN    FROM    SAN    FRANCISCO 

My  journey s  through  California  were  not  sufficiently 
extensive  to  enable  me  to  discuss  at  length  its  agricul- 
tural resources,  nor  would  an  essay  of  such  a  character 
properly  belong  to  a  "  personal  narrative."  But  I  saw 
sufficient  in  the  valleys  of  San  Jose,  Napa,  Carmel, 
near  Monterey,  Los  Angeles,  San  Luis  Rey,  and  San 
Diego,  to  enable  me  most  confidently  to  assert  that  a 
finer  agricultural  country  does  not  exist  on  the  face  of 
the  globe.  Cereals  of  every  description,  wheat,  maize, 
barley,  peas,  rye,  and  oats  grow  to  perfection,  some 
in  one  portion,  others  in  other  portions  of  the  State, 
every  where  yielding  more  than  in  any  part  of  the 
Atlantic  States  or  the  Mississippi  Valley.  Fruits  of 
every  kind,  including  the  grape,  apples,  pears,  peaches, 
plums,  cherries,  etc.,  arrive  at  perfection.  But  in 
vegetables  especially,  whether  we  regard  their  variety, 
their  enormous  yield,  or  their  excellent  flavor,  Califor- 
nia certainly  surpasses  any  thing  I  have  ever  seen  in 
the  United  States.  But  the  valleys  I  have  mentioned 
are  small  in  comparison  with  the  broad  and  magnificent 
basins  of  the  Sacramento  and  San  Joachin  Rivers  and 
their  numerous  tributaries.  The  head  waters  of  the 
San  Joachin  and  the  Tulare  plains,  which  are  yet 
unexplored  and  unsettled,  are  said  to  be  admirably 
adapted  to  the  cultivation  of  rice  and  cotton.  The 
southern  part  of  the  State  is  more  barren,  having 
fewer  streams  and  valleys,  with  little  or  no  timber. 
But  here  occur  those  large  grassy  plains  or  prairies, 
such  as  that  between  the  coast  and  Los  Angeles,  so 
well  adapted  to  the  raising  of  cattle.  East  of  the 
mountains  which  form  the  continuation  of  the  Sierra 
Nevada  is  a  broad  sandy  desert,  extending  from  the 


TO    SAN    DIEGO.  107 

head  of  the  Gulf  of  California  to  the  unexplored 
region  and  great  Central  Basin,  with  which  we  have 
been  made  acquainted  by  Colonel  Fremont.  This 
desert  is  from  one  to  two  hundred  miles  in  width,  and 
alike  destitute  of  water  and  vegetation,  excepting  a 
few  thorny  shrubs  and  cacti. 

Before  leaving  California,  I  take  this  occasion  to 
acknowledge  the  favors  rendered  to  the  Boundary 
Commission  by  the  officers  of  the  United  States  army 
in  California.  To  General  Hitchcock,  for  the  facilities 
afforded  me  in  my  journey  to  the  Geysers,  and  for  an 
escort  of  twenty-five  men  to  the  Pimo  villages.  To 
Lieutenant  Eddy,  Commissary  of  Subsistence  at  San 
Diego,  for  provisions  furnished  us  during  our  stay  in 
the  country,  and  for  our  homeward  journey,  as  well  as 
for  various  acts  of  kindness  and  attention  shown  to  the 
members  of  the  Commission.  Also  to  Colonel  J.  Bank- 
head  Magruder,  commanding  at  San  Diego.  To  this 
gentleman  in  particular,  both  personally  and  in  behalf 
of  the  government,  I  feel  under  the  deepest  obligation. 
At  a  time  when  we  were  left  without  a  carpenter  or 
blacksmith,  and  when  none  could  be  procured,  this 
officer  permitted  me  to  send  to  his  mechanics  my 
wagons  for  repairs,  and  my  animals  to  be  shod,  without 
which  aid  I  could  not  have  left  San  Diego.  In  other 
ways  he  was  of  great  service  to  me  and  the  Commis- 
sion, both  during  our  stay  in  the  country,  and  while 
preparing  for  the  journey  before  us. 


FIFTH  DIVISION. 

SAN  DIEGO  TO  EL  PASO,  ALONG  THE  GILA. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

SAN   DIEGO    TO   ALAMO   MUCHO. 

Preparations  for  the  journey  to  El  Paso — Leave  San  Diego — Accident  to 
wagon — Snook's  rancho — San  Pasqual — Gen.  Kearney's  battle  at  this 
place — Indian  village — San  Pasqual  Mountain — Difficult  ascent — Eeach 
camp  at  Santa  Isabel — Deficiency  of  transportation — Lerous  dispatched 
for  another  wagon — Indians  of  Santa  Isabel — A  Mormon  arrives  with 
a  wagon — List  of  return  party — Journey  resumed — Luxuriant  valley — 
San  Felipe — Indians — Their  mode  of  life — Narrow  mountain  pass — 
Vallecita — Desert  appearance — Carrizo  creek — Increased  barrenness — 
Intense  heat — Mules  run  away — Skeletons  and  carcasses  of  animals — 
Immense  destruction  of  sheep — IJtter  desolation — "Wagon  upset — Sack- 
et's  Well — Dig  for  water — Meet  Lieut.  Sweeney  in  pursuit  of  deserters 
from  Fort  Yuma — Arrival  of  bearer  of  dispatches — Alamo  Mucho. 

About  the  middle  of  May  the  members  of  the  Com- 
mission left  their  quarters  at  San  Diego,  and  encamped 
some  six  miles  distant  near  the  Mission ;  where  there 
was  good  grazing,  and  where  the  animals  had  been 
chiefly  kept  since  our  arrival.  They  were  now  busily 
engaged  in  completing  the  preparations  necessary 
before  setting  out  on  so  long  and  difficult  a  journey  as 


110  SAN    DIEGO    TO 

that  before  us.  It  was  quite  doubtful  whether  we 
should  have  sufficient  means  of  transportation ;  and  to 
make  sure  of  this,  all  the  provisions,  tents,  instruments, 
personal  baggage,  etc.,  were  sent  out  to  the  camp.  Here 
they  were  separated  and  weighed,  or  an  estimate  made, 
so  as  to  enable  us  to  judge  whether  our  two  wagons 
and  twenty  pack-mules  would  be  sufficient.  Uncertain 
how  long  we  should  be  in  reaching  El  Paso,  we  took 
seventy  days'  rations ;  in  addition  to  which  were  a 
quantity  of  medical  stores  and  anti-scorbutics,  including 
fruits,  vegetables,  pickles,  etc.,  as  these  important  arti- 
cles were  not  to  be  procured  on  the  way. 

I  was  ill  at  this  time  with  fever  and  ague,  and 
thought  it  most  prudent  to  remain  in  quarters  until  the 
parties  had  got  ready  to  move,  and  in  fact  had  passed 
to  a  considerable  distance  into  the  interior,  beyond  the 
reach  of  the  fogs  and  humid  atmosphere  of  the  coast. 
On  the  26th,  they  commenced  their  march,  intending 
to  stop  at  Santa  Isabel,  fifty-six  miles  distant,  where  I 
was  to  join  them. 

Several  days  before  this,  I  sent  off  twelve  head  of 
beef-cattle  belonging  to  the  Commission,  with  an  escort 
of  six  soldiers,  with  orders  to  remain  at  Fort  Yuma 
until  my  arrival.  This  plan  was  recommended  to  me, 
as  the  cattle  could  not  keep  up  with  us  after  reaching  the 
great  desert ;  and  when  they  entered  upon  that  much 
dreaded  region,  it  was  thought  best  that  they  should 
not  stop,  but  keep  on  day  and  night  until  water  was 
reached.  A  number  of  cattle  were  sent  at  the  same 
time  to  supply  the  garrison  at  Fort  Yuma. 

For  my  journey,  I  had  provided  myself  with  a  small 
wagon  to  be  drawn  by  two  mules,  and  a  fine  American 


ALAMO  MUCHO.  Ill 

horse,  which  had  been  ridden  across  the  country  by 
Mr.  Gray.  All  the  other  members  of  the  Commission, 
as  also  the  laborers,  servants,  cooks,  and  arrieros,  were 
provided  with  mules,  which  experience  had  shown  to 
be  best  for  long  journeys.  They  endure  fatigue  better 
than  horses,  will  thrive  where  horses  will  starve,  and 
in  case  of  accident  or  emergency,  may  be  used  to  carry 
burdens  or  be  harnessed  to  a  team.  It  was  with  con- 
siderable difficulty  that  I  could  procure  good  mules 
here ;  and  for  those  that  I  obtained,  I  paid  from  seven- 
ty-five to  one  hundred  dollars  each.  Nearly  every 
thing  we  had,  including  the  tents,  was  new,  our  former 
equipments  having  been  to  a  great  extent  abandoned 
on  the  journey  out,  as  the  animals  failed,  or  as  they 
had  become  past  restoring,  from  eighteen  months'  use, 
and  constant  exposure  to  a  dry  heat,  rain,  or  snow. 

On  the  26th  of  May,  T  left  San  Diego,  in  company 
with  Dr.  Webb,  in  my  small  wagon,  drawn  by  two 
mules.  These  excellent  animals,  I  must  observe,  were 
the  same  that  I  started  with  from  the  coast  of  Texas  in 
September,  1850.  They  had  served  me  in  my  rapid 
journey  to  El  Paso,  and  three  times  back  and  forth 
from  that  place  to  the  Copper  Mines.  They  had  drawn 
my  carriage  in  my  first  journey  to  Sonora,  and  subse- 
quently, with  four  others,  brought  a  loaded  wagon  from 
the  Copper  Mines  to  San  Diego.  Notwithstanding 
these  journeys  and  their  constant  use  since  we  had  been 
in  California,  they  were  in  as  fine  condition  as  when 
they  left  the  shores  of  the  Atlantic. 

My  wagon  was  pretty  heavily  laden ;  and  ere  we 
had  got  a  mile  beyond  San  Diego,  in  turning  aside  for 
a  train,  it  ran  into  a  gully  with  such  force  as  to  spring 


112  SAN    DIEGO    TO 

the  wooden  axle-tree  and  bend  the  iron  one.  The 
injury  did  not  appear  to  be  serious  ;  and  as  the  road, 
though  hilly,  was  very  good,  we  hastened  on.  But 
this  little  accident,  trifling  as  it  seemed  at  first,  proved 
a  constant  source  of  annoyance  to  us  throughout  the 
journey, 

Ten  miles  from  San  Diego,  is  Soledad  hill,  which  is 
very  steep  and  difficult  to  pass.  One  of  our  loaded 
wagons  had  upset  here  a  few  days  before.  The  whole 
country  hereabouts  is  hilly,  and  destitute  of  trees, 
except  in  the  small  valleys,  where  the  accumulation  of 
water  after  rains  has  sustained  a  few  mezquit  trees. 
The  hills  on  both  sides,  and  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach, 
are  covered  with  a  thick  growth  of  wild  oats.  Several 
families  have  lately  settled  here,  who  make  a  profitable 
business  of  cutting  these  oats  and  carrying  them  to 
market  at  San  Diego,  where  they  are  in  good  demand. 
In  the  afternoon,  we  reached  San  Pasqual  River,  a  small 
and  limpid  stream,  running  through  a  rich  valley 
covered  with  fine  grass,  and  in  which  hundreds  of  cat- 
tle were  grazing.  About  a  mile  in  advance,  we  saw  a 
large  rancho,  to  which  we  directed  our  course,  having 
been  invited  to  pass  the  night  there.  This  was  the 
hacienda  of  Mrs.  Snooks,  a  California  lady,  the  widow 
of  an  Englishman,  who  now  resides  at  San  Diego. 
Word  having  been  sent  to  the  family  occupying  the 
rancho  that  I  would  stop  here,  we  met  with  a  hospitable 
reception,  and  were  provided  with  an  excellent  supper 
and  beds.  This  was  formerly  one  of  the  largest  stock- 
raising  establishments  in  the  country;  but  the  high 
price  of  cattle  at  San  Francisco  has  induced  the  owner  to 
drive  them  thither  for  sale.     There  were,  however,  still, 


ALAMO    MUCHO.  113 

many  hundreds  remaining.  The  distance  to  San  Diego 
is  called  thirty-six  miles. 

San  Pasqual  was  the  scene  of  an  action  between 
the  United  States  troops  and  those  of  Mexico  during 
the  late  war.  Our  army  was  at  one  time  in  a  perilous 
situation,  from  which  it  was  relieved  by  assistance  sent 
by  Commodore  Stockton,  then  at  San  Diego.  I  add 
in  a  note  Colonel  Kearney's  brief  report  of  this  affair.* 

May  29th.  At  seven  o'clock,  we  took  leave  of  our 
hospitable  friends ;  and  continuing  across  the  plain  and 

Head  Quarters,  Army  of  the  West, 

San  Diego,  California,  Dec.  13, 1846. 

*"Sir:    In   my   communication   to   you  of  yesterday's    date,    T 

brought  the  report  of  the  movements  of  my  guard  up  to  the  evening 

of  the  5th  instant,  in  camp  near  a  rancho  of  Mrs.  Snooks,  about  forty 

miles  from  San  Diego." 

*  *  #  %  >k  % 

After  giving  the  details  of  his  position,  and  of  his  officers,  the  Gen- 
eral thus  proceeds : 

"  As  the  day  (December  6)  dawned,  we  approached  the  enemy  at 
San  Pasqual,  who  was  already  in  the  saddle,  when  Captain  Johnston 
made  a  furious  charge  upon  them  with  his  advanced  guard,  and  was  in 
a  short  time  after  supported  by  the  dragoons,  soon  after  which  the 
enemy  gave  way,  having  kept  up  from  the  beginning  a  continual  fire 
upon  us.  Upon  the  retreat  of  the  enemy,  Captain  Moore  led  off  ra- 
pidly in  pursuit,  accompanied  by  the  dragoons  mounted  on  horses,  and 
was  followed,  though  slowly,  by  the  others  on  their  tired  mules.  The 
enemy,  well  mounted,  and  among  the  best  horsemen  in  the  world,  after 
retreating  about  half  a  mile,  and  seeing  an  interval  between  Captain 
Moore  with  his  advance  and  the  dragoons  coming  to  his  support,  ral- 
lied their  whole  force,  charged  with  their  lances,  and,  on  account  of 
their  greatly  superior  numbers,  but  few  of  us  in  front  remained  un- 
touched. For  five  minutes  they  held  the  ground  from  us,  when  our 
men  coming  up,  we  again  drove  them,  and  they  fled  from  the  field  not 
to  return  to  it,  which  we  occupied  and  encamped  upon.  A  most  mel- 
VOL.  II. — 8 


114  SAN    DIEGO    TO 

along  the  valley  near  the  river,  we  reached,  in  six 
miles,  the  Indian  village  of  San  Pasqual,  consisting  of 
forty  or  fifty  rude  huts  of  mud,  grass,  and  poles.  A 
few  patches  of  ground  seemed  to  be  cultivated ;  but, 

ancholy  duty  now  remains  for  me  :  it  is  to  report  the  death  of  my  aide- 
de-camp,  Captain  Johnston,  who  was  shot  dead  at  the  commencement 
of  the  action ;  of  Caj^tain  Moore,  who  was  lanced  just  previous  to  the 
final  retreat  of  the  enemy ;  and  of  Lieutenant  Hammond,  also  lanced, 
and  who  survived  but  a  few  hours.  We  had  also  killed,  two  sergeants, 
two  corporals,  and  ten  privates  of  the  First  Dragoons,  one  private  of 
Volunteers,  and  one  man  attached  to  the  Topographical  Department. 
Among  the  wounded  are  myself  (in  two  places),  Captain  Gillespie,  and 
Captain  Gibson,  of  the  Volunteers  ;  one  sergeant,  one  bugler,  and  nine 
privates  of  the  Dragoons;  many  of  them  receiving  from  two  to  ten 
lance  wounds,  most  of  them  when  unhorsed,  and  incapable  of  resistance. 
Our  howitzers  were  not  brought  into  action  ;  but  coming  to  the  front  at 
the  close  of  it,  before  they  were  turned  so  as  to  admit  of  being  fired 
upon  the  retreating  enemy,  the  two  mules  before  one  of  them  got 
alarmed,  and,  freeing  themselves  from  their  drivers,  ran  off  among  the 
enemy,  and  were  thus  lost  to  us.  The  enemy  proved  to  be  a  party  of 
about  one  hundred  and  sixty  Californians,  under  Andreas  Pico,  brother 
of  the  late  Governor.  The  number  of  their  dead  must  have  been  con- 
siderable ;  though  I  have  no  means  of  ascertaining  how  many,  as  just 
previous  to  their  final  retreat  they  carried  off  all  excepting  six.  The 
great  number  of  killed  and  wounded  proves  that  our  officers  and  men 
have  fully  sustained  the  high  character  and  reputation  of  our  troops ; 
and  the  victory  thus  gained  over  more  than  double  our  force  may  as- 
sist in  forming  the  wreath  of  our  national  glory.  I  have  to  return  my 
thanks  to  many  for  their  gallantry  and  good  conduct  on  the  field,  and 
particularly  to  Captain  Turner,  First  Dragoons,  and  to  Lieutenant 
Emory,  Topographical  Engineers,  who  were  active  in  performance  of 
their  duties  in  conveying  orders  from  me  to  the  command. 

"  On  the  morning  of  the  seventh,  having  made  ambulances  for  our 
wounded  and  interred  the  dead,  we  proceeded  on  our  march,  when  the 
enemy  showed  himself,  occupying  the  hills  in  our  front,  which  they 
left  as  we  approached,  till  reaching  San  Bernardo,  a  party  of  them  took 


ALAMO    MUCHO.  115 

on  the  whole,  the  place  bore  a  miserable  appearance. 
Few  Indians  were  seen,  as  they  were  still  indulging  in 
sleep. 

Crossing  the  San  Pasqual  River  again,  we  reached 
the  base  of  the  hill,  or  rather  mountain,  of  the  same 

possession  of  a  hill  near  to  it,  and  maintained  their  position  till 
attacked  by  our  advance,  who  quickly  drove  them  from  it,  killing  and 
wounding  five  of  their  number,  with  no  loss  on  our  part. 

"  On  account  of  our  wounded  men,  and  upon  the  report  of  the  sur- 
geon that  rest  was  necessary  for  them,  we  remained  at  this  place  till 
the  morning  of  the  11th,  when  Lieutenant  Gray,  of  the  navy,  in  com- 
mand of  a  party  of  sailors  and  marines,  sent  out  from  San  Diego  by 
Commodore  Stockton,  joined  us.  We  j>roceeded  at  ten  a.  m.,  the  enemy 
no  longer  showing  himself,  and  on  the  12th  we  reached  this  place ;  and 
I  have  now  to  offer  my  thanks  to  Commodore  Stockton,  and  all  of  his 
gallant  command,  for  the  very  many  kind  attentions  we  have  received 
and  continue  to  receive,  from 'them. 

"  Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 
(Signed)  S.  W.  KEARNEY, 

Brigadier  General,  U.  S.  A. 
"  Brigadier  General  R.  Jones, 

"  Adjutant  General,  U.  S.  A." 

"  The  eminent  services  of  Commodore  Stockton,"  says  Lieutenant 
Revere,  "  at  this  most  important  and  critical  juncture,  can  hardly  be  too 
highly  extolled.  While  the  party  press  at  home  were  making  free  with 
his  proclamations,  and  denouncing  the  decided  course  which  he  had 
taken  the  responsibility  to  adopt,  those  who  were  at  the  seat  of  war  re- 
garded him  as  the  sheet  anchor  of  their  hopes,  and  were  able  to  see 
that  his  whole  conduct  was  suited  to  the  emergency  which  had 
arisen.  To  his  gallantry,  wisdom,  sagacity,  and  prudence,  to  his 
timely  and  energetic  measures,  the  people  of  the  United  States  are 
chiefly  indebted  for  the  rapid  and  final  suppression  of  the  Californian 
insurrection,  which  at  once  and  for  ever  sealed  the  destiny  of  the  most 
magnificent  and  opulent  territory  in  the  world." — Tour  in  California, 
p.  171. 


116  SAN    DIEGO    TO 

name,  the  terror  of  all  travellers  when  accompanied 
by  wagons.  We  had  heard  much  of  this  hill,  and 
were  fully  prepared  to  undertake  the  labor  of  passing 
it.  To  keep  our  seats  in  the  wagon  was  out  of  the 
question ;  so  we  all  got  out,  and  literally  put  our 
shoulders  to  the  wheels.  The  driver,  while  he  held 
the  reins,  braced  up  the  wagon  to  prevent  its  upset- 
ting, and  Dr.  Webb  and  myself  alternately  pushed 
behind  or  chocked  the  wheels.  The  mules  tugged 
with  all  their  strength,  and  we  moved  steadily  though 
slowly  on,  stopping  every  forty  or  fifty  feet  to  let  the 
animals  rest.  The  road  pursued  a  zig-zag  course, 
winding  along  the  side  and  around  the  hill,  which 
somewhat  lessened  the  difficulty  of  the  ascent.  But 
the  steepness  was  not  the  greatest  difficulty  to  en- 
counter. This  consisted  in  the  "  sidling"  places,  where 
the  wagon  could  not  stand  upright,  and  required  to  be 
held  up  with  ropes  while  ascending  or  descending. 
Then,  again,  portions  of  the  road  were  very  rocky, 
and  much  gullied  by  running  water.  Occasionally 
there  was  a  cessation  of  hills,  and  a  short  piece  of  good 
road  ;  but  then  soon  came  descents,  which  were  at- 
tended with  more  trouble  than  the  ascents;  for  the 
wheels  had  to  be  locked,  and  the  wagon  held  up  with 
ropes. 

In  this  way  we  journeyed  the  whole  day  with  little 
variation.  San  Pasqual  forms  part  of  a  high  mountain 
ridge  running  north  and  south.  From  its  summit  we 
had  a  fine  view  of  the  surrounding  country,  though 
lesser  hills  extended  far  along  its  base.  I  have  no 
doubt  that  a  closer  reconnoissance  of  the  country  would 
make  known  a  more  practicable  route  than  this,  by 


ALAMO    MUCHO.  117 

avoiding  such  a  frightful  mountain.  It  answers  well 
enough  for  pack-mules,  for  which  I  presume  it  was 
constructed ;  but  it  was  never  attempted  to  be  passed 
with  wagons  until  Colonel  Cooke  crossed  it  in  1847. 
A  variety  of  trees  and  shrubbery  grow  along  the  road, 
with  the  greatest  abundance  and  variety  of  wild 
flowers,  for  the  most  part,  as  is  usual  in  this  country, 
of  brilliant  colors. 

The  long  descent  from  this  mountain,  after  the 
higher  portions  had  been  passed,  was  comparatively 
easy.  We  then  reached  valleys  covered  with  live-oaks, 
and  affording  an  abundance  of  grass.  Next,  several 
small  hills,  with  intervening  valleys  and  patches  of 
woodland,  were  passed,  until  we  reached  Santa  Isabel. 
When  within  a  couple  of  miles  of  this  place  my  mules 
began  to  show  the  effects  of  their  toilsome  day's  jour- 
ney, and  the  wagon  was  nearly  disabled.  Fearing 
they  would  not  get  in,  I  took  my  servant's  mule  and 
hastened  on  to  our  camp,  which  I  reached  at  seven 
o'clock,  and  sent  two  fresh  mules  back  to  the  assist- 
ance of  my  party.  Soon  after  Dr.  Webb  came  in,  and 
reported  that  the  axle-tree  had  given  out,  and  the 
wagon  could  proceed  no  further ;  so  that  it  was  neces- 
sary to  send  pack-mules  to  bring  in  its  contents,  and 
also  provisions  for  the  men.  I  now  took  possession  of 
my  tent  with  its  appurtenances,  and  sat  down  to  an 
.excellent  supper,  prepared  in  anticipation  of  my  com- 
ing. It  was  pleasing  to  find  myself  once  more  in  a 
tent  for  the  first  time  since  I  was  taken  ill  at  Ures.  It 
was  invariably  the  case,  that  we  all  enjoyed  better 
health  when  in  camp  and  on  our  march,  than  when 
shut  up  in  quarters  with  little  or  nothing  to  do.     An 


118  SAN    DIEGO    TO 

active,  moving  life  in  the  open  air  always  brings  with 
it  a  good  appetite  and  sound  sleep,  and  is  the  surest 
antidote  to,  or  rather  preventive  of,  disease.  Distance 
travelled  to-day,  twenty-two  miles. 

I  found  my  party  encamped  a  mile  beyond  the 
Indian  village  of  Santa  Isabel,  in  one  of  the  most  lovely 
groves  of  large  branching  oaks  that  it  had  ever  been 
our  fortune  to  meet  with.  It  is  closely  hemmed  in  on 
three  sides  by  high  hills,  all  of  which  are  thickly 
wooded,  while  a  clear  mountain  stream  passes  directly 
through  it.  Grass  in  abundance  grew  all  around 
us,  on  which  our  mules  were  luxuriating.  The  tents 
were  all  pitched  beneath  trees,  and  but  a  few  feet 
from  the  stream  to  which  I  have  alluded. 

Soon  after  I  arrived,  Colonel  Craig,  commander 
of  the  escort,  called  and  reported  his  men  ready  for 
our  march.  He  had  been  furnished  by  Colonel  Magru- 
der  with  six  additional  soldiers,  who  were  to  accom- 
pany us  to  Fort  Yuma.  Lieutenant  Whipple  was 
occupied  during  the  evening  in  taking  astronomical 
observations,  as  the  weather  was  now  clear  and  plea- 
sant, a  very  perceptible  change  having  taken  place 
since  we  left  the  coast. 

Soon  after  the  train  had  left  its  camp  near  the  Mis- 
sion of  San  Diego,  it  was  reported  to  me  by  Mr.  Thur- 
ber  (who  acted  as  Quarter-Master  in  addition  to  his 
other  duties),  that  another  wagon  would  be  absolutely 
necessary.  I  accordingly  directed  that  he  should  send 
Mr.  Leroux  at  once  to  the  Mormon  settlement  at  San 
Bernardino,  about  a  hundred  miles  distant,  to  purchase 
a  wagon  from  some  of  the  recently  arrived  emigrants, 
and  should  await  his  return  at  Santa  Isabel.  Mr.  Leroux, 


ALAMO    MUCHO.  119 

who  but  a  short  time  previous  had  been  to  that  place, 
and  knew  many  of  the  Mormons,  set  off  on  his  errand. 

May  oOth.  Remained  in  camp.  Got  my  wagon  in, 
and  made  a  new  wooden  axle-tree.  Found  the  iron 
portion  much  bent  and  very  weak.  Lashed  the  two 
strongly  together  with  rawhide. 

Santa  Isabel  is  an  Indian  village,  and  was  once  a 
place  of  some  note,  when  the  missionary  establishments 
were  in  the  ascendancy.  A  roofless  church  and  a  few 
miserable  huts,  are  now  all  that  remain.  Nevertheless, 
the  inhabitants  cultivate  the  soil,  and  by  means  of  irri- 
gation, which  they  well  understand,  raise  wheat,  maize, 
pumpkins,  and  beans.  The  vine  succeeds  very  well 
here,  and  was  formerly  cultivated  to  a  considerable  ex- 
tent. The  land  near  is  very  fertile,  which  had  induced 
some  Americans  to  select  it  for  their  homes.  The  long 
neglected  fields  were  being  turned  up,  which  gave 
the  valley  a  pleasant  appearance.  Several  of  the  In- 
dians, who  belong  to  the  Diegeno  tribe,  visited  our 
camp  to-day.  They  were  dressed  in  their  holiday 
clothes,  such  as  red  and  white  shirts ;  while  the  chief 
Tomaso,  who  seemed  an  intelligent  man,  wore  an  old 
coat  trimmed  with  silver  lace,  which  had  once  belonged 
to  some  Mexican  officer. 

May  31st.  Remained  in  camp.  In  the  afternoon 
Mr.  Leroux  returned,  accompanied  by  a  wagon,  which 
was  driven  by  its  owner,  a  Mormon,  named  Smithson. 
After  paying  him,  I  invited  him  to  remain  with  us  over 
night,  as  he  had  had  a  fatiguing  day's  journey.  We 
were  much  amused  during  the  evening  in  listening  to 
the  history  of  our  Mormon  friend,  who  also  enlightened 
us  with  a  lecture  on  the  peculiar  doctrines  of  his  sect. 


120  SAN    DIEGO    TO 

He  seemed  a  harmless,  though  zealous  man,  ardent  in 
his  religious  belief,  and  was  I  should  think,  a  fair  spe- 
cimen of  his  fraternity.  His  people  had  lately  pur- 
chased the  extensive  haciendas  and  buildings  at  San 
Bernardino,  covering  several  miles  square,  for  seventy 
thousand  dollars,  one  half  of  which  amount  they  had 
paid  in  cash.  This  is  one  of  the  richest  agricultural 
districts  in  the  State,  and  is  said  to  have  been  a  great 
bargain. 

June  1st  In  consequence  of  the  heat,  I  deferred 
leaving  until  6  o'clock  in  the  evening.  As  the  party 
was  now  got  together,  I  give  the  names  of  those  com- 
posing it. 

John  It.  Bartlett,  Commissioner. 

Thomas  H.  Webb,  m.  d.  Secretary  and  Surgeon. 

George  Thurber  Quarter-Master,  Commissary, 

and  Botanist 

Henry  C.  Pratt,  Draughtsman  and  Artist 

Malcolm  Seaton,  Assistant  Surveyor. 

Antolne  Leroux,  In  charge  of  Pack-mules  • 

with  servants,  cooks,  arieros,  and  teamsters.  We  had 
but  two  wagons,  the  remainder  of  our  camp-equipage 
and  provisions  being  transported  by  pack-mules.  Dr. 
Webb  and  myself,  rode  in  a  small  wagon,  which  I 
bought  in  San  Francisco,  and  which  turned  out  to  be  a 
very  poor  affair,  made  to  sell,  and  not  for  such  a  jour- 
ney as  lay  before  us.  We  also  had  riding  animals  for  a 
change,  and  in  case  of  accident  to  the  wagon. 

The  party  to  complete  the  survey  of  the  Gila,  was 
as  follows : 

Lieut.  A.W.Whipple,  Corps  Topographical  Engineers, 

Astronomer  in  command. 


ALAMO    MUCHO.  121 

Hugh  Campbell,  1st  Assistant. 

Frank  Wheaton,  Topographer  and  Assistant 

-Henry  C.  Force,  Assistant. 

John  J.  Pratt,  Do. 

John  O'Donoghue,  Computer. 

Charles  A.  Gicquel,  Instrument  carrier  • 
with  flag-bearers,  attendants  on  instruments,  laborers, 
servants,  cooks,  arrieros,  and  teamsters,  making  altoge- 
ther about  twenty-five  men.  This  party  had  both 
wagons  and  pack-mules  as  well  as  myself;  and  all,  both 
officers  and  attendants,  were  mounted  on  mules  or 
horses. 

Lieut.  Colonel  L.  S.  Craig  commanded  the  escort, 
now  reduced  by  desertion  to  five  men  of  his  own  com- 
mand, with  a  detail  of  ten  men  from  that  of  Colonel 
Magruder,  at  San  Diego. 

The  entire  party  embraced  six  wagons,  twenty -five 
pack-mules,  and  about  fifty  officers  and  men,  mounted. 
June  1st.  The  clay  being  very  hot,  we  did  not 
strike  our  tents  and  leave  camp  until  6  o'clock,  p.  m., 
when  Colonel  Craig  and  myself  led  the  way.  The  road 
was  very  good  along  the  valley  where  it  was  level ;  but 
there  were  many  deep  gullies,  which  required  the  use 
of  ropes  to  keep  the  wagons  in  an  erect  position.  Our 
course  had  been  north-east.  The  scene  changed  as  we 
passed  around  the  spur  of  the  ridge  which  bounded  the 
eastern  part  of  the  valley.  Here  a  broad  plain  opened 
to  us,  with  but  few  trees,  although  well  covered  with 
grass.  Our  course  now  lay  south-east.  The  moon 
rose  remarkably  bright ;  and,  with  a  cool  and  comfort- 
able night,  we  jogged  steadily  along  and  made  good 
progress.    Towards  midnight  we  entered  a  thick  grove 


122  SAN    DIEGO    TO 

of  oaks,  which  so  closely  lined  the  road,  that  it  was 
with  some  difficulty  that  we  found  our  way  through 
them.  It  was  a  beautiful  spot  for  an  encampment,  and 
we  felt  quite  disposed  to  stop;  but  we  knew  of  no 
water  near.  The  grass,  too,  was  quite  sparse.  We  there- 
fore pushed  on  to  the  Indian  village  of  San  Felipe,  near 
which  we  encamped  at  2  o'clock  in  the  morning.  I 
immediately  threw  myself  down  and  enjoyed  a  delight- 
ful sleep,  such  as  none  can  appreciate  but  those  who 
have  tried  a  camp  life.  Distance  travelled,  twenty- 
eight  miles. 

June  2d.  Found  ourselves  in  a  valley  without 
woods,  in  the  lower  part  of  which  was  a  marshy  spot 
with  pools  of  water.  Early  in  the  morning  our  tents 
were  thronged  with  Indians,  who  appeared  to  belong 
to  the  Diegeno  tribe.  They  were  a  filthy  looking  set, 
half  clad  and  apparently  half  starved.  During  the  day, 
we  saw  many  men  and  women  wading  about  the  marsh 
gathering  roots  and  seeds ;  of  which  two  articles  and 
acorns,  their  principal  food  consists.  The  women 
seemed  to  be  the  chief  laborers,  the  men  lounging 
about  the  camp  most  of  the  day.  The  improvidence 
of  this  people  seems  almost  incomprehensible.  A  very 
little  exertion  would  have  repaid  them  with  all  the 
wheat,  maize,  and  vegetables,  required  for  their  sub- 
sistence. To  these  they  might  add  a  few  cattle, 
which,  in  this  country,  may  be  obtained  for  a  mere 
trifle  from  the  ranchos,  whose  increase  in  this  fine  val- 
ley would  give  them  a  plentiful  supply  of  meat.  As  it 
is,  they  have  neither  corn  nor  meat,  and  spend  ten  times 
as  much  labor  in  collecting  the  roots,  seeds,  and  other 
wretched  food  they  live  on,  as  would  be  necessary  by 


ALAMO    MUCHO.  123 

cultivating  the  soil  to  produce  bread,  fruits,  and  meats 
in  abundance. 

Their  village  consists  of  twenty-three  miserable  old 
huts  or  wigwams  built  of  straw  and  rushes.  Some  were 
covered  with  raw  hides  of  various  colors.  A  few  small 
patches  of  ground  were  cultivated,  not  exceeding  alto- 
gether a  couple  of  acres.  This  was  not  for  the  want 
of  land,  as  there  are  many  hundred  acres  of  good  land 
around  them,  which  by  irrigation  could  be  made  very 
fertile.  From  appearances  near  the  village,  I  was  led 
to  believe  that  there  had  long  been  a  settlement  here, 
there  being  not  only  traces  of  former  buildings  in  every 
direction,  but  also  of  acequias  or  trenches  for  irrigating 
the  lands. 

At  4  p.  m.  struck  our  tents.  The  road  continued 
good  for  six  or  seven  miles,  its  course  still  south-east. 
The  grass  had  now  disappeared,  and  the  thorny  chap- 
poral  which  had  taken  its  place  was  the  first  indica- 
tion that  we  were  passing  into  a  desert  region.  We 
now  entered  a  canon,  or  mountain  pass,  caused,  like 
most  others,  by  the  action  of  running  water  for  ages. 
This  pass  had  been  used  only  for  mules,  until  Colonel 
Cooke  entered  the  country  with  wagons.  Not  being 
able  to  get  through,  he  was  obliged  to  come  to  a 
halt,  and  open  a  passage  with  axes  and  hammers 
through  the  solid  rock,  a  work  of  great  labor.  This 
defile  consists  of  perpendicular  walls  of  rock  about 
fifteen  feet  high,  and  of  a  width  barely  sufficient  for 
wagons  to  pass.  In  its  bed  are  large  masses  of  rock 
reaching  to  the  axle-trees.  At  the  narrowest  point 
one  of  our  wagons  stuck  fast ;  but  after  taking  out  the 
mules,  by  dint  of  lifting  and  prying,  we  at   length 


124  SAN    DIEGO    TO 

got  through.  The  space  here  was  but  two  inches 
wider  than  the  axle-trees  of  the  wagons.  There  were, 
also,  several  steep  and  rocky  descents  where  the  wheels 
had  to  be  locked,  and  the  wagons  held  back  with  ropes. 
This  pass  was  not  less  than  three  miles  in  length ;  and 
should  two  trains  meet  here,  it  would  prove  a  serious 
business  for  both. 

The  descent  into  the  valley  beyond,  continued 
gradual  for  several  miles ;  but  at  length  our  course  was 
stopped  by  a  bold  rocky  hill  running  directly  across  it. 
This  we  ascended,  over  a  very  bad  road  ;  but  bad  as  it 
was,  it  was  better  than  the  descent,  which  was  the  most 
perfect  break-neck  place  that  a  wagon  ever  attempted 
to  pass.  It  was  exceedingly  steep,  filled  with  large 
loose  rocks,  with  an  occasional  perpendicular  leap  of 
three  or  four  feet.  I  feared  that  our  wagons  would 
not  hold  together,  even  if  they  escaped  being  upset. 
But  the  only  accident  that  happened,  was  the  breaking 
of  our  two  remaining  barometers,  a  very  serious  one 
for  the  meteorological  observations. 

At  the  bottom  of  this  hill,  we  continued  for  five  or 
six  miles  through  a  valley,  with  no  other  vegetation 
than  the  usual  desert  plants  and  cacti,  accompanied  by 
the  great  agave  which  seemed  to  luxuriate  in  this  bar- 
renness. At  11  o'clock,  p.  m.,  we  reached  Vallecita, 
eighteen  miles  from  San  Felipe,  where  we  pitched  our 
tents  among  some  willows. 

June  3d.  Vallecita.  as  its  name  indicates,  is  a  little 
valley,  surrounded  by  lofty  and  barren  mountains. 
Pools  of  sulphurous  water  are  found  among  the  willow 
bushes,  but  not  a  tree  was  to  be  seen.  The  grass,  too, 
had  changed,  having  here  a  wiry  character.    A  depot  of 


ALAMO    MUCHO.  125 

provisions  is  kept  at  this  place,  with  a  file  of  soldiers, 
for  the  supply  of  Fort  Yuma,  and  of  government  trains 
passing  and  repassing.  A  few  horses  are  also  kept 
here,  to  facilitate  the  communication  between  Fort 
Yuma  and  San  Diego.  The  distance  between  those 
places  is  about  two  hundred  and  twenty-five  miles, 
and  Yallecita  is  about  half  way.  Beyond  it,  towards 
the  Colorado,  there  is  little  or  no  grass ;  so  that  trains, 
after  they  have  crossed  the  desert,  usually  stop  a  day 
or  two  here,  to  recruit  their  animals. 

A  band  of  Diegeno  Indians  live  here,  to  whom  the 
arrival  of  a  train  is  an  event  of  some  importance.  They 
made  their  appearance  early  this  morning,  dressed  in 
their  holiday  clothes,  and  appeared  more  cleanly  than 
any  Indians  we  had  seen.  Nearly  all  wore  clean  white 
or  fancy  calico  shirts,  their  only  garment ;  pantaloons 
being  regarded  by  all  Indians  as  useless  articles  of 
dress.  These  people  were  formerly  connected  with 
the  Missions,  and  hence  call  themselves  Christians  ; 
but  they  now  live  in  a  most  degraded  state  of  indo- 
lence and  poverty.  They  cultivate  beans  and  pump- 
kins, and  pick  up  an  occasional  mule,  which  serves  them 
for  food ;  though  their  main  reliance  is  upon  the  acorns, 
which  they  collect  and  store  up  in  large  baskets  for 
winter  use.  The  labor  of  preparing  them  for  food  is, 
like  almost  all  other  labor,  performed  by  the  women, 
who  were  to  be  seen  in  front  of  every  hut  wielding 
their  heavy  stone  pestles.  When  the  acorns  are  re- 
duced to  flour,  it  is  washed  to  remove  the  bitter  taste, 
and  then  cooked  into  a  kind  of  gruel,  or  made  into 
bread.  These  Indians  were  very  attentive  to  us,  bring- 
ing us  wood   (which  is  very  scarce  here)  and  water, 


126  SAN    DIEGO    TO 

and  otherwise  assisting  about  the  camp.  They  seemed 
amply  repaid  with  a  few  old  clothes,  or  any  fragments 
of  food  that  remained  from  our  tables.  Our  culinary 
department  was  always  the  great  point  of  attraction 
to  these  poor  creatures,  who  would  often  form  a  double 
circle  around  the  camp-fires,  much  to  the  annoyance 
of  the  cook.  The  weather  was  excessively  hot  to-day, 
the  mercury  standing  at  105°  Fahrenheit  in  the  shade 
under  the  bushes. 

Took  our  departure,  at  6  p.  m.  Each  mile  we 
advanced,  grew  more  barren.  The  road  continued 
through  deep  sand  or  loose  gravel,  reminding  us  that 
we  had  fairly  entered  upon  the  desert  of  which  we  had 
heard  so  much.  On  leaving  this  valley,  all  traces  of 
grass  disappear.  A  few  stunted  shrubs  armed  with 
thorns,  strove  hard  for  an  existence ;  and  the  wonder 
is,  that  any  vegetable  life  can  flourish  amid  such  bar- 
renness. But  the  cacti  and  agave  seem  to  delight  in 
such  arid  and  desert  regions,  as  though  the  intense 
heat  and  dry  atmosphere  were  the  vivifying  influences 
that  nourish  them.  The  bleached  bones  and  dried 
carcasses  of  oxen,  mules,  and  sheep,  began  to  mark  our 
road,  mementos  of  the  sufferings  of  former  parties.  The 
moon  still  shone  bright,  while  we  journeyed  slowly 
on  through  the  heavy  sand  for  twenty  miles,  till,  at  one 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  we  arrived  at  Carrizo  Creek. 
I  had  got  considerably  in  advance  of  the  wagons,  and 
without  waiting  for  them  or  my  tent,  stretched  myself 
on  the  bare  earth  (for  it  was  so  warm  that  a  covering 
was  unnecessary),  and  was  soon  lost  in  sleep. 

June  4,th.  Carrizo  Creek*  is  one  of  those  remark- 

*  Carrizo,  means  reed  grass  (Arundo  phragmites). 


ALAMO    MUCHO.  127 

able  streams  which  sometimes  spring  up  in.  desert 
regions.  It  rises  in  the  very  centre  of  barrenness, 
flows  for  about  a  mile,  and  is  again  absorbed  by  the 
desert.  It  has  worn  for  itself  a  bed  about  fifteen  feet 
below  the  plain.  It  is  from  three  to  nine  inches  in 
depth,  and  varies  from  six  feet  to  as  many  yards  in 
width.  Where  the  banks  have  been  washed  away,  it 
receives,  in  several  places,  accessions  from  springs ;  but 
when  these  cease,  the  stream  grows  less  and  lessT  until 
it  is  all  absorbed  by  the  sands.  In  the  ravine  or  bed 
formed  by  this  water,  mezquit  bushes  grow  to  the 
height  of  ten  or  twelve  feet,  the  deep  green  of  their 
foliage  presenting  a  pleasing  contrast  with  the  desola- 
tion around,  and  marking  the  course  of  the  stream  from 
its  beginning  to  its  end.  The  grass,  which  grows 
in  a  few  patches,  in  little  nooks  which  receive  their 
moisture  from  the  creek,  is  very  coarse  and  wiry ;  and 
of  this  there  is  not  enough  to  supply  the  few  passing 
trains  that  come  this  way.  The  heat  here  to-day  was 
insupportable, the  mercury  ranging  at  114°  in  the  shade. 
The  rays  of  the  sun  beat  through  our  tents,  so  that  we 
could  not  remain  in  them.  Some  retreated  beneath  the 
wagons ;  while  myself  and  others  found  our  way  into 
little  gullies  or  ravines  beneath  the  clay  banks,  where, 
partly  sheltered  by  the  banks  and  partly  by  bushes,  we 
passed  the  day. 

We  had  much  trouble  here  with  our  mules,  who  did 
not  like  the  coarse  grass  before  them ;  so  that  while 
the  herders  thought  that  they  were  quietly  trying  to 
pick  up  a  living  on  the  margin  of  the  stream,  they  were 
off  at  full  speed  for  Vallecita,  where  they  had  a  recol- 
lection of  better  fare.     Some  were  arrested  in  their 


128  SAN    DIEGO    TO 

flight  within  a  few  miles  of  camp,  while  others  were  not 
overtaken  until  they  had  reached  the  grassy  patches 
they  were  in  search  of.  This  is  a  common  habit  with 
mules,  and  often  impedes  the  progress  of  a  train.  I 
have  known  them,  where  the  grass  was  poor,  to  retrace 
their  steps  twenty-five  miles  for  the  sake  of  finding 
better.  Experience  showed  us  that  in  such  places  as 
this  the  animals  must  be  closely  watched,  and  at  night 
tied  up  to  the  wagons. 

We  noticed  a  peculiarity  in  the  water  here,  which 
was  that,  although  sweet,  it  did  not  quench  the  thirst. 
We  all  drank  incessantly  without  being  satisfied. 

As  we  entered  the  great  desert  here,  and  expected 
to  find  no  water,  except  by  digging,  until  we  reached 
the  Colorado,  one  hundred  miles  distant,  we  filled  all 
our  kegs,  canteens,  empty  bottles,  and  every  thing  else 
that  would  hold  water.     1  then  directed  the  wasrons  to 

o 

be  loaded,  the  mules  packed,  and  the  train  to  move  at 
sunset. 

I  have  forgotten  to  mention  that  we  saw  along  the 
banks  of  Carrizo  Creek,  near  our  camp,  an  innumera- 
ble quantity  of  the  bones  and  dried  carcasses  of  sheep, 
a  rare  occurrence  in  a  region  infested  by  hungry 
wolves ;  but  numerous  and  hungry  as  the  wolves  are, 
there  is  such  a  thing  as  satiating  their  appetites,  and 
of  this  we  had  an  example  before  our  eyes.  Here  were 
the  bodies  of  many  thousands  of  sheep  lying  in  piles 
within  the  space  of  a  hundred  yards.  This  wholesale 
mortality  is  said  to  have  been  caused  by  their  eating  of  a 
poisonous  plant;  but  as  we  could  find  no  specimens  of 
such  a  plant,  we  believed  that  the  poor  creatures,  after 
traversing  the  desert  and  being  probably  three  or  four 


ALAMO   MUCHO.  129 

days  without  water,  had  drunk  themselves  to  death. 
Most  of  the  bodies  were  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of 
the  stream. 

It  was  not  until  half-past  seven  o'clock,  p.  m.,  that 
we  moved  from  camp.  The  road  continued  heavy 
through  loose  sand  and  stones,  making  it  impossible 
to  move  more  than  two  miles  an  hour.  Six  or  seven 
miles  brought  us  to  a  steep  sand  hill,  which  no  team 
alone  could  ascend.  Ten  mules  were  accordingly 
hitched  to  each  wagon,  when  by  dint  of  tugging,  and 
a  good  deal  of  beating  and  hard  swearing,  the  poor 
animals  reached  the  summit  with  their  loads.  One  of 
Colonel  Craig's  wagons  was  upset  and  rolled  over  and 
over  to  the  bottom  of  the  hill,  but  fortunately  escaped 
with  no  other  damage  than  that  of  smashing  the  medi- 
cine chest ;  which,  however,  was  a  loss  we  afterwards 
severely  felt. 

This  was  the  most  desolate  spot  we  had  seen,  pre- 
senting indeed  the  very  climax  of  barrenness.  We 
were  surrounded  in  all  directions  by  hills  of  clay,  their 
sides  cut  into  deep  ravines.  As  far  as  the  eye  could 
reach  by  the  light  of  the  moon,  which  rose  at  ten 
o'clock,  not  a  sign  of  vegetation  appeared.  I  believe 
there  had  not  been  a  day,  from  the  time  of  our  landing 
on  the  coast  of  Texas  till  we  trod  the  shores  of  the 
broad  Pacific,  that  we  had  not  seen  the  mezquit  in  some 
form,  or  the  common  prickly  pear.  Here  they  could 
not  exist. 

June  bill.  Reached  the  water-holes  called  Sackett's 
Wells,  twenty -four  miles  from  Carrizo,  at  3  o'clock  this 
morning.  Before  leaving  camp  last  night,  I  sent  four 
men  with  spades  in  advance,  in  order  that  they  might 

VOL.  II. — 9 


130  SAN    DIEGO    TO 

sink  some  holes,  and  have  a  small  supply  of  water  for 
us  on  our  arrival ;  but  as  they  were  ignorant  of  the 
place  and  were  unfamiliar  with  the  best  indications  of 
water,  they  had  accomplished  little.  Some  more  expe- 
rienced hands  now  set  themselves  busily  at  work  in  an 
arroyo,  or  place  where  there  was  a  slight  depression  in 
the  desert,  marked  by  some  mezquit  bushes,  whose 
freshness  showed  that  water  sometimes  reached  their 
roots.  After  digging  about  six  feet,  the  water  began 
slowly  to  enter ;  and  by  dipping  it  up  with  a  basin,  we 
managed  to  supply  our  animals. 

The  desert  where  we  were  now  encamped,  is  an 
open  and  remarkably  level  plain,  with  scarcely  an 
undulation.  On  the  south-west,  twenty  miles  distant, 
is  a  range  of  lofty  mountains,  which  forms  its  limit  in 
that  direction.  On  the  north  and  east,  it  is  bounded 
by  the  horizon,  no  mountains  or  hills  being  visible. 
The  soil  is  either  a  fine  gravel,  or  loose  sand.  The 
vegetation  is  exceedingly  sparse,  consisting  chiefly  of 
stunted  mezquit  and  the  larrea  Mexicana.  Near  the 
arroyo,  where  water  sometimes  finds  its  way,  a  few 
mezquit  bushes  have  attained  the  height  of  ten  feet, 
whose  brilliant  hue  is  most  agreeable  to  the  eye,  amid 
so  much  barrenness.  A  little  grass  was  found  in  clumps 
about  a  mile  from  our  camp  in  an  arroyo,  whither  our 
animals  were  sent.  This,  with  the  young  shoots  of 
the  mezquit,  was  all  they  had.  At  sunrise  this  morn- 
ing, the  mercury  stood  at  92°,  and  at  noon  108°  in 
the  shade.  Distance  from  Carrizo  Greek,  twenty-five 
miles. 

Lieutenant  Sweeny  arrived  this  morning  from  Fort 
Yuma  in  pursuit  of  two  deserters  from  that  post,  and 


ALAMO    MUCHO.  131 

remained  with  us  during  the  day,  believing  himself  to 
be  in  advance  of  them,  and  that  they  would  stop  here 
for  water.  In  the  afternoon  Mr.  Jenkins  reached  us 
from  San  Diego.  He  was  the  bearer  of  dispatches  to 
me  from  the  government,  having  left  El  Paso  del  Norte 
on  the  19th  February.  He  came  by  way  of  Chihua- 
hua and  Mazatlan ;  and  had  encountered  serious  ob- 
stacles on  his  route.  As  there  was  no  party  coming 
across  the  country  by  the  Gila  route,  he  was  obliged  to 
pass  through  Mexico,  which  had  taken  him  nearly  four 
months. 

As  it  was  too  hot  to  march  at  all  during  the  day, 
we  continued  as  before,  to  make  our  journeys  at  night. 
At  7  p.  m.  left  camp,  taking  the  lead  as  before  in  my 
little  wagon,  with  Colonel  Craig  riding  on  a  mule  at  my 
side,  while  the  wagons  and  train  followed  closely  be- 
hind. The  road  for  the  first  few  miles  was  heavy ; 
after  which,  we  struck  the  hard  gravel,  where  it  was 
so  smooth  that  we  increased  our  pace.  After  keeping 
with  me  for  an  hour  and  a  half,  the  Colonel  left  me, 
saying  he  would  ride  back  and  see  to  the  wagons,  as 
some  of  them  were  dropping  behind.  This  course  was 
usual  with  him.  He  felt  a  heavy  responsibility  upon 
his  shoulders,  and  deemed  it  his  duty  to  watch  every 
part  of  the  train.  He  considered  his  post  to  be  in  the 
advance  ;  but  during  every  march,  whether  at  night 
or  by  day,  he  rode  around  the  train,  to  see  that  all  was 
right,  and  that  his  men  observed  proper  vigilance.  At 
11  o'clock  the  moon  rose,  when  we  could  see  our  way 
better.  The  pack -mules,  which  had  been  in  the  rear, 
soon  after  came  up,  and,  as  was  usual  with  them,  pushed 
by  me.     On  long  marches,  pack-mules  always  increase 


132  SAN    DIEGO    TO    ALA.MO    MUCHO. 

their  speed  as  they  progress,  when  it  becomes  difficult 
to  restrain  them  to  the  gait  of  those  in  wagons.  The 
road  continued  very  good  during  the  night ;  so  that, 
with  the  bright  light  of  the  moon  and  the  air  moderately 
cool,  we  made  good  progress.  As  morning  approached, 
the  road  became  heavier  ;  when  my  mules  fell  back,  the 
pack-mules  still  keeping  on  at  their  former  pace.  We 
had  now  to  get  out  and  walk ;  and  this  relief  to  the 
poor  animals  enabled  us  at  length  to  reach  the  stopping 
place  known  as  the  Alamo  Muclio,  where  water  is  ob- 
tained by  digging. 

Although  there  may  have  been  cotton-wood  trees 
here  in  former  times,  all  have  now  disappeared ;  for  we 
saw  nothing  but  stumps  and  a  few  miserable  mezquit 
trees. 


ALAMO  MUCHO  TO  FORT  YUMA.         133 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

ALAMO  MUCHO  TO  FORT  YUMA. 

The  Desert — Dry  basin — "New  River  " — Alarming  news  from  the  train — 
Colonel  Craig's  encounter  with  the  deserters  from  Fort  Yuma — Re- 
port of  Sergeant  Quin — Dr.  Webb  returns  in  search  of  Colonel  Craig 
and  Sergeant  Bale — Loss  of  wagons  on  the  Desert — Great  heat — Return 
of  party  with  the  body  of  Colonel  Craig — Sergeant  Bale's  return — 
Further  particulars  of  the  encounter  with  the  deserters — Burial  of  Col- 
onel Craig — Word  sent  to  San  Diego — Prompt  action  of  Colonel  Ma- 
gruder — Arrest  of  the  murderers  by  Indians,and  their  execution — Colonel 
Craig's  character  and  services — March  resumed — Cooke's  Well — Colo- 
rado River — Banks  washed  away — A  passage  cut  through  the  woods — 
Arrival  at  Fort  Yuma — Depredations  by  the  Yuma  Indians  on  the 
camp  at  night — Unsuccessful  pursuit — Lieut.  Whipple  commences 
crossing  the  Colorado. 

June  Qth.  Reached  Alamo  Mucho  on  the  desert,  at 
7  o'clock  this  morning,  after  a  journey  of  twelve 
hours  without  a  moment's  rest,  in  which  time  we 
had  made  forty-five  miles.  In  long  marches  like 
this  with  pack-mules,  it  is  not  considered  advisable  to 
stop ;  for  no  rest  can  be  given  to  the  animals  without 
relieving  them  of  their  packs,  to  do  which  and  replace 
them  would  require  at  least  two  hours.  If  a  pack- 
train  stops  without  relieving  the  mules  of  their  bur- 
dens, the  animals  lie  down  and  attempt  to  roll,  an 
operation  which  disarranges  the  packs  and  often  does 


134 


ALAMO    MUCHO    TO 


much  injury.  When  there  is  grass  and  water,  it  is 
well,  on  long  marches  by  daylight,  to  rest  an  hour  or 
two  during  the  heat  of  the  day.  Feed  and  water  at 
such  times,  with  rest  from  their  loads,  affords  much 
relief;  but  when  there  is  nothing  to  offer  the  weary 
animals,  it  is  decidedly  the  best  course  to  hasten  on 
and  complete  the  journey,  unless  it  is  too  long  to  be 
accomplished  in  a  day. 

The  desert  here  is  a  vast  open  plain,  extending  as 


Well  at  Alamo  Mucho. 


far  as  the  eye  can  reach  on  every  side,  except  on  the 
south-west,  where  a  chain  of  mountains  appears  some 


FORT    YUMA.  135 

thirty  or  forty  miles  distant.  The  undulations  are  few 
and  slight.  Near  our  camp  was  a  steep  bank  about 
sixty  feet  high,  extending  for  miles,  and  descending  to 
a  great  depression  or  basin,  which  appears  to  have 
been  the  bed  of  a  lake.  It  was  in  this  bed  that  the 
wells  or  pits  were  sunk  from  which  we  obtained  water. 

About  twenty-five  miles  back  from  this  place  we 
crossed  a  ravine  or  arroyo  some  twenty  or  thirty  feet 
wide,  and  about  ten  feet  below  the  surface  of  the 
desert,  that  forms  the  bed  of  what  is  known  as  the 
"New  River."  Three  or  four  years  ago,  this  ravine 
was  filled  with  water,  as  well  as  a  large  basin  connected 
with  it.  The  water  suddenly  appeared  here,  and  by 
passing  emigrants  was  hailed  as  a  miracle  and  direct 
interposition  of  Divine  Providence,  like  the  manna 
furnished  to  the  Israelites  of  old. 

This  phenomenon  is  now  well  known  to  proceed 
from  the  Colorado  River,  which  some  years  rises  to  a 
great  height,  overflowing  its  banks  and  the  adjacent 
valley,  and  sometimes  running  back  through  lagoons 
and  depressions  in  the  desert  for  many  miles.  It  was 
one  of  these  great  risings  of  the  river  that  caused  the 
sudden  appearance  of  the  mysterious  "New  River" 
of  the  desert,  which  remained  two  years,  and  then 
dried  up.  By  similar  inundations  the  great  basin  at 
Alamo  Mucho  has  doubtless  been,  and  may  again  be, 
filled.  I  was  told  by  persons  in  California  who  had 
crossed  this  desert,  that  they  had  found  pools  of 
brackish  water  several  miles  from  the  road.  These  I 
presume  to  be  deeper  basins,  where  the  water  stands 
longer  than  in  the  "New  River"  or  the  dry  basins 
passed  by  us. 


136  ALAMO    MUCHO    TO 

On  the  table-land  or  plain  of  the  desert  the  vege- 
tation is  scanty,  consisting  of  dwarfish  mezquit  and 
larrea.  In  the  basin  near  us  were  patches  of  grass, 
which,  with  the  young  twigs  of  the  mezquit  bushes, 
formed  the  food  of  our  animals.  In  certain  portions 
of  the  desert  it  is  extremely  annoying  to  travellers 
when  the  wind  blows,  as  clouds  of  sand  then  fill  the 
atmosphere.  When  one  of  our  parties  crossed  it  in 
January,  they  were  overtaken  by  one  of  these  storms, 
from  which  they  suffered  greatly,  particularly  as  their 
animals  had  perished,  and  they  were  forced  to  traverse 
it  on  foot. 

Within  two  hours  after  my  arrival,  others  of  the 
party  who  were  mounted  came  in,  and  among  them 
Mr.  Malcolm  Seat  on,  who  reported  to  me  that  about 
break  of  day  the  train  had  fallen  in  with  the  two 
deserters  of  whom  Lieutenant  Sweeney  was  in  pursuit ; 
that  Colonel  Craig,  having  at  once  recognised  them  by 
their  dress  and  muskets,  spoke  to  them,  and  asked 
them  where  they  were  going.  They  replied,  to  Valle- 
cito.  The  Colonel  told  them  he  knew  they  were 
deserters  from  Fort  Yuma,  and  advised;  them  to  return 
with  him.  After  parleying  a  while,  they  told  him  they 
would  not  return ;  that  they  were  desperate,  and 
would  shoot  any  one  who  attempted  to  arrest  them. 
Colonel  Craig  called  for  Sergeant  Quin,  of  his  com- 
mand, and  Sergeant  Bale,  the  non-commissioned  officer 
sent  with  the  men  furnished  by  Colonel  Magruder. 
Mr.  Seaton  then  left,  under  the  impression  that  Colo- 
nel Craig  would  succeed  in  persuading  the  deserters 
to  return  with  him.  Besides  the  soldiers  with  the 
train,  there  were  twenty  or  more  men  on  whom  the 


FORT    YUMA.  137 

Colonel  could  have  called,  had  he  deemed  their  aid 
necessary.  As  the  wagons  began  to  lag,  Mr.  Seaton 
hastened  on  to  camp. 

About  an  hour  after,  Sergeant  Quin  rode  into 
camp,  his  hat  gone,  and  in  a  great  state  of  excite- 
ment. He  stated,  that  soon  after  he  and  Sergeant 
Bale  had  left  the  train,  according  to  Colonel  Craig's 
orders,  they  came  up  with  the  two  deserters;  where- 
upon the  latter  halted,  and  declared  they  would  go 
no  further,  but  must  settle  the  business  on  the  spot. 
Colonel  Craig  again  expostulated  with  them,  and 
used  every  argument  to  induce  them  to  surrender 
themselves,  and  return  with  him  to  Fort  Yuma, 
but  in  vain.  The  Colonel  told  them  who  he  was, 
and  said  that,  if  a  return  to  the  Fort  was  so  re- 
pugnant to  them,  he  would  endeavor  to  have  them 
assigned  to  his  command,  in  which  event  they 
might  accompany  the  Commission.  He  then  dis- 
mounted from  his  mule  and  handed  his  revolver  to 
Sergeant  Bale,  at  the  same  time  throwing  off  his 
sabre.  Thus  disarmed,  he  approached  the  deserters, 
showing  that  he  intended  no  violent  measures,  and 
believing  that  when  he  pictured  to  them  the  dif- 
ficulties before  them  in  crossing  the  desert,  they 
would  yet  consent  to  abandon  their  desperate  under- 
taking. 

At  this  moment,  the  Colonel's  mule,  being  without 
his  rider,  moved  off,  and  had  got  some  fifteen  or 
twenty  yards,  when  the  Colonel  directed  Sergeant 
Quin  to  stop  him.  He  did  so,  and  had  thereby  sepa- 
rated himself  from  the  Colonel  and  Sergeant  Bale, 
when  he  heard  the  report  of  muskets,   and  looking 


138  ALAMO    MUCHO    TO 

round,  saw  Colonel  Craig  stagger  and  fall.  The  next 
moment  lie  saw  Sergeant  Bale  rapidly  discharging  his 
revolver  at  the  deserters,  his  mule  at  the  same  time 
prancing  about;  when  presently  both  of  them  fell. 
He  immediately  advanced  in  the  direction  of  the  Col- 
onel ;  but  before  he  had  got  many  steps,  the  deserters 
rushed  towards  him,  discharging  a  revolver  which  they 
had  taken  from  Bale.  Believing  that  both  the  Colonel 
and  Sergeant  Bale  were  killed  or  overpowered,  and 
seeing  but  little  chance  for  himself  against  too  armed 
and  desperate  men,  he  put  spurs  too  his  horse,  and 
made  his  way  as  fast  as  possible  to  my  camp. 

As  soon  as  the  wagons  came  up,  I  ordered  an 
ambulance  to  be  prepared  to  return  with  a  party  in 
search  of  Colonel  Craig  and  the  missing  sergeant, 
who,  I  hoped,  might  yet  be  found  alive.  As  the 
mules  had  now  come  nearly  fifty  miles  without  rest, 
food,  or  water,  they  could  not  be  immediately  sent 
back.  Six  of  the  best,  however,  were  at  once  selected, 
and  a  good  feed  of  oats  given  them.  Bedding,  cloth- 
ing, water,  and  provisions  were  put  in  the  ambulance, 
and  the  whole  placed  under  the  charge  of  Dr.  Thomas 
H.  Webb.  It  was  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  before 
the  party  could  be  got  off,  Lieutenant  Whipple  and 
several  others  accompanying. 

From  the  information  given  by  the  party  with  the 
train,  the  encounter  with  the  deserters  took  place  full 
thirty  miles  from  our  camp.  To  retrace  their  steps 
this  distance,  with  our  weary  animals,  journeying  be- 
neath an  overpowering  sun,  would  require  the  remain- 
der of  the  day,  and  a  good  portion  of  the  night ;  yet  I 
deemed  it  my  duty  to  remain  here,  though  we  were 


FORT    YUMA.  139 

in  the  heart  of  the  desert,  unprotected  by  a  tree  or 
bush,  and  exposed  to  a  more  oppressive  heat  than  we 
had  ever  before  experienced.  As  there  was  but  little 
grass  to  be  found,  I  caused  the  last  of  our  corn  and 
oats  to  be  distributed  to  the  animals,  giving  about  two 
quarts  to  each. 

Disasters  seldom  come  alone  ;  and  to  add  to  the 
misfortunes  of  the  day,  Jesus  Ortiz,  one  of  the  team- 
sters, came  in  and  reported  that  the  tire  of  one  of  the 
wheels  having  come  off,  his  wagon  had  broken  down, 
and  in  this  disabled  condition  he  had  left  it  twelve 
miles  back.  As  his  mules  were  perishing  for  water,  he 
had  hastened  on  with  them. 

After  the  animals  had  been  watered-  and  had  grazed 
for   an   hour    on   the    straggling    tufts    of  grass   and 

Do  o  o 

mezquit  bushes,  I  dispatched  a  party  back  with  an 
empty  wagon,  to  bring  forward  the  contents  of  the 
broken  one.  They  returned  during  the  evening, 
and  reported  that  the  fore  wheel  was  completely 
demolished  and  past  repairing,  and  that  the  wagon 
could  not  be  used  without  another  wheel.  They  also 
reported  that  they  had  seen  seven  Indians,  who  kept 
at  a  distance,  but  followed  them  for  several  miles. 

In  the  afternoon,  Mr.  Johnson  and  an  express  rider 
arrived  from  Fort  Yuma,  and  remained  several  hours 
to  rest  and  water  their  animals.  They  were  bound 
for  San  Diego.  On  hearing  of  the  disaster  to  our 
wagon,  they  informed  me,  that  about  seven  miles  in 
advance  we  should  find  a  wagon  in  good  order,  which 
had  lately  been  abandoned,  and  with  which  we  could 
replace  our  disabled  one.  This  was  very  welcome 
news  to  me  ;  for  we  were  not  in  a  condition  to  lose  a 


140  ALAMO    MITCHO    TO 

wagon  at  this  stage  of  our  journey.  I  therefore  sent 
out  a  party  with  mules  in  search,  which  soon  after 
returned,  bringing  with  them  a  very  good  vehicle. 
Disasters  of  this  kind  are  of  common  occurrence  on  the 
desert,  where  mules  give  out  or  perish.  One  of  our 
own  w,agons,  in  excellent  order,  was  thus  abandoned 
by  the  party  which  crossed  here  in  January,  and  was 
soon  after  made  a  prize  of.  Two  years  previous  to 
our  crossing  the  desert,  when  a  large  number  of  emi- 
grants went  over  it  to  California,  I  was  told  that  more 
than  a  hundred  good  wagons,  with  harness,  pack-sad- 
dles, and  a  vast  quantity  of  camp  equipage,  were  scat- 
tered along  the  road.  Many  of  these  were  subse- 
quently taken  away  by  parties  from  the  settlements, 
who  came  out  for  them  with  fresh  animals ;  while 
others  were  broken  up  and  used  for  fuel,  or  parts 
taken  to  restore  the  injured  ones. 

Such  was  the  eventful  day  of  the  6th  of  June,  with 
the  heat  at  108°  Fahrenheit.  We  pitched  our  tents, 
and  rolled  up  the  sides  to  catch  a  little  air ;  but  it  was 
like  the  African  sirocco,  and  seemed  as  though  issuing 
from  a  heated  furnace.  I  found  a  little  bower,  about 
three  feet  high,  made  of  bushes,  and  covered  with  raw 
hides,  into  which  I  crept,  and  passed  the  day.  This 
retreat  had  been  constructed  by  Captain  Davidson, 
who  the  week  before  our  arrival  had  been  here  from 
Fort  Yuma  for  the  purpose  of  opening  a  well. 

June  7th.  In  camp  at  Alamo  Mucho.  Remained 
as  quiet  as  possible,  moving  only  from  my  tent  to  my 
little  bower.  The  men  were  occupied  in  enlarging 
the  well,  as  it  required  much  time  to  dip  up  the 
water,  which  was  done   with  a  bucket.     The  supply 


FORT   YUMA.  141 

was  barely  sufficient  for  the  demand,  which,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  great  heat,  was  constant  both  for  man 
and  animals.     The  thermometer  stood  at  106°. 

At  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  Dr.  Webb  and  his 
party  returned,  bringing  with  them  the  dead  body  of 
Colonel  Craig.  They  did  not  reach  the  scene  of  action 
until  nearly  ten  o'clock  at  night,  owing  to  the  heavi- 
ness of  the  road,  and  the  wearied  condition  of  their 
animals.  They  then  had  much  difficulty  in  finding  the 
body,  it  being  more  than  a  mile  from  the  spot  to 
which  they  had  been  directed  by  the  sergeant.  After 
dividing,  and  searching  in  various  directions,  they 
formed  a  line  from  the  road,  placing  men  at  such  dis- 
tances from  each  other  that  the  intervening  spaces 
could  be  carefully  observed.  In  this  manner  they  at 
length  met  with  tracks,  which  finally  led  them  to  a 
spot  where  the  Colonel's  loose  riding  coat  was  found. 
Soon  after  they  came  to  his  hat,  and  finally  to  his  corpse, 
which  was  discovered  extended  on  the  ground,  and 
carefully  covered  with  a  blanket.  "The  scene,"  says 
the  Doctor,  in  his  report  to  me,  "  was  a  sad  and  sicken- 
ing one,  and  produced  a  strong  sensation  upon  all 
present,  and  particularly  on  the  Colonel's  body  ser- 
vant. It  was  evident  from  appearances  that  the  Colo- 
nel did  not  long  survive  the  wound  inflicted,  or  expe- 
rience much,  if  any,  severe  suffering. 

"The  ground  around  was  as  undisturbed  as 
though  he  had  laid  himself  down  to  rest,  and  compos- 
edly gone  to  sleep.  Had  he  lingered  long  in  the 
exposed  situation  where  he  was,  there  being  neither 
tree  nor  shrub  to  afford  shelter,  his  sufferings,  as  the 
sun  got  high  in  the  heavens,  would  have  been  extreme, 


142  ALAMO    MUCHO    TO 

independent  of  what  he  might  have  undergone  from 
the  wound. 

"  Not  many  feet  distant,"  continues  Dr.  Webb, 
"we  saw  the  dead  body  of  Sergeant  Bale's  horse, 
which  had  been  perforated  by  a  musket  ball  The 
sergeant  was  nowhere  to  be  found.  I  became  satisfied 
that  he  had  left  the  ground,  probably  without  being 
mortally  wounded.  He  had  evidently,  previous  to  his 
departure,  taken  his  own  blanket  from  the  saddle,  and 
with  it  covered  the  remains  of  the  Colonel ;  for  men 
who  would  brutally  murder  a  fellow  being,  it  was  not 
for  a  moment  to  be  presumed  would  have  the  slightest 
regard  for  the  appearance  or  protection  of  the  mutilated 
relics.  The  corpse  I  caused  to  be  carefully  rolled  up 
and  placed  in  the  ambulance  ;  and  at  three  o'clock  in 
the  morning  we  mournfully  commenced  our  return 
march. 

"After  proceeding  about  ten  miles  on  our  way 
back,  we  noticed  ahead  of  us  a  man  reclining  by  the 
road  side  ;  and  on  reaching  him,  much  to  my  satisfac- 
tion, he  proved  to  be  the  missing  sergeant. 

"  When  he  joined  the  Colonel,  he  was  told  the  pur- 
pose for  which  he  was  summoned ;  and  upon  some 
inquiry  being  addressed  to  him,  he  stated  that  whilst 
ready  to  obey  orders,  from  his  knowledge  of  the 
desperate  character  of  the  deserters,  he  was  confident 
they  would  not  be  taken  without  bloodshed.  How- 
ever, as  already  observed,  the  Colonel's  feelings  of 
kindness  outweighed  all  apprehensions  of  danger,  if  he 
entertained  any,  and  overbalanced  all  regard  for  self- 
protection.  •  Having  completely  disarmed  himself,  and 
lessened    his    security    still    further   by    sending    his 


FORT   YUMA.  143 

sergeant  for  the  stray  mule,  one  of  the  deserters 
(Corporal  Hays)  said  to  the  other,  'Now  is  our 
chance,  as  there  is  only  a  man  apiece  ; '  whereupon 
they  levelled  their  muskets,  took  deliberate  aim,  and 
fired.  Hays,  who  shot  the  Colonel,  was  within  five  feet 
of  him. 

"  The  buck-shot  from  Condon's  musket  passed 
through  the  calf  of  Sergeant  Bale's  leg,  the  ball  at  the 
same  time  pierced  the  body  of  the  horse  which  he  was 
riding.  He  discharged  two  or  three  shots  from  the 
Colonel's  revolver ;  but  the  prancing  of  the  animal 
under  the  wound  received,  prevented  true  aim  being 
taken.  The  horse  almost  immediately  fell ;  and  before 
the  sergeant  could  disentangle  himself .  from  the  trap- 
pings, the  deserters  caught  hold  of  him,  and  wrenched 
away  the  revolver,  but  promised  to  inflict  no  addi- 
tional injury  upon  him  if  he  would  remain  quiet, 
which,  under  existing  circumstances,  he  very  properly 
engaged  to  do.  He  asked  them  to  allow  him  to  go  to 
the  Colonel;  to  which  they  did  not  object.  They 
inquired  if  the  Colonel  had  not  some  brandy  with  him. 
He  replied;  probably  not,  the  Colonel  not  being  a 
drinking  man.  However,  they  went  to  the  body  ere 
life  had  left  it,  and  searched,  and  probably  rifled,  the 
pockets,  as  some  small  articles  known  to  belong  to 
the  Colonel  have  not  since  been  found. 

"  They  then  turned  in  pursuit  of  Sergeant  Quin, 
discharging  several  shots  at  him,  their  object  probably 
being  to  obtain  the  two  mules.  Quin,  as  already 
remarked,  effected  his  escape  with  his  own  animal; 
but  they  secured  the  Colonel's.  Both  mounted  it,  and 
made  directly  for  the  mountains." 


144  ALAMO    MUCHO    TO 

For  the  finale  of  this  melancholy  affair  I  refer  the 
reader  to  the  accompanying  note.* 

*  AVhile  the  party  were  engaged  in  searching  for  Colonel  Craig  and 
the  Sergeant,  the  express  rider  from  Fort  Yuma,  on  his  way  to  San 
Diego,  overtook  them  ;  which  gave  Dr.  Webb  an  opportunity  to  send 
intelligence  to  that  place,  Vallecito,  Santa  Isabel,  etc.,  etc.,  relative  to  the 
probable  fate  of  Colonel  Craig,  in  oider  that  suitable  measures  might 
be  taken  to  apprehend  the  deserters,  should  they  present  themselves 
there. 

As  soon  as  the  news  was  received  by  Colonel  Magruder,  command- 
ing at  San  Diego,  he  sent  expresses  to  the  various  military  posts  and 
settlements,  and  aroused  the  Indians  in  Southern  California,  whereby  he 
was  enabled  to  establish  a  cordon  across  the  country  with  a  view  of 
intercepting  the  murderers.  The  routes  are  so  few,  and  the  watering- 
places  so  well  known,  that  this  object  was  easily  attained.  A  reward, 
too,  was  offered  the  Indians,  to  induce  them  to  thoroughly  scour  the 
country  and  prevent  the  escape  of  these  men.  It  was  not  many  days 
before  a  party  of  Indians  engaged  in  this  duty  discovered  two  men  with 
muskets ;  and  believing  them  to  be  the  murderers,  all  but  two  concealed 
themselves.  One  of  these  Indians  was  a  chief,  an  exceedingly  shrewd 
man,  who  desired  to  secure  his  prize  without  bloodshed.  They,  there- 
fore, professed  friendship  for  the  men,  and  proposed  to  buy  their  muskets; 
an  offer  which  the  deserters  gladly  accepted,  money  being  more  impor- 
tant to  them  now  than  weapons.  They  were  accordingly  paid  eight  dol- 
lars each,  and  the  cunning  Indians  thus  became  possessed  of  their  arms. 
But  one  of  the  deserters  being  still  in  possession  of  a  large  revolver,  it  was 
necessary  to  disarm  him  of  this  before  they  could  make  sure  of  their  pris- 
oners. The  Chief,  therefore,  manifested  a  great  curiosity  as  to  this  sin- 
gular weapon,  and  asked  the  man  to  let  him  examine  it.  Not  suspect- 
ing the  object  of  the  Indian,  who  he  supposed  had  never  seen  a  re- 
volver before,  he  unhesitatingly  handed  it  to  him  for  inspection.  The 
Chief  no  sooner  had  it  in  his  possession,  than  he  stepped  back  and  pre- 
sented it  to  the  breast  of  the  deserter.  The  two  Indians  now  gave  the 
war-whoop ;  whereupon  the  rest  of  the  party,  numbering  some  twelve  or 
fourteen,  sprang  from  their  hiding-place,  and  at  once  surrounded  the 
prisoners. 

They  were  conducted  to  the  Mission  of  San  Diego,  and  there  surren- 


FORT   YUMA.  145 

I  was  desirous  to  take  the  body  of  Colonel  Craig 
to  Fort  Yuma  for  burial  with  military  honors  ;  but  Dr. 
Webb  pronounced  this  impracticable,  owing  to  its  rapid 
decomposition,  as  it  would  require  two,  if  not  three, 
days  to  reach  that  place.  A  deep  grave  was,  therefore, 
dug  in  the  desert  near  our  camp,  and  a  few  rods  from 
the  margin  of  the  great  basin.  At  sunset,  when  the 
mules  had  received  their  packs,  the  wagons  had  been 
loaded,  and  the  party  were  ready  to  move,  a  proces- 
sion was  formed,  and  the  mortal  remains  of  our  excel- 
lent and  much  beloved  friend,  borne  upon  a  cot  by 
four  soldiers,  were  consigned  to  his  lonely  grave.  I 
read  on  the  occasion  the  burial  service  of  the  Church 
of  England.  There  was  neither  mound,  rock,  nor  tree 
to  mark  the  spot ;  a  dreary  solitude  reigned  around  us, 
uninterrupted  by  a  single  object,  save  the  animals  and 
men  belonging  to  the  party.  Even  the  wind  had  died 
away  ;  and  in  the  silence  that  accompanied  our  sad  and 
solitary  rites,  Wolfe's  beautiful  lines  on  the  burial  of 
Sir  John  Moore  involuntarily  suggested  themselves  to 
every  mind. 

In  order  that  the  spot  might  be  identified,  a 
wooden  cross  was  erected  at  the  head  of  the  grave,  on 
which  was  inscribed : 


LIEUT.    COL.    L.    S.    CRAIG,    IT.  S.  A. 
Died  June  6,  1852." 


dered  to  Colonel  Magruder.  After  much  delay,  arising  out  of  the  ques- 
tion whether  they  should  be  tried  by  a  military  court  martial  or  by  the 
civic  courts,  they^  were  finally  tried,  condemned,  and  hanged  at  San 
Diego,  in  presence  of  a  vast  multitude,  among  which  were  many 
Indians.  The  murderers  were  both  Englishmen,  and  are  said  to  have 
been  deserters  from  the  British  army. 

VOL.  II. — 10 


146  ALAMO   MUCHO    TO 

Colonel  Craig  was  an  officer  of  whom  the  army  and 
the  nation  had  just  cause  to  feel  proud.  He  entered  the 
army  from  the  love  he  felt  for  a  soldier's  life,  and  with- 
out the  advantages  which  a  military  education  at  West 
Point  is  supposed  to  confer.  Yet  such  was  his  devo- 
tion to  his  profession,  such  the  skill  he  acquired  in  it, 
and  such  the  bravery  shown  by  him  when  called  to 
serve  his  country,  that  he  soon  attained  the  rank  of 
captain,  and  was  breveted  Lieutenant  Colonel  for  gal- 
lant service  rendered  at  the  battles  of  Cherubusco  and 
Molino  Del  Rey.  His  whole  soul  was  absorbed  in  his 
profession,  and  he  spared  no  pains  to  render  his  com- 
mand skilful  in  the  use  of  their  arms.  He  was  always 
most  punctilious  in  the  discharge  of  duty  ;  and  how- 
ever much  his  command  was  reduced  by  sickness  or 
absence,  he  kept  up  his  daily  drills  and  parades  with 
as  much  rigor  and  discipline  as  though  an  entire  regi- 
ment were  under  his  charge.  Towards  his  men  he 
manifested  the  interest  of  a  father  as  well  as  that  of  a 
commander,  and  was  greatly  beloved  by  them  in  return. 
During  the  stay  of  the  Commission  at  San  Diego, 
when  nearly  all  the  officers  attached  to  it  took  advan- 
tage of  the  necessary  detention  to  visit  other  parts  of 
•California,  he  remained  in  camp  with  his  men,  nor  did 
he  leave  them  for  a  single  day,  even  when  desertion 
had  reduced  their  number  to  five.  It  was  a  source  of 
deep  mortification  to  him,  that  men  who  had  followed 
him  through  the  severe  campaigns  of  the  Mexican  war 
should  desert  him  here,  for  the  sake  of  pecuniary  ad- 
vantage. His  genuine  kindness  of  heart,  honesty  of 
purpose,  and  rigid  adherence  to  duty,  had  won  for  him 


FORT   YUMA.  147 

a  large  circle  of  devoted  friends  among  civilians,  as 
well  as  among  his  brother  officers.* 

At  8  o'clock  in  the  evening  we  left  camp,  our  hearts 
filled  with  sadness.  Passed  several  wagons  in  good 
condition  which  had  been  abandoned  by  their  owners, 
among  them  some  large  ones,  which  bore  the  letters 
U.  S.,  showing,  as  we  were  afterwards  told  was  the 
case,  that  they  had  belonged  to  government  trains,  the 
mules  of  which  had  perished.  The  whitened  bones  of 
animals  marked  the  road  in  many  places,  terrors  to  pass- 
ing emigrants.  At  twelve  o'clock  the  moon  arose, 
before  which  time  we  had  much  difficulty  in  finding 
the  road ;  for  so  little  was  the  desert  travelled,  that  it 
was  only  by  taking  a  star  for  our  guide  that  we  man- 
aged to  keep  in  the  right  direction.  I  rode  a  mule  all 
this  night,  and  found  it  no  easy  matter  to  retain  my  seat 
in  the  saddle.     Such,  in  fact,  was  the  case  with  many 

*  I  cannot  refrain  from  relating  an  anecdote  to  show  that  Colonel 
Craig's  kindness  was  extended  to  animals  as  well  as  his  fellow  being's. 
In  our  various  marches  across  deserts,  our  animals  often  suffered  much 
for  want  of  water,  and  in  consequence  of  the  intense  heat,  required  great 
attention.  Notwithstanding  the  Colonel  had  men  to  take  care  of  his  horse, 
so  fearful  was  he  that  he  might  not  receive  proper  care,  that  at  the  close 
of  a  march  he  always  accompanied  his  horse  to  the  water  (when  it  was 
to  be  had),  and,  after  seeing  the  animal  well  washed  and  cleaned,  would 
himself  give  him  the  luxury  of  a  good  sponging.  The  result  was,  his 
horse  was  always  in  fine  condition,  and  without  the  ailments  incident  to 
constant  use  under  the  saddle  in  a  hot  climate.  On  one  occasion  when 
we  made  a  long  march,  and  encamped  without  water  for  the  animals, 
and  but  a  scanty  supply  for  ourselves,  a  little  was  spared  to  the  officers 
to  wash  themselves  in  the  morning.  The  Colonel  made  a  request  to 
each  of  them,  to  refrain  from  using  soap,  that  he  might  have  the  water 
they  had  used  for  his  horse ;  by  which  means  he  collected  a  gallon  for  the 
use  of  his  favorite. 


148  ALAMO    MUCHO    TO 

of  us  ;  and  some  of  the  party  were  so  much  overcome 
with  drowsiness,  that  fastening  their  mules  to  bushes, 
or  to  their  legs,  they  lay  down  on  the  desert,  and  stole 
a  few  minutes'  sleep.  The  road  continued  very  sandy, 
and  consequently  very  fatiguing  to  our  jaded  animals, 
which  had  had  but  little  food  for  the  last  four  days.  As 
there  was  no  necessity  for  keeping  with  the  wagons,  I 
hastened  on  with  the  pack-mules  and  several  men  who 
were  mounted,  and  reached  the  next  watering  place, 
known  as  Cooke's  Well,  at  six  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
having  been  ten  hours  in  the  saddle.  The  distance  from 
our  last  camp,  was  twenty-eight  miles.  After  some  time, 
finding  that  neither  the  wagons  nor  my  carretella  (small 
wagon)  came  in,  I  sent  back  some  of  the  pack-mules 
to  their  aid.  But  even  with  this  assistance,  they  did 
not  come  up  until  three  or  four  hours  after  my  arri- 
val. 

June  8th.  At  Cooke's  Well.  On  reaching  here  this 
morning,  we  were  so  much  fatigued  that  we  did  not 
pitch  our  tents,  but  threw  ourselves  down  on  the  bare 
sand  beneath  some  mezquit  trees,  and  were  soon  lost  in 
sleep.  The  water  obtained  here  was  from  a  hole  dug  in 
the  earth  some  ten. or  twelve  feet  deep,  in  a  place  about 
twenty  feet  lower  than  the  general  level  of  the  desert. 
It  had  to  be  dipped  up  in  a  bucket,  and  passed  to  a 
second  person  midway  towards  the  top,  who  emptied  it 
into  a  basin  on  the  surface,  from  which  the  animals 
drank.  There  was  no  grass  here,  but  a  thick  growth  of 
mezqnit  trees  about  twelve  feet  high,  with  very  wide 
spreading  branches.  These  were  loaded  with,  beans, 
on  which  our  half-famished  mules  fed  freely,  for  it  was 
all  we  could  give  them.      As  these  trees  afforded  a 


FORT   YUMA.  149 

good  shade,  we  remained  beneath  them  during  the  day, 
which  was  as  hot  as  before,  the  mercury  ranging  as 
high  as  106°.  But  even  with  this  heat,  we  deemed  it 
a  great  luxury  to  be  surrounded  by  such  a  delightful 
grove,  after  the  total  barrenness  and  desolation  with 
which  we  had  been  surrounded  for  so  many  days.  We 
had  now  left  the  plateau  of  the  desert,  and  were  upon 
the  bottom-land  with  an  alluvial  soil.  The  party  were 
so  much  exhausted  with  the  last  night's  march,  and  the 
exciting  events  which  preceded  it,  that  I  determined 
to  remain  quiet  during  the  day,  and  not  leave  until  the 
moon  arose. 

June  9th.  Left  camp  at  half-past  one  in  the  morn- 
ing, when  the  moon  afforded  a  feeble  light,  without 
which  it  would  have  been  impossible  to  find  our  way. 
The  whole  party  kept  close  together,  with  a  sharp  look 
out ;  as  we  were  now  in  the  country  of  the  Yuma  In- 
dians, with  whom  the  Americans  are  at  war.  We  learn- 
ed too,  from  the  express  that  passed  us  on  the  desert, 
that  bands  of  these  Indians  had  been  seen  here  two 
days  before.  Our  journey  was  through  a  bottom  filled 
with  mezquit  and  cotton-woods ;  and  from  the  great 
quantity  of  fallen  trees  of  a  large  growth,  one  is  led  to 
believe  that  the  whole  bottom,  from  the  point  near 
Cooke's  Well,  which  is  fifteen  miles  from  the  river, 
must  have  been  covered  with  water  within  a  few  years, 
and  for  a  considerable  time  too,  to  cause  such  a  de- 
struction of  timber. 

For  several  miles  after  leaving  the  desert,  and 
between  that  and  the  bottom  land,  there  ran  along  our 
left  a  great  sand-drift,  or  belt  of  moving  sand,  which 
extends  far  to  the  northward,  and  seems  to  be  gradual- 


150  ALAMO    MUCHO   TO 

]y  encroaching  upon  the  bottom.  It  is  about  forty  feet 
high,  and  in  its  progress  swallows  up  the  largest  trees 
of  the  valley.  It  is  so  loose  as  to  be  impassable  for 
animals,  and  very  difficult  for  men.* 

At  6  o'clock,  our  eyes  were  greeted  with  a  sight 
of  the  great  Colorado  River,  twelve  miles  below  its 
junction  with  the  Gila,  at  a  place  called  "  The  Algo- 
dones,"  and  soon  after,  we  halted  upon  its  bank  It 
was  much  swollen,  and  rushed  by  with  great  velocity, 
washing  away  the  banks  and  carrying  with  it  number- 
less snags  and  trees.  The  water,  though  sweet,  was 
much  charged  with  mud,  giving  it  a  dark  reddish 
appearance,  whence  its  name.  We  had  seen  no  stream 
since  leaving  the  Mississippi  (the  rivers  in  Upper  Cali- 
fornia excepted)  at  all  comparable,  in  point  of  size, 
to  the  Colorado. 

After  watering  the  animals,  I  thought  it  best  to 
proceed  a  few  miles  further.  Lieutenant  Whipple,  who 
had  been  here  before,  and  was  familiar  with  the  coun- 
try, said  we  should  find  a  grove  of  mezquit  trees,  which 
would  furnish  food  for  the  animals ;  for  the  valley  of 
the  Colorado  affords  no  grass.  Near  this  spot  is  a 
rocky  spur  of  the  adjacent  hills,  called  "Pilot  Knob," 
extending  to  the  river,  where  we  found  the  remains 
of  a  stone  fort  built  a  few  years  before,  by  a  party 
of  Americans,  who  established  a  ferry  here.  On  this 
ridge  was  one  of  the  iron  monuments  erected  by  the 
Boundary    Commission   the   year   before,    which   the 

*  Since  ray  return,  I  have  been  informed  by  Major  Andrews,  U.  S. 
A.,  who  was  stationed  at  Fort  Yuma  at  the  time  of  my  visit,  that  this 
belt  of  sand  is  about  four  miles  in  width,  and  from  twelve  to  fifteen  in 
length. 


FORT    YUMA.  151 

Yumas  had  already  overthrown.  The  road  ran  along 
the  river's  bank,  which,  as  well  as  the  bottom-land, 
was  filled  with  a  dense  forest  of  willows,  cotton-woods, 
and  mezquit.  But  we  had  not  proceeded  far  before  our 
progress  was  suddenly  arrested  at  a  place  where  the 
road  Avas  entirely  washed  away.  We  now  retraced 
our  steps  a  short  distance,  but  found  it  impossible 
to  get  along  with  the  wagons  without  first  cutting 
a  path.  All  our  axes  were  therefore  brought  into 
requisition  ;  but  as  much  time  appeared  to  be  neces- 
sary to  accomplish  this  work,  and  as  the  pack-mules 
could  push  through,  Mr.  Leroux  led  the  way  followed 
by  Dr.  Webb  and  myself.  On  reaching  the  spot  select- 
ed by  Mr.  L„  for  the  encampment,  the  mules  were 
unpacked :  we  endeavored  to  lead  them  to  the  water, 
but  found  to  our  surprise  that  it  could  not  be  approach- 
ed, in  consequence  of  a  high  abrupt  bank  caused  by  the 
rushing  waters  of  the  Colorado.  We  accordingly  sad- 
dled up  again  and  pushed  on  towards  Fort  Yuma,  which 
appeared  a  few  miles  in  advance,  the  stars  and  stripes 
waving  from  the  flag-staff  first  greeting  our  eyes 
through  the  dense  foliage  of  the  valley.  When  within 
a  mile  of  the  Fort,  our  further  progress  was  stopped  by 
a  sluice  which  extended  across  the  road,  as  broad  as 
the  river,  and  caused  by  its  overflow.  It  seemed  to 
run  far  into  the  interior,  and  to  be  passable  only  with 
boats.  Perceiving  a  rude  wigwam  on  the  river's  bank, 
the  Doctor  and  myself  took  possession  of  it,  and,  hitch- 
ing our  mules  to  trees,  lay  down  to  rest  ourselves ;  for  it 
was  then  noon,  and  we  had  been  in  the  saddle  since 
one  o'clock  in  the  morning. 

An  hour  after  I  was  aroused  from  my  sleep  by  a 


152  ALAMO   MUCHO    TO 

messenger  from  Major  Heintzelman,  commanding  at 
Fort  Yuma  (whose  sentinels,  ever  on  the  Avatch,  had 
discovered  our  approach  some  hours  before),  inviting 
me  to  the  Fort,  and  sending  a  scow  with  men  to  take 
us  across  the  sluice.  Dr.  Webb  and  myself  availed 
ourselves  of  the  invitation,  the  rest  of  the  party  with 
the  wagons  not  having  yet  come  up.  We  proceeded 
on  foot,  and,  after  crossing  the  sluice,  were  met  by 
several  officers,  who  conducted  us  to  the  Major's  quar- 
ters. We  received  a  warm  reception  from  them  all ; 
for  visitors  and  countrymen  are  an  exceeding  rarity 
in  this  out  of  the  way  spot.  A  few  emigrants,  it  is 
true,  pass  on  their  way  to  California ;  but  they  seldom 
reach  here  before  August.  Major  Heintzelman  invited 
me  to  take  up  my  quarters  with  him,  while  Dr.  Webb 
remained  with  Lieutenant  Paige.  The  other  officers 
we  met  here  were  Major  Andrews,  Captain  Davidson, 
Lieutenants  Curtis,  Hendershott,  Sweeney,  and  Bond, 
and  Dr.  Milhau. 

The  train  and  the  remainder  of  the  Commission 
encamped  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  sluice,  my  wish 
being  to  cross  the  Colorado  as  soon  as  possible,  which 
could  be  done  as  easily  from  that  place  as  from  the 
Fort. 

June  10th.  The  officers  of  the  Commission  crossed 
the  sluice  this  morning  and  came  up  to  the  Fort,  where 
they  were  all  kindly  received  and  hospitably  enter- 
tained. 

I  now  commenced  arrangements  for  crossing  the 
Colorado,  which,  in  consequence  of  the  great  rise  in 
its  waters,  and  their  increased  rapidity,  was  a  matter 
of  much  difficulty  and  risk.     There  was  nothing  to 


FORT    YUMA.  153 

cross  in  but  a  small  and  indifferent  scow,  which  could 
carry  but  one  wagon  at  a  time,  and  but  a  small  number 
of  animals.  The  entire  number  to  be  ferried  over  were 
one  hundred  and  thirty-six  mules  and  horses,  twelve 
oxen,  and  seven  wagons  with  their  contents.  Anxious 
that  Lieutenant  Whipple  should  not  be  detained  a 
moment  with  the  survey  of  the  river  Gila,  which  was 
to  commence  at  its  junction  with  the  Colorado,  and  be 
carried  to  the  point  where  the  work  was  suspended  in 
January,  I  directed  his  party  to  be  moved  over  first, 
and  as  soon  as  the  scow,  which  needed  some  repairs, 
could  be  made  ready.  The  thermometer  stood  to-day 
in  the  shade  at  the  Fort,  where  there  was  a  current  of 
air,  at  105° ;  yet,  as  we  were  now  quiet,  it  did  not  seem 
more  oppressive  than  when  in  New  York  at  90°. 

June  11th.  The  startling  news  was  brought  me 
this  morning,  that  the  Yumas  had  entered  our  camp 
the  preceding  night,  and  stolen  fifteen  of  our  animals, 
including  my  valuable  horse,  the  same  that  had  been 
ridden  by  Mr.  Gray  in  his  journey  across.  He  was 
the  finest  I  had  seen  in  the  country,  and  had 
been  brought  to  New  Mexico  from  Kentucky.  But 
this  was  trifling  to  the  loss  of  so  many  riding  and  pack- 
mules,  as  it  was  impossible  to  replace  them  here. 
There  had  been  two  men  on  guard  during  the  night ; 
but  they  knew  nothing  of  our  loss  until  the  animals 
were  missing  in  the  morning,  when  the  footprints  of  the 
Indians  became  visible.  The  animals,  which  had  all 
been  staked,  or  tied  to  trees,  seemed  to  have  been 
loosened  and  led  away  without  the  least  noise  by  these 
accomplished  marauders.  I  gave  orders  to  take  the 
trail  and  set  off  in  pursuit,  not  with  the  expectation  of 


154  ALAMO    MUCHO    TO 

overtaking  the  Indians  and  recovering  our  property, 
but  with  the  hope  that,  in  the  hurry  of  escape,  some  of 
the  mules  might  have  got  away,  which  we  might 
recover.  But  the  pursuit  was  not  attended  with  suc- 
cess. The  parties  returned  after  following  the  trail 
six  or  eight  miles,  which  was  as  far  as  they  could  go 
with  safety  ;  as  the  enemy  might  be  lying  in  ambush, 
and  overcome  their  pursuers  when  little  expected. 
Experience  has  shown  the  utter  futility  of  pursuing 
well  mounted  Indians  on  such  an  occasion,  after 
they  have  got  three  or  four  hours  the  start ;  for  they 
urge  on  their  animals  to  the  utmost  speed.  Mr.  Leroux, 
who  is  an  old  trapper,  guide,  and  hunter,  and  whose 
life  for  twenty-five  years  has  been  spent  in  New  Mexico, 
has  been  often  engaged  in  fights  with  the  Indians,  as 
well  as  in  pursuing  them  to  recover  stolen  animals. 
He  says  the  only  way  to  overtake  them  in  such  cases 
is,  to  take  provisions  for  several  days,  and  on  first  set- 
ting out  in  pursuit,  not  to  hurry  the  animals,  but  follow 
the  trail  at  a  steady  and  moderate  pace  while  daylight 
lasts.  At  night  stop  and  rest ;  and  as  soon  as  daylight 
appears,  continue  the  pursuit  in  the  same  manner, 
taking  care  not  to  overwork  the  animals.  By  thus 
continuing  the  chase,  the  third  day  will  in  most  cases 
bring  you  up  with  the  enemy  ;  whose  proximity  can 
be  ascertained  by  any  experienced  hunter,  from  the 
freshness  of  the  trail,  the  manure  of  the  animals,  etc. 
It  then  becomes  necessary  to  proceed  with  caution, 
and  with  scouts  ahead.  When  the  Indians  are  dis- 
covered, the  pursuers  keep  at  a  distance  concealed, 
and  govern  themselves  by  circumstances,  whether  to 
make  an  open  attack,  or  wait  until  they  have  encamped 


FORT   YUMA.  155 

for  the  night  and  then  surprise  them.  When  Indians 
find  themselves  pursued,  they  run  for  several  days,  and 
then  scatter,  so  that  it  is  impossible  to  catch  them; 
but  if  they  suppose  they  are  not  followed,  they  stop 
at  the  end  of  one  or  two  days. 

Lieutenant  Whipple  commenced  crossing  with  his 
party  this  morning.  It  had  been  the  practice  to  swim 
animals  across  the  river ;  but  it  was  now  so  swollen 
and  rapid,  as  to  preclude  the  possibility  of  so  doing. 
They  had  therefore  to  be  ferried  over  in  the  scow,  a 
few  at  a  time.  The  wagons  were  unloaded  and  taken 
over  empty.  Even  with  the  aid  of  all  our  men,  the 
progress  in  crossing  was  slow ;  and  on  several  occa- 
sions the  scow,  failing  to  reach  the  landing  place  on 
the  opposite  bank,  was  swept  away  by  the  current 
between  two  and  three  miles  down  stream,  before  a 
landing  could  be  effected.  It  had  then  to  be  towed 
up  again  with  much  labor,  until  it  reached  some  nook 
or  low  spot  in  the  bank  where  the  animals  could  be 
landed.  In  this  manner  several  hours  were  sometimes 
required  for  a  single  crossing. 


156  FORT    YUMA. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

FORT   YUMA    AND    THE    ADJACENT    COUNTRY. 

Crossing  of  the  Colorado  continued — Description  of  Fort  Yuma — The 
Colorado  and  Gila  Rivers — The  adjacent  country — Rich  alluvial  bottoms 
— Facility  of  irrigation — Ruins  of  the  old  Spanish  Missions — Difficulty  of 
supplying  Fort  Yuma — Plan  for  surveying  the  head  waters  of  the  Gulf 
of  California — Frustrated  by  Colonel  Graham — Discovery  of  the  Colo- 
rado in  1540  by  Alarchon — Later  voyages — Difficulties  in  navigating 
the  Colorado — Attempt  of  a  steamer  to  ascend  the  river — Its  velocity 
and  height — Fort  Defiance — Massacre  of  Dr.  Langdon  and  his  party  by 
the  Yumas — Indians  of  the  Colorado — Early  tribes  not  identified — The 
Yumas — Cocopas — Mohavis — Extent  of  Alarchon's  voyage  in  1542 — 
Fathers  Kino,  Font,  and  Garces. 

June  12th.  At  Fort  Yuma.  Lieutenant  Whipple  con- 
tinued crossing  his  party  over  the  Colorado,  and  com- 
menced the  survey  at  the  mouth  of  the  Gila. 

An  express  was  sent  by  Major  Heintzelman  to  San 
Diego  with  the  particulars  of  Colonel  Craig's  death,  in 
order  that  additional  efforts  might  be  made  to  arrest 
the  murderers. 

Colonel  McCall,  Inspector  General  U.  S.  Army, 
arrived  to-day,  accompanied  by  Lieutenants  Bond  and 
Gardiner,  to  inspect  the  troops  at  Fort  Yuma. 

June  13  th.  In  accordance  with  the  orders  of  Gene- 
ral Hitchcock,  Major  Heintzelman  detailed  Lieutenant 


AND    THE    ADJACENT    COUNTRY.  157 

G-.  W.  Paige,  with  twenty-seven  men  as  an  escort,  to 
accompany  the  Commission  to  the  Pimo  Villages.  They 
commenced  crossing  the  Colorado  to-day;  but,  owing 
to  the  swiftness  of  the  current,  were  so  unfortunate  as 
to  swamp  their  boat,  which  was  laden  with  provisions. 
Excepting  this  accident,  the  parties  of  Lieutenants 
Whipple  and  Paige  got  safely  over,  and  encamped  on 
the  margin  of  the  river. 

June  14:th.  Sent  the  cattle  over  to-day,  a  more 
troublesome  task  than  was  expected.  As  they  refused 
to  lie  down  in  the  small  scow,  they  were  lassoed  and 
thrown,  and  then  drawn  into  it  by  their  feet  with 
mules.  Once,  just  as  the  scow  reached  the  opposite 
bank,  one  of  the  cattle  broke  loose,  leaped  into  the 
river,  and  swam  back ;  the  current  carrying  him  so  far 
down,  that  he  escaped  into  the  woods,  and  could  not 
again  be  found. 

June  15th.  While  the  parties  were  still  engaged 
ingetting  across  the  river,  I  took  occasion  to  make 
repairs  on  the  wagons.  My  small  wagon,  in  addition 
to  the  axle-tree,  had  given  out  in  other  places.  An 
examination  showed  plainly  that  it  was  an  article 
"  made  to  sell,"  and  not  to  use.  Every  portion  was 
found  defective,  all  flaws  being  carefully  covered  up 
with  paint.  With  no  other  conveyance  than  this  for 
our  long  journey,  Dr.  Webb  and  I  had  a  poor  prospect 
.ahead.  The  Doctor's  riding  mule  was  among  the  num- 
ber stolen.  The  wagon  we  had  picked  up  on  the 
desert  was  found  to  be  loose  in  many  parts,  requiring 
repairs.  In  consequence  of  the  loss  in  horses  and 
mules  that  we  had  sustained  by  the  Yumas,  we 
were  obliged  to  add  some  hundred  pounds   to  each 


158  FORT   YUMA 

of  the  wagons,  and  an  additional  weight  to  each  pack- 
mule  ;  besides  which  I  nearly  filled  one  of  the  wagons 
belonging  to  the  escort.  We  should  thus  have  to 
resume  our  journey  with  every  wagon  and  mule  loaded 
to  the  utmost,  and  without  a  single  spare  animal  to 
replace  any  that  might  be  broken  down  or  lost. 

In  repairing  injuries  to  our  wagons,  every  facility 
had  been  furnished  me  by  Major  Heintzelman,  and  by 
Major  Andrews,  United  States  Quarter-master  at  Fort 
Yuma.  For  their  aid  also  in  crossing  the  river,  and 
for  many  acts  of  kindness  extended  by  the  officers  here 
to  myself  and  the  gentlemen  associated  with  me  in  the 
Commission,  I  take  this  occasion  to  express  my  ac- 
knowledgments. 

My  cook  ran  away  last  night ;  which  event,  though 
it  gave  me  the  use  of  one  more  mule,  deprived  me  of 
a  functionary  whose  services  could  not  easily  be  dis- 
pensed with. 

June  IQth.  Fort  Yuma  Mauds  upon  a  rocky  hill  at 
the  junction  of  the  Gila  and  Colorado  Rivers,  and  on 
the  north-west  angle  of  the  bank  of  the  united  stream. 
The  Colorado  comes  from  the  north,  and,  where  it  re- 
ceives the  Gila,  is  about  five  hundred  yards  wide.  A 
bend,  which  the  Gila  takes  about  fifteen  miles  from 
its  mouth,  makes  it  come  from  the  south  to  join  the 
Colorado.  The  united  stream  first  takes  a  westerly 
course,  forcing  itself  through  a  canon  in  a  chain  of 
rocky  hills  seventy  feet  high,  and  about  three  hundred 
and  fifty  yards  in  length.  After  sweeping  around 
some  seven  or  eight  miles,  it  again  assumes  a  southerly 
direction ;  and  after  a  very  tortuous  course  for  about 
a  hundred  and  thirty  miles,  it  empties  into  the  Gulf  of 


AND  THE  ADJACENT  COUNTRY.  159 

California.  The  rocky  hills  extend  four  or  five  hun- 
dred yards  north  of  the  junction,  and  between  two 
and  three  miles  to  the  south  of  it.  Beyond  the  latter 
termination  rises  the  great  plateau,  or  desert.  The 
Colorado  flows  through  a  bottom  or  valley  from  two  to 
four  miles  in  width,  thickly  covered  with  cotton-wood 
and  mezquit ;  beyond  which  is  the  desert,  from  sixty 
to  seventy  feet  above  the  valley.  As  far  as  I  could 
judge,  from  a  bird's-eye  view  taken  from  Fort  Yuma,  I 
should  think  the  bottom-land  of  the  Gila  was  from  three 
to  four  miles  wide  near  the  junction.  The  portion 
towards  the  river  is  thickly  covered  with  cotton-wood, 
and  with  willows  on  the  margin,  while  that  farther 
back  has  nothing  but  mezquit.  A  fine  panoramic 
view  is  presented  of  the  whole  country,  from  the  sum- 
mit of  the  hills  on  which  the  fort  stands.  Looking 
northward,  the  course  of  the  Colorado  can  be  traced 
for  about  fifteen  miles,  when  it  suddenly  winds  around 
the  base  of  a  mountain  ridge,  and  diverges  to  the 
north-west.  In  this  direction  the  view  is  most  exten- 
sive. Ridge  after  ridge  of  mountains  is  seen,  one  ris- 
ing above  and  beyond  the  other,  for  a  distance  of 
about  eighty  miles.  The  higher  chains  assume  the 
most  varied  and  fantastic  shapes,  resembling  cupolas, 
minarets,  pyramids,  domes,  chimneys,  etc.  One  of 
these  singular  summits  is  called  the  "  Chimney  Rock;  " 
and  from  Fort  Yuma  is  the  most  striking  object  in  the 
landscape.  It  is  said  to  be  fifteen  miles  distant  in  a 
direct  line,  and  about  thirty  following  the  course  of 
the  Colorado. 

On  the  east  of  the  Colorado  is  the  delta  of  the  Gila. 
How  far  this  extends  back  cannot  be  seen,  the  trees 


160  FORT    YUMA 

shutting  off  the  view  of  the  desert.  On  the  north  and 
west  the  line  of  the  desert  is  perceived  at  a  distance 
of  about  three  miles,  this  line  of  view  being  inter- 
rupted by  the  isolated  mountain  called  "  Pilot  Knob." 
At  the  south,  short  isolated  ridges  of  mountains  are 
seen  at  a  great  distance.  Mr.  Pratt  took  a  panoramic 
view  of  the  country  here,  which  will  convey  a  better 
idea  than  any  description  I  can  give. 

The  Gila  was  not  over  fifty  yards  wide  at  its  mouth  ; 
but  its  width  varies  much  in  different  seasons,  being 
influenced  by  the  rise  of  the  Colorado,  as  well  as  the 
state  of  its  own  waters.  The  Colorado  was  now  so  high 
as  to  cause  the  Gila  to  flow  back  full  fifteen  miles. 
The  Gila  was  still  low,  and,  except  near  the  junction, 
but  a  diminutive  stream.  It  is  doubtful  whether  it 
can  ever  be  navigated,  except  at  its  floods,  and  these 
are  by  no  means  regular.  At  such  times  flat-bottomed 
boats  might  pass  to  the  mouth  of  the  Salinas,  near 
the  Pimo  villages. 

The  singular  bend  which  the  Colorado  takes  after 
it  receives  the  Gila,  gives  to  the  United  States  both  its 
banks  for  the  distance  of  seven  miles  from  the  junction, 
or  to  the  point  where  it  resumes  its  southerly  course. 
This  arises  from  the  stipulations  of  the  fifth  article  of  the 
treaty  with  Mexico  defining  the  boundary  line,  which 
says,  that  "  a  straight  line  shall  be  drawn  from  the  mid- 
dle of  the  Rio  Gila,  where  it  unites  with  the  Colorado, 
to  a  point  on  the  coast  of  the  Pacific  Ocean,  distant  one 
marine  league  due  south  of.  the  southernmost  point  of 
the  port  of  San  Diego."  The  land  on  the  southern  bank 
of  the  Colorado  which  we  thereby  obtain  is  of  little  value 
for  agricultural  purposes;  but  should  a  considerable 


AND    THE    ADJACENT    COUNTRY.  161 

town  be  built  where  Fort  Yuma  now  stands,  which  is 
altogether  probable  if  a  railway  should  ever  pass  here, 
it  will  be  an  advantage  to  the  United  States  to  possess 
both  the  banks  of  this  river  for  so  long  a  distance. 

The  bottom-lands  of  the  Colorado  below  the  junc- 
tion bear  the  traces  of  former  cultivation,  acequias 
being  seen  in  many  places.  Whether  this  cultivation 
was  by  the  Spaniards  while  they  had  a  mission  here 
towards  the  close  of  the  last  century,  or  whether  by 
the  Indians  at  an  earlier  period,  is  not  known.  But 
from  the  large  trees,  both  erect  and  fallen,  which  now 
cover  the  bottom,  even  where  the  ditches  appear,  the 
cultivation,  in  my  opinion,  was  anterior  to  the  occupa- 
tion by  the  Spaniards.  I  have  never  seen  bottom-lands 
of  this  character  which  might  be  more  easily  irrigated. 
The  banks  of  both  rivers  are  here  low  ;  and  the  descent 
near  Fort  Yuma  would  permit  the  opening  of  a  canal 
a  few  miles  above,  which  would  irrigate  the  whole 
valley.  When  a  stream  is  far  below  the  level  of  the 
bottom-land,  and  its  fall  but  slight,  it  is  necessary  to 
make  the  canal  so  long  that  the  expense  will  not  war- 
rant the  undertaking.  The  active  and  enterprising 
commander  here  intends  bringing  these  rich  lands  into 
cultivation  as  soon  as  he  has  completed  the  quarters  for 
the  men,  upon  which  he  is  now  engaged.  Should  he 
do  so,  he  will  be  able  to  furnish  his  command  with 
what  they  now  most  stand  in  need  of — a  good  supply 
of  vegetables. 

Close  by  Fort  Yuma  the  traces  of  the  old  Spanish 
Mission  buildings  may  still  be  seen.  These  consist  of 
partly  demolished  stone  walls  of  small  buildings; 
though  a  few  years  since  the  walls  of  a  church  were  also' 

VOL.  II. 11 


162  FORT   YUMA 

visible.  At  the  time  of  our  visit  these  had  been 
removed,  and  used  for  building  the  barracks.  There 
were  two  hundred  soldiers,  artillery  and  infantry, 
here,  under  the  command  of  Major  Heintzelman.  The 
officers  and  men  were  living  in  tents,  covered  with 
sheds  made  of  branches  to  protect  them  from  the  sun. 
The  post  was  established  the  year  previous,  but,  not 
receiving  the  usual  supply  of  provisions,  had  been 
abandoned  for  several  months.  The  command  was  as 
comfortably  situated  as  the  nature  of  the  place  and  its 
inaccessibility  would  allow ;  but  long  deprivation  of 
fresh  provisions  and  vegetables  had  engendered  the 
scurvy  among  the  soldiers. 

The  fort  had  heretofore  been  supplied  by  land 
from  San  Diego,  at  an  enormous  expense ;  but  a  par- 
tially successful  attempt  had  just  been  made  to  supply 
the  place  by  water.  A  vessel  loaded  with  stores  was 
sent  up  the  Gulf  of  California,  and  succeeded  in  getting 
some  distance  up  the  river ;  but  owing  to  the  strong 
current  she  could  not  reach  the  fort.  Wagons  and 
scows  were  therefore  sent  down  to  bring  up  the  pro- 
visions, a  labor  attended  with  nearly  as  much  risk 
and  expense  as  bringing  them  all  the  way  by  land 
from  the  coast.  It  was  in  contemplation  to  procure  a 
small  steamer  for  fetching  the  supplies  from  the  head 
of  the  gulf.  Such  a  vessel  could  meet  with  little  or 
no  difficulty  in  getting  up,  and  could  also  be  used  to 
advantage  in  exploring  the  Colorado  above  the  fort. 

In  connection  with  the  survey  of  the  river  Gila,  it 
was  my  earnest  desire  to  explore  and  survey  that  por- 
tion of  the  river  Colorado  which  extends  from  the 
point  where  it  receives  the  Gila  to  the  Gulf  of  Califor- 


AND    THE   ADJACENT    COUNTRY.  163 

nia,  a  distance  now  understood  to  be  about  one  hun- 
dred and  thirty  miles,  by  the  sinuosities  of  the  river. 

With  this  view,  I  recommended  to  the  Hon.  Alex. 
H.  H.  Stuart,  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  that  Lieuten- 
ant I.  G.  Strain,  of  the  Navy,  an  officer  attached  to  the 
Commission,  should  be  directed  to  take  the  four  iron 
boats  belonging  to  it,  and  survey  the  head  waters  of 
the  Gulf  of  California,  and  the  river  Colorado  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Gila.  Lieutenant  Strain  accordingly 
proceeded  to  Washington,  and  submitted  to  the  Hon. 
Secretary  of  the  Interior  the  plan  embraced  in  the 
following  letter: 

"Washington,  D.  C,  October  31,  1850. 

"  Sir  : — In  reference  to  the  duty  to  which  J.  R.  Bartlett,  Esq.,  the 
United  States  Boundary  Commissioner,  requested  I  should  be  assigned, 
I  have  the  honor  herewith  to  submit  two  projects — one  of  which,  I  hope, 
may  merit  your  approval. 

"  In  assigning  me  to  the  command  of  the  flotilla,  composed  of  four 
boats  belonging  to  the  Boundary  Commission,  it  was  suggested  that — 
in  consideration  of  the  important  results  which  must  accrue  to  the  country 
from  the  early  exploration  and  survey  of  the  river  Colorado  below  its 
junction  with  the  Gila,  as  well  as  that  of  the  upper  waters  of  the  Gulf 
of  California,  without  which  the  former  would  be  nearly  valueless, — the 
Navy  Department  might  be  induced  to  detail  the  requisite  number  of 
seamen  for  the  management  of  the  boats;  which  would  thus  materially 
lessen  the  outlay  of  the  fund  appropriated  for  the  prosecution  of  the 
Boundary  Survey.  No  men  could  be  obtained  better  adapted  to  this 
duty  than  seamen. 

"  The  importance  of  the  examination  proposed  by  Mr.  Bartlett,  is 
obvious  to  every  one  acquainted  with  the  present  state  of  our  new  ter- 
ritories on  the  Pacific,  while  the  peculiar  nature  of  the  case  does  not 
place  the  duties  in  any  particular  department  of  the  government.  The 
examination  of  the  upper  part  of  the  Gulf,  and  that  portion  of  the  Colo- 
rado between  its  mouth  and  junction  with  the  Gila,  cannot  be  consider- 
ed as  pertaining  to  the  '  Coast  Survey,'  as  it  is  entirely  embraced  in  the 


164  FORT   YUMA 

territory  of  the  Mexican  Republic ;  yet  the  treaty  of  Guadalupe  Hidalgo, 
giving  to  our  citizens  free  ingress  to  the  valleys  of  the  Gila  and  Colorado, 
through  the  Gulf,  which  is  the  only  route  available  for  the  purposes  of 
commerce,  makes  an  early  examination  of  equal  importance  to  that  of 
any  portion  of  the  coast  of  our  newly  acquired  territories. 

"  Could  the  sympathies  of  the  Navy  Department  be  enlisted  in 
favor  of  this  examination,  and  crews  assigned  to  the  boats  already  built 
for  the  use  of  the  Boundary  Commission,  the  service  could  be  effectu- 
ally and  economically  performed, 

"  If,  however,  the  government  should  not  deem  such  measures  desir- 
able, I  would  respectfully  suggest  another  project,  which,  though  it 
would  not  possess  all  the  advantages  of  that  already  suggested,  would 
prove  the  most  economical  mode  of  prosecuting  the  explorations  and 
surveys  with  the  funds  which  are  now,  or  may  be  placed  hereafter,  at 
the  disposal  of  the  Interior  Department  and  the  Boundary  Commis- 
sioner, 

"The  second  project  is  as  follows  :  That  the  four  boats  should  be 
dispatched,  in  charge  of  two  passed  midshipmen  and  five  seamen,  in  a 
steamer  which  will  sail  about  the  first  of  December  to  Mazatlan  ;  and 
that  I  should  be  authorized  to  proceed  to  El  Paso,  where  the  Commis- 
sion will  be  compelled  to  winter,  and  obtain  from  the  party  at  that  point 
a  sufficient  number  of  men  to  man  the  boats,  and  proceed  with  them 
overland  to  the  port  of  Guaymas,  on  the  Gulf  of  California,  to  which 
points  the  boats  will  be  conveyed  from  Mazatlan  in  a  coasting  vessel. 

"  From  Guaymas  we  could  easily  ascend  the  Gulf  in  our  boats  to  the 
point  where  it  would  be  desirable  to  commence  our  examinations. 

"  The  advantage  of  this  plan  will  be  its  economy  ;  as  it  will  require  but 
a  few  persons,  who  may  be  obtained  from  the  navy,  in  addition  to  those 
who  are  already  drawing  pay  and  subsistence  from  the  government.  At 
present,  the  number  of  men  forming  the  main  body  of  the  Commission  is 
greater  than  can  be  advantageously  employed ;  while  the  scarcity  of 
provisions  at  El  Paso,  owing  to  the  drought  of  last  season,  will  make 
their  subsistence  enormously  expensive  during  the  winter.  The  horses 
and  mules  now  belonging  to  the  Commission,  will  have  to  be  sold  at  El 
Paso,  or  sustained  at  a  heavy  expense  during  the  winter  :  and  by  em- 
ploying a  portion  of  them  to  transport  the  party  to  Guaymas,  no  addi- 
tional expense  will  be  entailed  upon  the  Survey,  as  they  and  the  men  can 
be  more  economically  subsisted  on  the  journey  than  at  El  Paso. 


AND  THE  ADJACENT  COUNTRY.  165 

"  The  adoption  of  this  plan  would  incur  no  additional  outlay  commen- 
surate with  the  object  in  view,  which  can  never  be  attempted  under 
more  favorable  auspices.  My  opinion  as  to  the  superfluity  of  men  now 
with  the  Commissioner,  you  will  find  supported  by  letters  now  in  your 
department. 

"  My  views  relative  to  the  great  expense  of  subsisting  a  large  party  of 
men  and  animals  at  El  Paso  during  the  ensuing  winter,  will  be  corrobo- 
rated by  Colonel  J.  Rogers,  special  Indian  agent,  who  is  familiar  with 
the  present  state  of  the  country  ;  while  the  opinions  which  I  have  ex- 
pressed, relative  to  the-  importance  of  the  explorations  proposed  by  Mr. 
Bartlett,  you  can  assure  yourself  of  by  reference  to  the  accompanying 
condensed  narrative,  which,  you  will  observe,  confirms  the  opinion  pub- 
lished by  the  Hon.  T.  Butler  King  as  to  the  fertility  of  the  valley  of  the 
Colorado,  and  its  future  importance  to  our  country. 

"To  display  the  feasibility  of  a  journey  from  El  Paso  to  Guaymas,  I 
have  also  inclosed  a  narrative  of  a  journey  through  that  region. 
"  Very  respectfully  your  obedient  servant, 

"  I.  G.  STRAIN, 
"  Lieut.  U.  S.  Navy,  attached  to  Boundary  Survey. 
"  Hon.  Alex.  H.  H.  Stuart, 
Secretary  of  the  Interior." 

The  distinguished  gentlemen  then  at  the  head  of 
the  Interior  Department,  ever  anxious  to  promote  the 
cause  of  science,  and  particularly  where  the  acquisition 
of  knowledge  of  our  newly  acquired  possessions  was 
concerned,  thought  favorably  of  my  suggestion,  and 
the  plan  of  Lieut.  Strain,  and,  as  I  was  informed,  would 
have  permitted  that  officer  to  carry  it  into  effect.  Be- 
fore, however,  he  had  an  opportunity  to  do  so,  Brvt. 
Lt.  Col.  Graham  had  been  detailed  as  Principal  Astrono- 
mer, &c,  to  the  Commission,  and  Mr.  Stuart  deemed  it 
proper  to  refer  Lieutenant  Strain's  letter  and  papers 
to  him.  The  plan,  strange  as  it  may  appear,  was 
objected  to  by  Colonel  Graham.     In  reply,  he  remark- 


166  FORT    YUMA 

ed  that  it  was  "an  injudicious  arrangement,  and  ought 
to  be  dispensed  with  ;"  that,  although  "  by  the  late 
treaty,  our  citizens  have  the  right  of  ingress  and  egress 
through  the  Gulf  of  California,"  we  might  "  give  of- 
fence" to  Mexico  by  the  proceeding ;  and  that  the  ex- 
penses attending  this  Survey  could  not  be  legitimately 
met  from  the  appropriations  granted  by  Congress  for 
the  Survey."  But  the  last  and  most  extraordinary 
assertion  is,  that  such  an  examination  as  Lieutenant 
Strain  proposes,  in  connection  with  the  Survey,  should 
not  be  intrusted  to  a  naval  officer.  "I  have  been 
frequently  engaged  on  surveys  for  the  last  thirty 
years,"  says  Colonel  Graham,  "  of  rivers,  harbors,  and 
portions  of  the  sea-coast,  and  always  found  the  best 
persons  to  manage  the  boats  employed  on  such  service, 
were  the  engineers  and  surveyors  charged  with,  and 
responsible  for,  the  execution  of  the  duty."  Colonel 
Graham's  letter  to  Secretary  Stuart,  embracing  his 
objections,  will  be  found  in  Appendix  E. 

As  the  defeat  of  my  plan  has  been  a  serious  injury 
both  to  government  and  to  commerce,  I  shall  show  that, 
both  by  the  treaty  with  Mexico  and  my  instructions, 
I  had  authority  to  make  the  examination  referred  to. 

The  sixth  article  of  the  treaty  of  Guadalupe  Hidal- 
go provides,  that 

"  The  vessels  and  citizens  of  the  United  States  shall, 
in  all  time,  have  a  free  and  uninterrupted  passage  by 
the  Gulf  of  California,  and  by  the  river  Colorado  below 
its  confluence  with  the  Gila,  to  and  from  their  posses- 
sions situated  north  of  the  boundary  line  defined  in  the 
preceding  [Vth]  article ;  it  being  understood  that  this 
passage  is  to  be  by  navigating  the  Gulf  of  California 


AND  THE  ADJACENT  COUNTRY.  167 

and  the  river  Colorado,  and  not  by  land,  without  the 
express  consent  of  the  Mexican  government." 

The  United  States  government,  knowing  that  oppor- 
tunities would  be  presented,  in  the  course  of  the  exten- 
sive surveys  intrusted  to  me,  to  acquire  important 
geographical  knowledge  relating  to  the  immense 
frontier  along  the  line  to  be  explored  and  surveyed, 
fully  authorized  me  to  seek  such  facts.  In  his  instruc- 
tions to  me,  the  Hon.  Secretary  of  the  Interior  says : 
"  As  the  organization  of  the  Commission  under  your 
charge  has  been  made  for  the  purpose  of  collecting 
information  relative  to  the  country  contiguous  to  the 
boundary  line,  in  addition  to  the  running  of  that  line, 
it  is  desirable  that  you  should  avail  yourself  of  every 
opportunity  afforded  by  your  passage  through  the 
unexplored  regions  of  Texas,  New  Mexico,  and  Cali- 
fornia, to  acquire  information  as  to  its  geography, 
natural  history,  &c,  when  it  can  be  obtained  without 
retarding  the  progress  of  the  Survey."*  My  duties 
required  me  to  send  boats  to  the  mouth  of  the  Gila  to 
survey  that  portion  of  the  river,  as  well  as  to  carry 
provisions  there  for  the  surveying  parties  ;  and  I  should 
have  been  guilty  of  neglect  had  I  not  endeavored  to 
take  advantage  of  this  opportunity  to  examine  the 
upper  part  of  the  gulf,  and  that  portion  of  the  Colo- 
rado between  its  mouth  and  the  junction  with  the 
Gila.  A  minute  survey  of  the .,  entire  gulf,  about 
which  Colonel  Graham  has  made  calculations,  was  not 
contemplated  by  either  Lieutenant  Strain  or  myself. 

The  great  obstacle  to  the  ascent  of  the  Colorado  is 

*  See  Instructions,  Appendix. 


168  FORT    YUMA 

the  tidal  wave  at  its  mouth,  which  has  been  noticed 
by  all  who  have  attempted  to  ascend  it;  and  although 
the  United  States  has  been  in  possession  of  California 
six  years,  no  official  survey,  exploration,  or  reconnois- 
sance  has  yet  been  made  of  the  head  of  the  gulf,  or  of 
the  river  below  the  Gila.  The  want  of  this  is  my 
apology  for  giving  some  notices  of  the  entrance  of 
this  river  by  its  discoverer  and  subsequent  explorers.  * 
As  early  as  the  year  1540,  Fernando  Alarchon,  in 
a  voyage  to  explore  the  Gulf  of  California,  by  order  of 
Antonio  de  Mendoca,  Viceroy  of  New  Spain,  disco- 
vered the  mouth  of  the  Colorado.  It  appears  that 
"  the  pilots  and  the  rest  of  the  company"  made  serious 
objections  to  entering  the  river,  and  proposed  that  the 
fleet  should  return.  "But,"  says  the  persevering  navi- 
gator, in  his  letter  to  Mendoca,  "  because  your  Lord- 
ship commanded  me,  that  I  should  bring  you  the 
secret  of  the  gulf,  I  resolved  that,  although  I  had 
known  I  should  have  lost  the  ships,  I  would  not  have 
ceased  for  any  thing  to  have  seen  the  head  thereof: 
and  therefore  I  commanded  Nicolas  Zamorano,  pilot 
major,  and  Dominico  del  Castello,  that  each  of  them 
should  take  a  boat,  and  their  lead  in  their  hands,  and 
run  in  among  these  shoals,  to  see  if  they  could  find  out 

*  I  should  do  injustice  to  Major  Heintzelman  not  to  notice  his 
efforts  to  explore  the  Colorado  below  Fort  Yuma.  He  was  unprepared 
with  instruments  for  an  accurate  survey  ;  yet  he  did  make  a  reconnois- 
sance  to  ascertain  the  feasibility  of  getting  his  supplies  up,  which  enabled 
him  to  lay  clown  approximately  the  course  of  the  river.  I  am  indebted 
to  him  for  a  copy  of  this  map,  which  is  now  in  the  hands  of  the  engi- 
neers of  the  Commission,  and  is  all  the  material  they  possess  for  making 
a  map  of  this  portion  of  the  country. 


AND  THE  ADJACENT  COUNTRY.  169 

the  channel  whereby  the  ships  might  enter  in ;  to 
whom  it  seemed  that  the  ships  might  sail  up  higher 
(although  with  great  travail  and  danger).  And  in  this 
sort  I  and  he  began  to  follow  our  way  which  they  had 
taken,  and  within  a  short  while  after  we  found  our- 
selves fast  on  the  sands,  with  all  our  three  ships,  in 
such  sort  that  one  could  not  help  another ;  neither 
could  the  boats  succor  us,  because  the  current  was  so 
great  that  it  was  impossible  for  one  of  us  to  come  unto 
another.  Whereupon  we  were  in  such  great  jeopardy 
that  the  deck  of  the  Admiral  was  oftentimes  under 
water  ;  and  if  a  great  surge  of  the  sea  had  not  come 
and  driven  our  ship  right  up,  and  gave  her  leave,  as  it 
were,  to  breathe  a  while,  we  had  there  been  drowned. 
And  likewise  the  other  two  ships  found  themselves  in 
very  great  hazard;  yet  because  they  were  lesser,  and 
drew  less  water,  their  danger  was  not  so  great  as  ours. 
Now,  it  pleased  God,  upon  the  return  of  the  flood,  that 
the  ships  came  on  float  [floated],  and  so  we  went 
forward.  And  although  the  company  would  have 
returned  back,  yet  for  all  this  I  determined  to  go 
forward,  and  to  pursue  our  attempted  voyage  ;  and  we 
passed  forward  with  much  ado,  turning  our  stems  now 
this  way,  now  that  way,  to  seek  to  find  the  channel. 
And  it  pleased  God  that  after  this  sort  we  came  to  the 
very  bottom  of  the  bay ;  where  we  found  a  very 
mighty  river,  which  ran  with  so  great  a  fury  of  stream 
that  we  could  hardly  sail  against  it.  In  this  sort  I 
determined,  as  well  as  I  could,  to  go  up  this  river.  And 
with  two  boats,  leaving  the  third  with  the  ships,  and 
twenty  men,  myself  being  in  one  of  them,  with  Rode- 
rigo  Maldonado,  treasurer  of  this  fleet,  and  Gaspar  de 


170  FORT    YUMA 

Castilleia,  comptroller,  and  with  certain  small  pieces 
of  artillery,  I  began  to  sail  up  the  river."* 

We  hear  little  more  of  attempts  to  enter  the  Colo- 
rado until  those  of  the  missionaries  about  the  middle 
of  the  last  century.  In  1746,  Father  Consag  made  a 
voyage  for  the  purpose  of  exploring  the  Gulf  of  Califor- 
nia. He  reached  its  head,  and  found  the  river.  "  At 
the  entrance,"  he  says,  "is  a  triangular  island,  which 
divides  the  stream  into  two  arms,  one  in  California, 
running  northward,  and  the  other  on  the  opposite  side, 
running  north-west.  The  people  went  ashore,  and 
found  themselves  between  two  rapid  currents  :  one  of 
the  rivers  ebb,  and  in  the  other  the  sea  was  flowing  in 
with  no  less  impetuosity,  so  that  they  had  a  very  narrow 
escape. "f  He  attempted  to  go  up  the  Colorado  ;  but 
the  current  was  so  rapid  that  the  boats  could  not  stem 
it,  and  having  no  ropes  to  tow  them,  the  project  of 
further  exploration  was  abandoned. 

The  only  attempt  in  recent  times  to  enter  the  Colo- 
rado before  the  occupation  of  California  by  the  United 
States,  of  which  I  have  knowledge,  is  that  of  Lieute- 
nant Hardy  of  the  British  navy.  J  This  gentleman  was 
sent  out  by  an  English  company  connected  with  the 
pearl  fishery  in  the  gulf;  and  in  the  course  of  his 
explorations  he  visited  the  Colorado.  He  has  given 
us  a  plan  of  the  mouth  of  the  river,  accompanied  by 
soundings ;  which  bears  every  mark  of  correctness, 
with  the  exception  of  an  error  in  laying  down  the 
river  Gila.     For  this  he  mistook  a  small  branch  falling 


O 


*  Hakluyt's  Voyages,  vol.  iii.,  p.  425.     London  ed.  of  1600. 

f  Venega's  California,  vol.  ii.,  p.  308. 

I  Travels  in  the  Interior  of  Mexico.     London,  1829,  p.  320. 


AND    THE    ADJACENT    COUNTRY.  171 

into  the  Colorado  about  ten  miles  up ;  or  it  may  have 
been  a  sluice  filled  with  the  rushing  water  from  the 
tides  of  the  gulf.  This  latter  I  think  the  more  probable 
supposition.  The  Gila,  as  I  have  already  mentioned, 
is  known  to  enter  the  Colorado  at  more  than  a  hun- 
dred miles  from  its  mouth. 

Lieutenant  Hardy  found  two  small  islands  at  the 
mouth  of  the  river,  and  entered  by  the  western  chan- 
nel ;  where  there  was,  at  the  narrowest  point,  but  a  sin- 
gle fathom  of  water,  the  width  varying  from  ninety 
to  two  hundred  yards.  Owing  to  the  narrowness 
of  the  channel,  he  was  obliged  to  stand  in  so  close  to 
the  shore  that  the  jib-boom  nearly  touched  it.  The 
western  bank  was  here  high  and  perpendicular.  The 
tide  was  running  at  the  rate  of  nine  miles  an  hour. 
With  all  his  care,  the  vessel  was  thrown  on  shore, 
where  she  lay  eight  days.  The  flood  and  ebb  tides 
swept  by  with  the  same  velocity ;  and  on  one  occasion 
the  receding  tide  left  his  vessel  one  hundred  and  fifty 
feet  from  the  water.  He  waited  in  vain  for  slack 
water,  in  order  to  replace  the  rudder,  which  had  been 
unshipped.  "But  in  the  Colorado,"  he  says,  "there  is 
no  such  thing  as  slack  water.  Before  the  ebb  has 
finished  running  the  flood  commences,  boiling  up  full 
eighteen  inches  above  the  surface,  and  roaring  like  the 
rapids  of  Canada." 

Since  the  foregoing  was  written,  I  have  read  an 
account  of  the  most  recent  attempt  to  ascend  the  Colo- 
rado, which  is  given  in  the  accompanying  note.* 

*  This  statement  is  contained  in  the  San  Francisco  Herald  of  June 
11th,  1853: 


172  FORT    YUMA 

A  few  weeks  before  my  arrival  here,  a  fight  took 
place  between  eight  soldiers  and  a  body  of  Yuma 
Indians,  in  which   the  former  were  all   killed.     The 

Mr.  Turnbull  left  San  Francisco  in  the  schooner  General  Patterson, 
with  stoi"es  for  the  garrison  at  Fort  Yuma.  At  the  mouth  of  the  Colo- 
rado he  met  with  a  serious  obstacle  in  the  number  of  sand-banks  and 
the  high  tides.  "  The  tide,"  he  says,  "  rises  from  twelve  to  sixteen  feet 
every  twelve  hours  ;  the  tidal  wave,  being  sometimes  four  feet  high, 
carries  every  thing  before  it.  If  a  vessel  strikes  on  a  sand-bank  at  high 
tide,  she  becomes  high  and  dry  in  a  little  while,  and  may  remain  so  for 
weeks  before  she  can  be  got  off.  Fortunately,  the  General  Patterson, 
shortly  after  entering  the  mouth  of  the  river,  met  a  whale-boat  contain- 
ing the  mates  and  four  of  the  crew  of  a  vessel  belonging  to  Mr.  Turn- 
bull,  which  had  been  lying  in  the  river  for  several  months.  They  had 
been  engaged  in  obtaining  soundings,  and  were  consequently  enabled  to 
pilot  the  Patterson  up,  without  stopping  at  every  moment  to  try  whether 
she  was  over  one  of  the  dreaded  sand-banks.  In  this  way  she  ascended 
the  river  thirty-three  miles  in  two  days,  and  anchored.  No  other  vessel 
had  ever  before  made  the  same  distance  in  less  than  twenty  days.  Mr. 
Turnbull,  with  a  party,  took  a  whale-boat  at  this  point,  and  ascended 
the  river  to  Fort  Yuma,  upwards  of  a  hundred  miles. 

"  The  river  was  swollen  almost  to  a  torrent  by  the  melting  of  the 
snow  at  the  head  waters ;  and  the  country  for  fifteen  miles  on  both 
sides  was  entirely  inundated,  the  water  standing  four  feet  deep  upon  its 
banks.  The  current  was  running  at  the  rate  of  seven  or  eight  miles  an 
hour,  and  multitudes  of  floating;  snao-s  of  trees  were  rushing  down.  So 
completely  was  the  country  overflowed,  that  Mr.  Turnbull  found  in  a 
distance  of  a  hundred  and  twenty-five  miles  but  two  dry  spots  on  the 
banks  where  he  could  cook  his  food.  He  was  obliged  to  sleep  on  board 
his  boat,  as  there  was  no  land  to  be  seen. 

"  Within  a  few  miles  of  Fort  Yuma,  he  heard  of  the  loss  of  the 
steamer  Uncle  Sam,  which  it  was  his  purpose  to  run  regularly  on  the 
Colorado.  He  had  brought  out  machinery  for  her  in  the  Patterson, 
which  would  have  enabled  him  to  stem  the  current  of  the  river,  and 
probably  to  have  ascended  considerably  above  the  Fort.  He  has  not 
yet  given  up  his  purpose,  and  will  take  the  hull  of  another  steamer  out, 
the  machinery  being  still  at  the  Fort." 


AND  THE  ADJACENT  COUNTRY.  173 

Indians  approached  the  soldiers,  and  drew  their  fire, 
when  a  large  number,  who  lav  in  ambush,  rushed  upon 
them  with  the  short  clubs  which  form  their  principal 
weapon,  and  put  them  all  to  death.  Major  Heintzelman 
in  turn  sent  several  parties  against  them,  and  drove 
them  all  from  the  banks  of  the  Colorado  for  some 
eighty  miles  above,  destroying  their  corn  fields  and 
their  villages.  They  had  been  so  cruel  and  treache- 
rous to  the  various  parties  of  Americans  passing 
here,  and  had  manifested  so  much  hostility  towards 
the  troops,  that  it  was  found  useless  to  attempt  to 
conciliate  them,  or  make  any  treaty  with  them, 
unless  they  themselves  were  forced  to  come  in  and  ask 
it.  They  have  often  made  treaties  with  the  Mexicans, 
only  to  break  them  when  a  favorable  opportunity 
offered  to  plunder  and  murder.  When  Lieutenant 
Whipple  was  here,  in  1849,  with  a  party  of  engineers, 
to  determine  the  point  of  junction  between  the  two 
rivers,  and  establish  the  monuments  on  the  boundary 
line,  he  remained  several  months  among  them,  on 
terms  of  intimacy  and  friendship.* 

One  afternoon  while  here,  Major  Heintzelman  and 
myself  made  some  experiments  to  ascertain  the  velocity 
of  the  Colorado  below  the  junction.  The  result  gave 
us  5i  miles  per  hour.     But  it  must  be  remembered 

*  Since  the  above  was  written,  Major  Heintzelman  has  been  com- 
pletely successful  in  reducing  the  Yumas.  He  pressed  them  so  hard 
that  they  at  length  came  in  and  begged  for  peace,  which  was  at  once 
granted  them,  and  a  treaty  made.  They  now  occupy  the  rich  bottom- 
lands near  Fort  Yuma,  which  they  cultivate,  raising  wheat,  corn,  melons, 
beans,  etc. ;  and  the  best  feeling  exists  between  them  and  the  Ameri- 
cans. 


174  FORT   YUMA 

that  the  river  was  then  much  swollen.  When  low,  it 
flows  at  the  rate  of  about  two  miles  an  hour.  It  is 
then  but  four  feet  deep  at  the  fording  place  at  the 
Algodones,  where  we  first  saw  it ;  and  at  such  times 
wagons,  mules,  and  cattle  may  easily  cross.  When 
the  engineering  parties  crossed  here  in  January,  they 
swam  their  mules  and  were  taken  over  in  boats  by 
the  Indians.  By  a  stake  planted  below  the  junction, 
Major  Heintzelman  ascertained  the  rise  of  the  river  to 
have  been  thirteen  feet  and  six  inches,  when  at  its 
highest  point,  which  it  attained  on  the  13th  of  June; 
while  the  Commission  was  here. 

Four  miles  below  Fort  Yuma  are  the  remains  of  a 
fortification  called  Fort  Defiance.  This  is  the  spot  where 
we  first  encamped,  and  were  unable  to  reach  the  water. 
It  was  an  old  ferrying  place,  and  the  scene  of  a  mas- 
sacre by  the  Yumas  the  year  before  our  visit,  the  par- 
ticulars of  which  I  will  state. 

In  1849,  when  large  numbers  of  people  from  the 
United  States  and  the  adjacent  province  of  Sonora  were 
emigrating  to  California,  many  came  by  the  Gila  and 
crossed  the  Colorado  here.  At  this  time,  as  there  was 
no  garrison  on  the  spot,  nor  any  white  settlers,  the 
Yumas  derived  quite  an  advantage  from  aiding  emi- 
grants to  cross,  having  by  some  means  obtained  a  boat 
or  scow  for  the  purpose.  A  party  of  Americans,  see- 
ing a  prospect  of  a  lucrative  business  by  the  establish- 
ment of  a  ferry,  dispossessed  the  Indians  of  their  boat, 
drove  them  from  the  river,  and  would  not  permit  them 
to  help  emigrants  across  or  otherwise  have  any  thing 
to  do  with  them.  The  leader  in  this  affair  was  a  Dr. 
Langdon,  of  Louisiana.     The  ferry  was  established  at 


AND    THE    ADJACENT    COUNTRY.  175 

the  rocky  spur  before  alluded  to ;  upon  which,  directly 
on  the  bank  of  the  river,  they  built  a  rude  fort  wherein 
they  could  defend  themselves.  This,  in  contempt  for 
the  natives  whom  they  had  dispossessed  of  their  rights, 
they  called  Fort  Defiance. 

The  party  which  originally  established  the  ferry 
was  fitted  out  by  J.  P.  Brodie,  Esq.,  a  gentleman  living 
atHermosillo,  in  Sonora,  of  whom  I  have  before  spoken : 
he  advanced  the  money  for  the  purpose,  and  retained 
an  interest  in  it.  While  this  gentleman  had  the  direc- 
tion of  affairs,  no  further  offence  was  given  to  the  In- 
dians, and  emigrants  were  always  treated  well  and  fairly 
dealt  with.  Not  long  after,  however,  a  man  named 
Gallantin  was  employed  by  Dr.  Langdon,  or  in  some 
other  way  became  interested  in  the  ferry.  He  turned 
out  to  be  a  bad  fellow,  and  was  supposed  to  be  a  fugi- 
tive from  justice.  He  treated  the  Indians  most  brutally, 
and  practised  all  sorts  of  impositions  upon  the  passing 
emigrants,  charging  about  four  dollars  a  head  for  every 
one  who  crossed  the  river.  He  also  extorted  large 
sums  from  the  Sonorians  when  returning  to  their  homes 
from  the  mines,  when  he  found  or  believed  they  had 
any  considerable  amount  of  gold  with  them. 

When  Dr.  Langdon  found  out  the  character  of  Gal- 
lantin, he  endeavored  to  get  rid  of  him,  but  found  him- 
self unable  to  do  so.  About  this  time  Gallantin  took 
occasion  to  visit  San  Diego ;  and  there  his  party  got 
into  a  fight,  in  which  a  soldier  was  killed.  Gallantin 
was  arrested  and  imprisoned,  but  made  his  escape  back 
to  the  Colorado  with  a  supply  of  liquor.  The  men 
having  fallen  asleep,  either  from  the  effects  of  liquor  or 
of  fatigue,  the  Yumas,  who  had  watched  their  oppor- 


176  FORT   YUMA 

tunity,  rushed  upon  them  with  their  clubs,  and  massa* 
cred  every  soul  at  the  ferry,  embracing  some  twelve 
or  fifteen  persons.  Three  men  were  at  some  distance 
in  the  wood  cutting  timber;  these,  seeing  from  the 
actions  of  the  Indians  that  something  was  wrong,  suc- 
ceeded in  concealing  themselves,  and  made  their  escape 
by  joining  a  party  of  Mexicans  who  soon  after  came 
along.  A  large  sum  of  money,  all  that  had  been  saved 
by  Langdon  and  Gallantin  (estimated  at  from  fifteen 
to  thirty  thousand  dollars),  fell  into  the  hands  of  the 
Indians  ;  and  this  was  freely  used  by  them  in  supply- 
ing their  wants  from  the  emigrants  who  afterwards 
passed.  They  knew  little  of  the  value  of  gold,  and 
would  sometimes  give  four  or  five  doubloons  for  an 
old  worn-out  blanket,  or  a  gold  eagle  for  a  tattered 
shirt. 

No  sympathy  was  felt  for  the  men  who  had  thus 
lost  their  lives ;  but  the  event  tended  to  encourage  the 
Yumas  in  acts  of  violence,  in  which  many  innocent  and 
unoffending  parties  perished.  I  heard  of  one  occa- 
sion on  which  a  party  of  emigrants  crossed  while  the 
Yumas  retained  the  ferry.  The  Indians  showed  friend- 
ship for  them,  and  assisted  in  making  their  fires  and 
in  taking  charge  of  their  animals.  The  party  cooked 
their  meal,  and  sat  down  quietly  to  eat ;  for  although 
numbers  of  the  Yumas  were  about  their  fires  and  the 
camp,  their  presence  caused  no  uneasiness,  as  they 
were  unprovided  with  arms.  But  on  a  sudden,  at  a 
given  signal,  they  each  seized  a  billet  of  wood  from 
the  fire,  and  knocked  out  the  brains  of  the  Ameri- 
cans. 

The  ferry  is  at  present  well  conducted,  and  though 


AND    THE    ADJACENT    COUNTRY.  177 

the  facilities  for  crossing  are  not  as  great  as  they  might 
be,  they  are  perhaps  as  great  as  the  expenses  of  carry- 
ing it  on  will  warrant.  I  paid  one  dollar  for  each  man, 
two  dollars  for  each  mule  and  ox,  ten  dollars  for  each 
wagon,  ten  dollars  for  each  wagon  load,  one  dollar 
for  each  mule  load,  &c.  The  total  expense  for  cross- 
ing the  Commission  and  the  escort,  amounting  to  five 
hundred  and  four  dollars.* 

Of  the  Indians  who  occupy  the  country  near  Fort 
Yuma,  the  largest  and  most  important  tribe  are  the 
Yumas.  These  people  occupy  both  sides  of  the  Colo- 
rado both  above  and  below  the  junction  with  the  Gila. 
But  how  far  they  extend  to  the  north  is  not  known  ; 
probably  not  less  than  a  hundred  miles.  Of  the  tribes 
to  the  north  of  them,  very  little  is  known.     There  has 

*  In  consequence  of  the  great  demand  in  California  for  sheep,  large 
numbers  have  been  driven  thither  from  New  Mexico,  as  well  as  from  Chi- 
huahua and  Sonora,  all  of  which  cross  the  Colorado  near  Fort  Yuma. 
I  spoke  of  the  heaps  of  dried  carcasses  and  skeletons  which  we  saw  at 
Carrizo  Creek ;  but  it  seems  that  the  desert  is  not  the  only  difficulty 
which  the  owners  have  to  contend  with.  During  the  previous  winter, 
the  Yumas  took  advantage  of  the  temporary  abandonment  of  the  Fort 
by  the  troops,  to  molest  the  parties-  of  passing  emigrants,  particularly 
when  they  could  rob  them  of  their  mules,  cattle,  and  sheep.  The  most 
flagrant  case,  was  the  loss  of  4,217  sheep,  belonging  to  Mr.  Joseph 
White.  He  had  succeeded  in  getting  them  over  the  Colorado  in  safety, 
and  was  preparing  to  cross  the  desert.  But  at  this  time  the  Indians 
began  to  press  them  hard,  killing  and  stealing  the  sheep.  To  add  to  the 
misfortunes  of  the  drovers,  their  water  gave  out,  and  the  sheep  could  not  be 
forced  to  travel  during  the  day  in  consequence  of  the  intense  heat.  The 
men,  to  save  their  lives,  hastened  on  to  the  water,  leaving  the  sheep  until 
they  could  return.  The  Indians,  who  followed  them  close,  took  advan- 
tage of  their  situation,  and  drove  them  off;  and  thus  the  whole  flock 

was  lost. 

vol.  it. — 12 


178  FORT    YUMA 

been  no  communication  with  them  either  by  travellers 
or  by  the  government.  The  early  missionaries  who 
traversed  that  region  have  placed  on  their  maps  seve- 
ral tribes,  whose  very  names  have  now  disappeared. 
On  the  old  maps  there  are  found  west  of  the  Colorado 
the  Genigueh^ihe  Chemeguabas,  the  Jumbuicrariri,  and 
the  Timbabachi,  tribes  of  whose  existence  in  our  day 
we  know  nothing.  The  missionaries  who  mention 
them,  are  correct  in  all  their  statements,  as  far  as  we 
are  now  able  to  judge,  and  it  is  therefore  probable 
that  there  were  small  tribes  bearing  the  above  names. 
Father  Kino,  who  was  here  in  the  year  1700,  mentions 
the  Quiquimas,  Coanpas,  Bajiopas,  and  Cutganes,  while 
the  distinguished  philologist  Hervas,  in  his  "  Catalogo 
de  las  Lenguas,"  names  many  others,  the  authority  for 
which,  is  the  early  missionaries.  At  Fort  Yuma,  we 
heard  of  a  tribe  called  the  Mohavi,  who  occupy  the 
country  watered  by  a  river  of  the  same  name,  which 
empties  into  the  Colorado  about  one  hundred  and  fifty 
miles  above  the  fort.  They  are  said  to  be  a  fine 
athletic  people,  exceedingly  warlike,  and  superior  to 
the  other  tribes  on  the  river.  On  the  eastern  side,  the 
same  missionaries  notice  the  Teliuas,  Cosninas,  and  Mo- 
quis.  A  tribe  of  the  first-named  family  lived  in  New 
Mexico.  The  Cosninas  I  presume  to  be  the  same  as  the 
Coch-nich-nos,  whom  Mr.  Leroux  met  in  his  late  jour- 
ney down  the  Colorado,  although,  on  account  of 
their  hostility,  he  had  no  intercourse  with  them.  The 
Moquis  are  still  known,  being  one  of  the  semi-civilized 
tribes  with  which  we  have  had  some  intercourse.  This 
people  cultivate  the  soil,  raise  numbers  of  sheep,  live 
in  large  villages,   and  manufacture  a  superior  blanket 


AND  THE  ADJACENT  COUNTRY.  179 

both  of  cotton  and  wool.  The  Yuraas  speak  of  the 
Haivalcos  and  Yampaos  tribes,  on  the  eastern  bank 
of  the  river,  who  make  blankets.  The  Mexicans  also 
speak  of  a  tribe  called  the  Tontos,  or  fools,  on  the  east- 
ern bank  of  the  river ;  who' are  said  to  be  allied  to  the 
Apaches.  It  is  probable  that,  with  the  exception  of 
the  great  tribes,  they  are  known  among  each  other  by- 
different  names,  which  have  some  connection  with  the 
mountains  or  rivers  near  which  they  dwell,  or  with 
some  peculiarity  which  distinguishes  them  from  each 
other.  Thus  the  Yumas  are  also  called  Cuchans  ;  and, 
as  I  have  before  stated,  the  Diegenos,  who  derive  their 
name  from  San  Diego,  are  the  Comeya  of  early  times. 
It  is  also  certain  that  many  tribes  which  the  mission- 
aries found  in  California  and  the  northern  parts  of 
Mexico,  are  now  extinct.*  On  the  Gila,  no  tribes  have 
any  fixed  habitation,  nor  are  anjr  lands  irrigated  and 
cultivated,  until  the  district  occupied  by  the  Coco-Mari- 
copas  and  Pimos  is  reached,  two  hundred  miles  to  the 
east.  The  Yumas  occasionally  range  up  and  down  the 
Gila,  but  only  on  predatory  excursions.  They  strictly 
belong  to  the  Colorado  near  the  junction  with  the  Gila, 
where  they  were  found  by  the  earliest  explorers. 

Between  the  Gila  and  the  Gulf,  and  near  the  latter, 
there  is  also  found  a  tribe  called  the  Cocopas.  They 
occasionally  visit  Fort  Yuma,  and  profess  to  be  at  peace 
with  the  Americans.  They  are  less  numerous  than  the 
Yumas,  with  whom  they  are  at  war.  Recently  a  party 
of  the  Yumas  were  surprised  by  them,  their  chief  and 

*  Of  the  existing  and  extinct  tribes  of  Indians   I  shall  speak  at 
length  in  my  Essay  on  the  Ethnology  of  these  countries. 


180  FORT   YUMA 

many  others  killed,  and  the  party  completely  routed. 
At  the  latest  accounts  the  Yumas  were  preparing  for 
a  campaign  against  them ;  and  as  their  numbers  are 
much  larger,  it  may  result  in  the  annihilation  of  the 
Cocopas,  who  would  not  be  the  first  tribe  which  the 
warlike  Yumas  have  extinguished. 

When  Lieutenant  Whipple  was  at  the  junction  of 
the  Colorado  and  Gila  rivers,  in  1849,  engaged  in 
astronomical  observations  for  the  Boundary  Commis- 
sion, he  was  constantly  surrounded  by  the  Yuma  In- 
dians, and  had  therefore  a  good  opportunity  to 
observe  their  habits.  He  has  permitted  me  to  copy 
from  his  journal  the  following  notices  of  them.  When 
he  reached  the  Colorado,  he  was  met  by  Santiago,  one 
of  the  chiefs,  who  conducted  his  party  to  their  village, 
where  they  were  surrounded  by  great  numbers  of  the 
Indians.  "  The  women  are  generally  fat,  and  their 
dress  consists  of  a  fringe  made  of  strips  of  bark,  bound 
round  the  hips  and  hanging  loosely  to  the  middle  of 
the  thighs.  The  men  are  large,  muscular,  and  well 
formed.  Their  countenances  are  pleasing,  and  seem 
lighted  by  intelligence.  Their  warriors  wear  the  white 
breech ;  and  their  hair  hanging  in  plaits  to  the  middle 
of  their  backs,  is  adorned  with  eagle's  feathers,  and  the 
rattle  of  a  rattlesnake.  They  are  exquisite  horsemen, 
and  carry  their  bow  and  lance  with  inimitable  grace." 
While  the  party  remained  at  the  lower  crossing  wait- 
ing for  a  road  to  be  cut,  the  Indians  were  very  sociable, 
carrying  them  grass,  beans,  melons,  and  squashes ;  for 
which,  they  received  in  return  tobacco  or  money. 
They  professed  great  friendship  for  the  Americans, 
and  declared  that  they  "had  never  stolen  from  the 


AND  THE  ADJACENT  COUNTRY.  181 

emigrants,  nor  maltreated  them  in  any  way ;  but  the 
Indians  higher  up,  and  near  the  mouth  of  the  Gila,  they 
represented  as  being  a  desperate  set  of  rascals."  Lieut. 
Whipple  afterwards  met  the  head  chief,  Pablo,  who 
wore  a  scarlet  coat  trimmed  with  gold  lace,  with  epau- 
lettes of  silver  wire,  and,  to  crown  all,  green  goggles. 
His  legs  and  feet  were  bare,  but  he  did  not  allow  that 
to  detract  from  the  dignity  of  his  manner.  At  this 
time  the  Yumas  had  extensive  fields  of  maize,  and 
patches  of  melons  and  squashes. 

When  the  party  under  Dr.  Webb  crossed  the  Colo- 
rado, in  January,  the  good  feelings  of  these  Indians 
towards  the  Americans  had  changed.  They  had 
already  murdered  the  party  of  Dr.  Langdon  and  Gal- 
lanton,  and  had  had  difficulties  with  several  parties  of 
emigrants.  Dr.  Webb  and  his  companions,  therefore, 
held  but  little  intercourse  with  them.  The  Indians 
ferried  them  across  the  river,  taking  the  opportunity  to 
drown  a  mule  or  two,  which  they  afterwards  secured 
and  ate.  At  the  same  time  Mr.  Pratt  took  some  sketches 
and  portraits  of  them,  and  Dr.  Webb  obtained  a  com- 
plete vocabulary  of  their  language. 

I  have  before  stated  that  Fernando  Alarchon  dis- 
covered and  entered  the  Colorado  in  the  year  1542. 
The  narrative  of  his  remarkable  voyage  at .  this  early 
period  shows  that  the  zeal  for  adventure  and  discovery 
was  quite  as  great  at  that  period  as  now.  He  states 
that  he  went  up  the  river  eighty-five  leagues,  which  is 
quite  probable ;  when  his  further  progress  was  arrested 
by  lofty  mountains,  through  which  the  river  ran, 
where  it  was  impossible  to  draw  their  boats.  This 
was  unquestionably  the  great  canon,  where  the  moun- 


182  FORT    YUMA 

tains  cross  the  river,  and  through  which  it  has  worked 
for  itself  a  deep  channel.  This  canon  is  known  to  all 
the  trappers,  and  is  said  to  extend  from  two  to  three 
hundred  miles,  throughout  which  distance  it  is  only 
passable  in  two  or  three  places.  As  he  progressed, 
Alarchon  made  diligent  inquiries  about  the  country 
and  people.  In  reply  he  was  told  that  the  river  ran 
much  further  up  into  the  land  than  he  had  yet  come  ; 
but  his  informers  did  not  know  its  head,  as  it  was  still 
very  far  in  the  interior.  He  learned  also  that  many 
other  streams  fell  into  it.  As  far  as  he  went,  he  found 
the  natives  cultivating  maize.  They  brought  him  cakes 
of  maize  and  loaves  of  mezquique*  Neither  wheat  nor 
beans  were  known  to  them.  To  ascertain  this  fact, 
our  traveller  took  with  him  these  articles,  which  he 
showed  the  Indians,  and  at  which  "  they  expressed 
much  wonder."  He  found  cotton  growing,  but  nowhere 
saw  any  fabrics  made  of  it ;  whence  he  naturally  was 
led  to  believe  that  they  knew  not  the  art  of  spinning 
and  weaving.  The  natives  told  him  that  there  were 
twenty-three  different  languages  spoken  along  the 
river. 

It  is  a  singular  fact,  that  although  Francisco  de 
Ulloa  explored  the  Gulf  of  California  in  1539,  and 
Alarchon  in  1542,  at  which  time  the  latter  discovered 
and  passed  up  the  Colorado,  the  fact  that  California  had 
been  ascertained  to  be  a  peninsula  came  to  be  forgot- 
ten, and  it  was  regarded  as  an  island  until  some  time 

*  I  imagine  the  mezquique  to  be  flour  made  of  the  mezquit  bean, 
which  is  now  used  by  the  California  Indians,  as  well  as  by  the  Coco-Ma- 
ricopas  and  Pimos  of  the  Gila. 


AND  THE  ADJACENT  COUNTRY.  183 

between  the  years  1698  and  1 701.  This  rediscovery  was 
made  by  Fathers  Kino  and  Sedlemayer,  two  of  the  ear- 
liest and  most  distinguished  of  the  Jesuit  missionaries, 
who  in  consequence  were  able  to  open  a  communication 
by  land  with  the  missions  of  Lower  California,  which  had 
already  been  established.*  Kino,  next  to  Alarchon, 
followed  up  the  Colorado  beyond  its  confluence  with 
the  Gila;  and  was  the  first  to  preach  the  Gospel 
among  the  Indians,  who  were  then  very  numerous  in 
this  region.  He  made  five  separate  journeys  to  the 
Gila  and  Colorado  Rivers  between  the  years  1694  and 
1706  ;  and  on  one  occasion  intended  to  cross  over  to 
Monterey,  in  Upper  California,  from  which  he  was  only 
prevented  by  an  accident.  He  established  a  mission 
near  the  mouth  of  the  Colorado  and  one  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Gila.  The  former  did  not  last  many  years.  The 
latter  was  in  existence  as  late  as  1776,  when  Fathers 
Pedro  Font  and  Garces  came  with  a  large  party  from 
Sonora  to  replenish  the  missions  of  California,  but 
chiefly  that  at  Monterey. f  Fathers  Garces  and  Ei- 
rarch  remained  at  the  Colorado,  and  Font  proceeded  to 
the  coast.     Garces  afterwards  made  extensive  journeys 

*  This  question  seems  to  have  awakened  much  interest  among  the 
geographers  of  the  period.  Captain  Mange  accompanied  Father  Kino 
in  the  journey  referred  to,  and  his  letter  announcing  the  discovery,  with 
great  detail,  is  given  in  Alegrd's  Hist,  de  la  Comp.  de  Jesus  en  JYueva 
Espana.     Vol.  III. 

j-  I  obtained  in  Monterey,  by  the  kindness  of  Dr.  A.  Randall,  a  copy 
of  the  manuscript  journal  of  Father  Pedro  Font,  together  with  the  map 
which  illustrates  both  the  journeys  of  Font  and  Garces.  The  existence 
of  this  map  was  not  before  known,  and  it  may  be  regarded  as  of  great 
value. 


184        FORT    YUMA   AND    THE    ADJACENT    COUNTRY. 

up  the  Colorado,  and  established  a  mission  among  the 
Moquis.  He  was  soon  after  killed  by  the  Indians,  and 
the  Colorado  Mission  destroyed. 

Note. — I  have  several  times  spoken  of  the  state  of  the  thermometer. 
At  all  times  it  was  placed  beneath  the  shade  of  a  tree,  and  hanging 
against  it.  In  no  case  was  it  hnng  in  the  tent,  where  the  heat  was 
much  greater.  Our  barometers  had  all  been  broken  before  reaching  the 
Colorado,  except  mine,  an  aneroid,  which  I  gave  to  Lieutenant  Whipple, 
in  order  that  his  records  might  be  kept  complete.  So  with  my  ther- 
mometer. It  was  lost,  and  I  was  afterwards  obliged  to  refer  to  Lieute- 
nant Whipple's.  Before  leaving  Fort  Yuma,  Dr.  J.  L.  Milhau,  surgeon 
of  the  post,  at  my  request,  kindly  furnished  me  with  a  copy  of  the  me- 
teorological register  kept  at  the  Fort  for  the  month  previous  to  my  de- 
parture, from  which  I  have  made  the  annexed  extract : 

State  of  the  Thermometer  {Fahrenheit)  at  Fort  Yuma,  at  the  junction 
of  the  Colorado  and  Gila  Rivers,  from  May  20£A  to  June  l§th.    Lat. 
•  32°,  42',  09".     Long.  W.  from  Greenwich,  117°,  37',  09". 


1852. 

Sun 

Nine, 

Three, 

Nine 

Daily 

1852 

Sun 

Nine, 

Three, 

Nine, 

Daily 

rise. 

A.  M. 

P.  M. 

P.  M. 

mean. 

rise. 

A.M. 

P.M. 

P.  M. 

mean. 

May  20.... 

60 

74 

88 

78 

79 

June  3.... 

68 

86 

98 

82 

83 

"  21.... 

64 

78 

84 

72 

74 

"   4.... 

70 

87 

98 

86 

84 

"  22.... 

66 

73 

82 

70 

74 

"   5.... 

76 

94 

102 

88 

89 

"  23.... 

64 

76 

92 

80 

78 

"   6.... 

76 

94 

106. 

88 

91 

"  24.... 

68 

82 

96 

88 

82 

"   7.... 

74 

92 

104 

86 

89 

"  25.... 

72 

84 

92 

92 

89 

"   8.... 

76 

90 

102 

92 

89 

"  26 

74 

87 

104 

88 

89 

"   9.... 

78 

94 

104 

90 

91 

"  27.... 

72 

91 

104 

94 

88 

"  10.... 

79 

94 

105 

86 

92 

"  28.... 

78 

93 

104 

93 

91 

"  11.... 

74 

92 

106 

90 

90 

"  29.... 

78 

92 

104 

90 

91 

"   12.... 

74 

90 

104 

as 

89 

"  30.... 

78 

94 

104 

88 

91 

"  13.... 

74 

86 

102 

82 

88 

"  31.... 

74 

90 

100 

82 

87 

"   14.... 

72 

82 

92 

84 

8-2 

June  1.... 

76 

88 

104 

82 

90 

"   15.... 

72 

84 

98 

82 

85 

"   2.... 

74 

88 

102 

84 

88 

"   16.... 

72 

88 

98 

80 

85 

In  this  case  the  thermometer  was  suspended  beneath  a  thick  bower 
of  bushes,  which  effectually  shut  out  the  sun  at  all  times,  while  there 
was  a  free  circulation  of  air  around.  The  Fort  stands  on  an  isolated 
rock  about  eighty  feet  above  the  plaiu. 


FORT   YUMA   TO    THE    COCO-MARICOPA   VILLAGES.      185 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

FORT   YUMA  TO  THE  COCO-MARICOPA  VILLAGES. 

Leave  Fort  Yuma — Absence  of  grass  along  the  Gila — Petahaya  or  Giant 
Cereus — Gila  trout — Meet  the  surveying  party — Inscribed  rocks — Ex- 
cessive heat — Night  marches — Wagons  found — How  caches  are  made — 
Particulars  of  the  murder  of  Mr.  Oatman  and  his  wife — Basin  of  the 
Gila — More  sculptured  rocks — Cross  the  Jornada — Great  bend  of  the 
river — Another  desert — Toilsome  march — Beach  the  Ooco-Maricopa 
vl 


June  17th.  Major  Heintzelman  told  me  this  morning 
that,  from  the  peculiar  barking  of  the  dogs  during  the 
night,  he  believed  the  Indians  had  been  near  the  fort. 
Soon  after  one  of  the  herdsmen  came  in,  and  reported 
that  he  had  discovered  many  Indian  foot-prints  around 
the  base  of  the  hill.  The  ferrymen,  who  slept  near, 
were  aroused  at  the  same  time,  and  saw  from  the  hill 
two  fires  in  opposite  directions,  two  or  three  miles 
distant,  near  the  banks  of  the  Colorado.  They  were 
doubtless  intended  for  signals.  A  party  of  soldiers 
was  sent  out  to  reconnoitre  in  the  bottom  around  the 
fort ;  and  subsequently  a  detachment  of  fifteen,  under 
command  of  Lieutenant  Hendershott,  was  dispatched 
on  a  scout. 

Our  wagons  now  being  completed  and  every  thing 
in  readiness,  we  bade  farewell  to  our  excellent  friends, 


186  FORT   YUMA 

and  at  four  o'clock,  p.  M.,  crossed  the  river  to  our  camp 
on  the  opposite  shore,  accompanied  by  Major  Heintz- 
elman.  The  mercury  at  noon  to-day  stood  at  100° 
Fahrenheit. 

June  IStJi.  We  took  our  departure  at  five  o'clock 
in  the  morning.  As  Lieutenant  Whipple  was  actively 
employed  in  completing  the  survey  of  the  Gila,  my 
own  party  was  reduced  to  Dr.  Webb,  Messrs.  G.  Thur- 
ber,  H.  C.  Pratt,  and  M.  Seaton,  which  last  was  return- 
ing to  rejoin  his  party  on  the  Rio  Grande.  We  had 
also,  of  course,  the  necessary  attendants  in  servants, 
cooks,  arrieros,  and  herders ;  and  were  accompanied  by 
Lieutenant  Paige,  with  fifteen  soldiers.  Lieutenant 
Whipple  retained  the  remaining  men  of  Colonel  Craig's 
command,  and  twelve  of  those  furnished  by  Major 
Heintzelman.  Our  provisions,  baggage,  and  camp 
equipage  were  carried  partly  in  wagons  and  partly  on 
pack-mules. 

We  took  the  travelled  road,  which  we  followed  for 
two  or  three  hours  along  the  bottom-land  on  the 
south  bank  of  the  Gila,  and  then  turned  off  and  fol- 
lowed the  trail  of  Lieutenant  Whipple,  which  led  to 
the  river.  After  pursuing  this  route  a  couple  of  miles, 
we  got  entangled  in  so  dense  an  undergrowth,  inter- 
spersed with  little  hillocks  and  dead  trees,  that  our 
progress  was  completely  stopped.  Fearing  that  our 
wagons  would  be  broken  if  we  proceeded,  we  turned 
back  and  attempted  to  regain  the  road ;  but  in  this 
direction  the  same  impediments  presented  themselves. 
Being  thus  brought  to  a  stand,  I  sent  men  out  to  find 
the  river,  as  we  had  already  been  so  long  tugging 
through    the   bottom  that    our  mules   showed   much 


TO    THE    COCO-MARICOPA   VILLAGES.  187 

weariness.  The  Gila  was  discovered  within  half  a 
mile  ;  and  after  doubling  the  teams  to  cross  a  bed  of 
loose  sand,  we  succeeded  in  reaching  it,  and  there  we 
encamped.  No  grass  was  found ;  but  the  mules  ate 
with  avidity  the  cane  which  grew  on  the  river's  banks. 
Distance  travelled,  fifteen  miles. 

June  19th.  Left  camp  at  six  o'clock;  and  after  pro- 
ceeding through  loose  sand  and  arroyos,  and  cutting 
our  way  through  the  jungle  which  grew  near  the 
stream,  we  reached  the  road,  and  soon  after  a  spur 
of  the  mountain  ridge  around  which  the  river  ran.  In 
going  down  a  short  and  steep  hill,  the  king-bolt  of  one 
of  the  wagons  broke,  in  consequence  of  which  we 
were  compelled  to  unload  it,  which  detained  us  about 
an  hour.  Continuing  our  journey,  we  struck  the  Gila 
at  one  o'olock ;  where,  to  our  agreeable  surprise,  we 
found  a  small  patch  of  coarse  grass,  the  first  we  had 
seen,  excepting  a  tuft  here  and  there  on  the  desert, 
since  leaving  San  Felipe.  For  the  fifteen  days  since 
we  left  that  place  our  animals  had  lived  almost  exclu- 
sively upon  the  mezquit  bean,  and  twigs  of  willow, 
cotton-wood,  and  mezquit  bushes.  We  encamped  here, 
having  come  twelve  miles. 

The  bottom  here  does  not  exceed  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  in  width,  owing  to  the  proximity  of  the  moun- 
tains on  each  side  of  the  river.  The  vegetation  con- 
sists of  willow  and  mezquit.  We  found  that  Lieutenant 
Whipple  had  had  a  station  near  us,  and  had  moved 
forward  but  an  hour  before  our  arrival. 

June  20th.  Resumed  our  journey  at  half-past  five 
in  the  morning,  over  a  sandy  road,  and  soon  after  left 
the  bottom  and  ascended  to  the  table-land,  here  ele- 


188  FORT   YUMA 

vated  about  forty  feet  above  it.  The  vegetation  con- 
sisted of  mezquit  and  palo  verde. 

After  journeying  about  six  miles,  we  overtook  Lieu- 
tenant Whipple  with  the  surveying  party,  and  agreed 
to  encamp  together  six  miles  further  ahead.  We  pro- 
ceeded to  the  point  fixed  on,  which  we  reached  at  11 
o'clock  and  pitched  our  tents,  having  made  but  twelve 
miles.  The  bottom-land  continued  narrow,  the  desert 
approaching  quite  near  on  both  sides  of  the  river. 
There  was  no  grass ;  but  with  cane  and  mezquit,  our 
mules  did  very  well. 

On  the  northern  side  of  the  river,  arose  a  mountain 
chain  about  twelve  miles  distant,  presenting  a  con- 
tinuation of  fantastic  summits,  among  which  were  three 
resembling  the  tops  of  Hindu  pagodas.  I  took  a  sketch 
of  these  singular  mountains ;  although  at  such  a  dis- 
tance, but  little  more  than  the  outlines  could  be  dis- 
cerned. 

To-day,  for.  the  first  time  since  leaving  Fort  Yuma, 
we  again  encountered  our  friend  the  petahay a,  or  Giant 
Cereus,  which  we  had  met  with  the  preceding  Septem- 
ber in  Sonora  ;  and  much  to  our  delight,  we  found  it  in 
bloom.  The  fruit,  too,  appeared  in  various  stages  of 
perfection.  As  no  full  and  correct  description  has  yet 
been  given  to  the  world  of  this  extraordinary  produc- 
tion of  the  vegetable  kingdom,  and  as  I  had  the  advan- 
tage of  seeing  it  at  different  periods  of  the  year,  in  flower 
as  well  as  in  fruit,  I  shall  endeavor  to  give  a  popular 
account  of  it.  The  buds,  flowers,  fruit,  seed,  &o,  were 
collected  by  Mr.  George  Thurber,  Botanist  to  the  Com- 
mission ;  and  by  him  a  scientific  description  of  it  will 
be  prepared,  with  the  aid  of  a  distinguished  botanist 


TO    THE    COCO-MARICOPA   VILLAGES. 


189 


who  has  paid  particular  attention  to  the  cactacea  of 
North  America. 


JlfillM 

mm  km 

•    .  1    \   Hi    i 


jliPf 

lif 


-9 


Petahaya. 

This  curious  plant  is  found  on  the  high  table-lands 
on  either  side  of  the  Gila,  and  in  various  parts  of  the 
State  of  Sonora,  growing  often  in  the  crevices  of  rocks, 
and  in  other  situations  where  it  would  seem  difficult 
for  any  vegetable  production  to  find  sustenance.  The 
forms  it  assumes  are  various ;  sometimes  rising  like  a 
simple  fluted  column,  although  more  frequently  it  is 
furnished  with  several  branches,  which,  after  leaving 
the  main  trunk,  turn  gracefully  upwards  and  rise  paral- 


190  FORT    YUMA. 

lei  with  it.  Sometimes  the  branches  are  singularly 
contorted  ;  but  usually,  their  disposition  is  symmetri- 
cal, and  the  appearance  of  the  whole  plant  has  been, 
not  inaptly,  compared  to  that  of  a  giant  candelabrum. 
The  stem  is  from  one  foot  to  two  feet  six  inches  in 
diameter,  usually  smaller  near  the  base,  and  from  twen- 
ty to  fifty  feet  in  height.  This  immense  column  is 
admirably  strengthened  by  a  circle  of  ribs  of  strong  and 
elastic  wood,  which  are  imbedded  in  the  cellular  mass 
of  the  plant,  several  inches  within  the  circumference, 
and  extend  to  the  roots.  This  woody  portion  remains 
after  the  fleshy  substance  of  the  plant  decays,  looking 
like  a  huge  skeleton.  The  stem  is  marked  with  longi- 
tudinal furrows,  which  are  shallow  towards  the  ground, 
and  deeper  and  more  numerous  towards  the  summit; 
and  above  the  ribs  it  is  thickly  set  with  clusters  of 
spines  or  thorns.  Of  these  there  are  six  large  and 
numerous  small  ones,  in  each  cluster.  As  the  plant 
increases  in  age,  the  larger  spines  fall  off,  leaving  a  ray 
of  smaller  ones,  which  lie  close  to  the  stem. 

Most  travellers  who  have  noticed  this  cereus,  have 
not  been  fortunate  enough  to  see  the  fruit  and  flower, 
but  have  derived  their  accounts  of  them  from  the  In- 
dians. On  our  passage  across  the  country  in  Septem- 
ber, October,  November,  and  December,  we  saw  the 
tree  ;  and  on  our  return  in  June  and  July,  we  had  the 
satisfaction  of  beholding  the  fruit  in  perfection,  and 
occasional  specimens  of  the  flower.  The  plant  proba- 
bly blooms  late  in  May,  or  early  in  June  ;  and  the  fruit 
is  matured  in  July  and  August.  The  flowers  are  borne 
on  the  summits  of  the  branches,  are  three  inches  in 
diameter,  and  about  the  same  in  length.     The  petals 


TO    THE    COCO-MARICOPA    VILLAGES.  191 

are  stiff  and  curling,  and  of  a  cream -white  color.  The 
stamens  are  yellow  and  very  numerous.  The  fruit 
is  about  the  size  and  shape  of  an  egg ;  sometimes 
rather  longer  than  the  true  egg  shape,  having  a  few 
small  scales,  without  spines.  The  color  of  the  fruit  is 
green  tinged  with  red,  when  fully  ripe.  It  consists  of 
an  outer  coat  or  skin  filled  with  a  red  pulp,  inclosing 
numerous  small,  bla.ck,  smooth  seeds.  The  fruit,  when 
mature,  bursts  at  the  top  and  exposes  the  pulp,  which  at 
this  time  is  rather  mawkish  to  the  taste ;  but  a  few 
days1  exposure  to  the  sun  dries  it  to  about  one  third  its 
original  bulk,  and  the  whole  mass  drops  out  of  the 
skin.  In  this  state  it  has  the  consistency  of  the  pulp 
of  a  dried  fig ;  and  the  saccharine  matter  being  concen- 
trated by  drying,  it  somewhat  resembles  that  fruit  in 
taste.  The  Pimo  and  other  Indians,  collect  the  pulp 
and  roll  it  into  balls  ;  in  which  state  it  probably  keeps 
the  whole  year,  as  it  was  offered  to  our  party  which 
passed  through  in  January.  They  also  boil  the  pulp 
in  water,  and  evaporate  it  to  the  consistence  of  molas- 
ses; after  which,  it  is  preserved  in  earthen  jars.* 

*  It  has  been  supposed  that  the  petahaya  was  first  made  known  by 
Major  Emory  in  his  Notes  of  a  Military  Reconnoisance,  &c.  in  1847 : 
but  I  shall  show  that  the  plant  is  by  no  means  new,  and  that  it  has  been 
noticed  by  many  of  the  earlier  travellers  in  the  region  where  it  is  found. 

In  describing  the  plants  of  California,  Venegas  says,  "  The  principal 
is  the  petahaya,  the  fruit  of  which  forms  the  great  harvest  of  the  poor 
inhabitants  here.  This  tree  is  not  known  in  Europe,  and  differs  from 
all  other  trees  in  the  world :  its  branches  are  fluted  and  rise  vertically 
from  the  stem,  so  as  to  form  a  very  beautiful  top ;  they  are  without 
leaves,  the  fruit  growing  to  the  boughs ;  the  pulp  resembles  that  of  a 
fig,  only  more  soft  and  luscious.  In  some  it  is  white,  in  some  red,  and  in 
others  yellow,  but  always  of  an  exquisite  taste ;  some  again  are  wholly 


192  FORT    YUMA 

A  number  of  the  fish  called  by  Major  Emory  the 
u  Gila  trout "  were  caught  near  our  camp  by  Mr. 
Pratt  with  a  hook  and  line.  They  proved  very  pala- 
table, where  fresh  fish  is  such  a  rarity ;  but  the  flesh  is 
quite  soft,  owing  to  the  warmth  of  the  water,  and 
would  scarcely  be  tolerated  on  the  tables  of  the  Atlan- 
tic coast.  "  At  a  little  distance,"  says  Major  E.,  "  you 
will  imagine  the  fish  covered  with  delicate  scales; 
but,  on  a  closer  examination,  you  will  find  that  they 


sweet,  others  of  a  grateful  acid.  And  as  the  petahaya  is  very  juicy,  it 
is  chiefly  found  in  dry  soil." — Natural  and  Civil  History  of  Califor- 
nia.    London,  1759.  Vol.  I.  p.  42. 

Father  Salva  Tierra,  one  of  the  most  laborious  of  the  California 
missionaries,  and  who  resided  in  that  country  in  1697,  speaks  of  the 
festivities  among  the  Indians  on  the  occasion  of  gathering  the  petahaya. 
"  The  three  petahaya  months,"  he  says,  "resemble  the  carnival  in  some 
parts  of  Europe,  when  the  men  are  in  a  great  measure  stupefied  or  mad. 
The  natives  here,  also,  throw  aside  what  little  reason  they  have,  giving 
themselves  up  to  feastings,  dancings,  entertainments  of  the  neighboring 
rancherias,  buffooneries,  and  comedies,  such  as  they  are  ;  and  in  these 
whole  nights  are  spent  to  the  high  diversion  of  the  audience." — Vol. 
II.  p.  82. 

Alcedo  has  the  following  article  respecting  it: 

"Pita  Haya  ( Cactus  Pitakaya).  Arbol  grande  y  muy  singular  ; 
porque  sus  ramas  son  al  modo  de  cirios  histriados,  que  salien  derechos 
desde  su  tronco  acia  lo  alto,  no  Uevan  hoja  alguna,  y  en  la  misma  rama 
nace  pagada  la  fruta,  que  tiene  la  corteza  llena  de  espinas,  y  se  parece 
algo  a  los  higos  de  tuna,  aunque  la  carne  es  mas  blanca  y  delicada ; 
unas  la  tienen  roxa  y  otras  amarilla  distinguiendose  tambien  en  dulces 
y  agridulces  ;  pero  muy  sabrosas.  Monardes  C  da  el  nombre  de  Car- 
din  y  abunda  en  el  Jardin  Botanico  de  esta  Corte. — Dicctionario  Geo- 
grafico  Historico,  Tomo  V.  Appendix,  p.  152.      Madrid,  1789. 

On  referring  to  Monardes,  I  find  his  description  does  not  correspond 
to  the  Petahaya,  whence  it  is  evident  he  had  reference  to  something  else. 

But  Hernandi,  another  Spanish  botanist,  has  a  very  full  description 


TO    THE    COCO-MARICOPA   VILLAGES.  193 

are  only  the  impression  of  scales"  I  cannot  imagine 
what  led  to  this  mistake  on  the  part  of  the  Major ;  for  a 
mistake  it  certainly  is.  Scales  were  as  plainly  seen  on 
all  we  caught  as  upon  any  fish ;  and  I  found  no  diffi- 
culty in  taking  them  off  with  my  finger-nails  from  the 
smallest  specimens.  We  caught  them  at  different 
times  from  eight  to  eighteen  inches  in  length. 

After  coming  into   camp  to-day,  I  determined  to 
push  on  with  my  party  to  the  villages  of  the  Pimo 

of  what  he  calls  the  Petahaya  Tepexicensis,  which  is  undoubtedly  the 
plant  in  question. — See  Historia  Plantarum  Novce  Hispanim. — Vol.  II. 
p.  170.     Vol.  III.  p.  94.     Matriti,  Anno  mdccxxxx. 

Baron  Humboldt  says,  "At  the  foot  of  the  mountains  of  California, 
we  discover  only  sand,  or  a  stony  stratum,  on  which  cylindrical  cacti 
(organos  del  tunal)  shoot  up  to  extraordinary  heights." — Polit.  Essay 
on  New  Spain,  Vol.  II.  p.  328.  This  name  is  probably  derived,  first, 
from  the  fiutings  of  the  stem,  which  resemble  the  pipes  of  an  organ ;  and 
second,  from  the  resemblance  which  the  fruit  has  in  taste  to  the  tunal, 
or  Indian  fig. 

Pattie,  an  Indian  trader  and  trapper,  who  spent  six  years  (from  1824 
to  1829)  in  the  interior  parts  of  the  continent,  during  which  period  he 
passed  several  times  up  and  down  the  Gila,  says,  "  A  species  of  tree,  which 
I  had  never  seen  before,  here  arrested  my  attention.  It  grows  to  the 
height  of  forty  or  fifty  feet.  The  top  is  cone-shaped,  and  almost  without 
foliage.  The  bark  resembles  that  of  the  prickly  pear  ;  and  the  body  is 
covered  with  thorns.  I  have  seen  some  three  feet  in  diameter  at  the 
root,  and  throwing  up  twelve  distinct  shafts." — Personal  Narrative  of 
Six  Years  Journeyings,  &c.  p.  68. 

Again,  this  plant  is  mentioned  by  Lieut.  Hardy,  who  visited  Sono- 
ra  in  the  years  1825-28.  He  speaks  of  a  stick  which  was  used  for 
"  detaching  the  fruit  from  the  tops  of  the  petahaya,  a  plant  of  the  cylin- 
drical cactus  species,  growing  from  eight  to  twenty  feet  in  height."  And 
in  another  place,  he  says,  "  Our  route  lay  over  a  plain,  upon  which  im- 
mense quantities  of  the  petahaya  were  growing." — Travels  in  the  Inte- 
rior of  Mexico, -p.  212. 

VOL.  II. — -13 


194  FORT   YUMA 

Indians.  There  seemed  to  be  no  necessity  of  keeping 
with  the  engineers,  whose  progress  was,  and  would 
continue  to  be,  slow ;  besides  which  their  duties  com- 
pelled them  to  follow  all  the  sinuosities  of  the  river, 
and  keep  by  its  bank.  This  not  only  increased  the 
distance,  but  obliged  the  parties  sometimes  to  cut 
passages  through  the  bushes  for  the  wagons  and  pack- 
mules,  a  task  attended  with  much  labor,  besides  the 
risk  of  breaking  down.  Our  animals  were  daily  grow- 
ing weaker  for  the  want  of  grass ;  the  weather  was 
excessively  hot,  the  mercury  ranging  every  day  above 
100°  in  the  most  shady  places  we  could  find ;  and 
we  were  without  vegetables  of  any  sort, — a  depri- 
vation which  already  began  to  show  its  effects  upon 
the  men.  For  these  reasons,  I  deemed  it  best  for  the 
health  of  the  party  and  the  preservation  of  the  ani- 
mals to  proceed  in  advance  to  the  Pimo  villages,  where 
an  abundance  of  grass  and  vegetables  could  be  pro- 
cured. I  accordingly  made  a  division  of  our  pro- 
visions with  Lieutenant  Whipple  and  his  party,  and 
left  with  him  such  an  escort  as  he  considered  necessary 
for  his  protection. 

June  21st  The  road  to-day  was  sandy,  and  conse- 
quently heavy,  until  we  reached  the  table-land.  The 
vegetation  continued  as  before;  mezquit,  palo  verde, 
and  larrea  prevailing,  and  the  great  cereus  occurring 
with  still  greater  frequency.  At  one  o'clock  we  struck 
the  river  where  it  passes  within  two  hundred  feet  of  a 
bold  dark-colored  bluff,  the  termination  of  a  short 
mountain  range,  which  here  is  about  six  hundred  feet 
high,  and  near  which  we  encamped.  Estimated  dis- 
tance travelled,  seventeen  miles.     As  the  weather  con- 


TO   THE    COCO-MARICOPA   VILLAGES.  195 

tinued  hot,  we  endeavored,  by  making  very  early 
starts,  to  terminate  our  day's  journeys  by  noon. 

A  number  of  fish  were  brought  in  to-day  by  the 
Mexicans  resembling  the  buffalo-fish  of  the  Mississippi. 
They  drove  them  into  a  small  nook  in  a  laguna  near 
by,  and  then  rushed  into  the  water  and  killed  them 
with  poles.  I  ate  of  them  at  dinner,  but  found  them 
soft  and  unpalatable. 

Towards  evening,  when  the  sun  began  to  lose  its 
force,  I  took  my  sketch-book  and  went  to  the  base  of 
the  bluff,  where  I  had  noticed  as  we  passed  a  number 
of  inscribed  rocks.  I  found  hundreds  of  these  bould- 
ers covered  with  rude  figures  of  men,  animals,  and  other 
objects  of  grotesque  forms,  all  pecked  in  with  a  sharp 
instrument.  Many  of  them,  however,  were  so  much 
defaced  by  long  exposure  to  the  weather,  and  by 
subsequent  markings,  that  it  was  impossible  to  make 
them  out.  Among  these  rocks  I  found  several  which 
contained  sculptures  on  the  lower  side,  in  such  a  posi- 
tion that  it  would  be  impossible  to  cut  them  where 
they  then  lay.  Some  of  them  weighed  many  tons, 
and  would  have  required  immense  labor  to  place  them 
there,  and  that  too  without  an  apparent  object.  The 
natural  inference  was,  that  they  had  fallen  down  from 
the  summit  of  the  mountain  after  the  sculptures  were 
made  on  them.  A  few  only  seemed  recent;  the 
others  bore  the  marks  of  great  antiquity. 

Like  most  of  the  rude  Indian  sculptures  or  mark- 
ings which  I  have  seen,  I  do  not  think  these  possess 
any  historic  value,  as  many  suppose.  Where  an  inge- 
nious Indian,  for  the  want  of  other  employment,  cuts 
a  rude  figure  of  a  man  or  an  animal  on  a  rock  in  some 


196  FORT    YUMA 

prominent  place  which  his  people  make  it  a  practice 
to  resort  to,  others,  with  the  example  before  them, 
endeavor  to  compete  with  their  brother  artist,  and 
show  their  skill  by  similar  peckings.  One  draws  an 
animal  snch  as  he  sees ;  another  makes  one  according 
to  his  own  fancy;  and  a  third  amuses  himself  with 
devising  grotesque  or  unmeaning  figures  of  other  sorts. 
Hence  we  find  these  sculptured  rocks  in  large  num- 
bers in  prominent  places.  We  all  had  the  luxury  of  a 
bath  here  ;  and  though  the  water  was  quite  warm,  we 
found  it  very  refreshing.  We  made  a  practice  of 
bathing  wherever  we  could  find  water,  believing  it  a 
better  preservative  of  health  than  any  thing  else. 

June  22d.  The  heat  had  been  so  oppressive  both 
to  the  men  and  animals  since  leaving  Fort  Yuma,  that 
I  determined  to  make  our  marches  very  early  in  the 
morning,  or  at  night.  The  cooks  were  accordingly 
roused  this  morning  at  three  o'clock,  which  enabled 
us  to  get  our  breakfast  and  move  off  by  half-past  four. 
The  thermometer  at  sunrise  stood  at  69°,  the  lowest 
we  had  seen  it  since  leaving  the  coast ;  and  after  the 
constant  heats  we  had  had,  this  temperature  was  un- 
comfortably cool. 

We  ascended  the  plateau  to  cut  off  a  bend  of  the 
river ;  and  after  keeping  on  it  for  four  or  five  miles,  we 
again  desended  into  the  bottom,  cutting  away  a  bank 
in  order  to  reach  it.  The  plateau  was  as  dreary  and 
desolate  as  before,  stretching  away  as  far  as  the  eye 
could  reach  to  the  south  in  one  vast  plain,  interrupted 
at  intervals  of  ten  or  twenty  miles  with  isolated  moun- 
tains rising  abruptly  from  it.  The  road  now  became 
better,  as  it  wound  through  a  dense  thicket  of  willows 


SCULPTURED    ROCKS,  RIVKR    GILA.       \0 


SCULPTURED    ROCKS,    RIVER    GILA,       NO     2. 


SCULPTURED    ROOKS.    RIVER   GILA.       NO    3 


TO    THE    COCO-MARTCOPA   VILLAGES.  197 

and  mezquit,  where  we  could  not  see  our  way  ten 
yards  ahead ;  an  admirable  place  for  an  ambuscade, 
although  we  had  no  fear  of  any  thing  of  the  kind.  It 
was  an  agreeable  change  from  the  utter  barrenness 
and  parching  heat  of  the  table-land  to  find  ourselves 
now  in  a  thick  wood.  After  passing  the  northern  ter- 
mination of  "  Big  Horn"  Mountain,  we  completed  our 
day's  march,  and  encamped  at  eleven  o'clock  in  a 
thicket  of  willows  near  the  river.  Mr.  Leroux,  who 
was  in  advance,  soon  after  rode  into  camp  with  a  fine 
black-tailed  deer  thrown  across  his  mule,  which  he 
had  just  killed,  and  which  proved  delicious  eating. 
We  occasionally  saw  these  deer,  as  well  as  antelopes, 
as  we  passed  along ;  but  our  numbers  and  the  white- 
topped  wagons  alarmed  them.  Hence  it  was  only  by 
leaving  the  party  and  going  in  advance  that  our 
hunters  could  hope  for  success. 

During  the  day  we  passed  two  abandoned  wagons 
in  good  condition,  save  the  injury  they  had  received 
from  long  exposure  to  the  sun.  From,  one  of  them 
we  helped  ourselves  to  a  king-bolt,  to  replace  the  one 
we  had  broken  a  few  days  before. 

From  the  large  quantity  of  iron  strewed  about,  with 
fragments  of  vehicles,  tin  kettles,  and  camp  equipage, 
we  were  evidently  at  a  place  where  wagons  had  been 
broken  up  and  burned.  The  extent  of  these  traces 
showed  that  it  was  probably  the  place  where  General 
Kearney  or  Colonel  Cooke  encamped  in  1847.  We 
had  discovered  their  camps  in  several  instances,  and 
many  years  must  elapse  before  these  signs  will  be 
obliterated.     Distance  travelled  to-day,  eighteen  miles. 

The  mountains  here  are  as  desolate  and  barren  as 


198  FORT   YUMA 

it  is  possible  to  conceive.  Not  a  tree  or  a  shrub  could 
be  seen  on  them,  while  their  bold  and  abrupt  sides  are 
furrowed  with  huge  chasms  and  gorges.  Between  the 
base  of  the  mountains  and  the  bottom-land  are  low 
gravelly  hills  covered  with  the  Spanish  bayonet,  agave, 
and  various  kinds  of  cacti.  Our  mules  found  a  supply 
of  cane  on  the  margin  of  the  river,  with  which,  and 
twigs  of  willow,  they  made  out  to  keep  up  their 
strength.  The  Gila  here  wicfens  considerably,  and  is 
proportion  ably  shallow  and  filled  with  sand-bars. 

June  23c?.  A  violent  wind  arose  last  night,  which 
made  it  necessary  to  put  out  guys  to  our  tents  to  pre- 
vent their  blowing  down.  A  great  change  in  the 
atmosphere  took  place  at  the  same  time,  so  that  when 
I  awoke,  I  found  perspiration  checked,  and  was  suffer- 
ing from  a  severe  pain  in  the  head.  Others  were  simi- 
larly affected. 

Left  camp  at  five,  a.  m.,  and  soon  after  ascended 
the  table-land,  over  which  we  travelled  nine  miles,  the 
river  as  before  making  a  large  bend  to  the  north. 
We  could  trace  its  course  from  the  bright  green  line 
of  cotton-woods  and  willows,  as  it  wound  away  through 
the  desert.  Passed  the  grave  of  an  emigrant  by  the 
road  side,  his  name  being  written  with  a  pencil  on  a 
strip  of  board  and  attached  to  a  tree.  Struck  the 
river  for  a  moment,  and  again  took  to  the  table-land, 
which  we  followed  for  about  nine  miles.  We  descend- 
ed where  the  valley  seemed  to  expand  to  the  width 
of  nearly  three  miles,  above  one  half  of  which  was 
thickly  wooded  with  cotton-wood,  mezquit,  and  willow. 
Here  we  encamped,  on  the  spot  where  parties  had  been 
before.     Near  by  was  a  lagoon,  which  had  the  appear- 


TO    THE    COCO-MARICOPA   VILLAGES.  199 

ance  of  having  been  recently  filled  with  water.  It 
was  now  dry,  excerJt  in  a  few  holes  which  had  been 
dug  to  obtain  it.  We  found  the  water  in  these  holes 
quite  brackish,  and  unfit  to  drink  ;  consequently  we 
were  obliged  to  send  our  animals  about  a  mile  and  a 
half  through  the  wood  to  the  river,  from  which  we 
also  brought  water  for  our  own  use.  So  thick  was  the 
wood,  that  it  was  found  impracticable  to  force  our 
wagons  through.  This  was  the  most  beautiful  spot  we 
had  encamped  in  since  leaving  the  little  valley  of  San 
Isabel,  in  California.  We  pitched  no  tents,  finding  a 
better  and  more  agreeable  protection  in  the  thick 
and  overhanging  willows,  the  leaves  of  which  extended 
to  the  ground.  Beneath  these  bushes  we  were  well 
sheltered  from  the  sun,  and  passed  the  most  comfort- 
able day  we  had  yet  experienced  along  the  parched 
regions  of  the  Gila.  Distance  travelled,  eighteen 
miles. 

We  opened  a  cache*  in  the  bank  here,  in  which 
Dr.  Webb  had  buried  a  quantity  of  things,  when  the 
party  under  his  charge  passed  down  the  Gila  in  Decem- 
ber last.  Every  thing  was  found  safe  and  in  good 
condition.  The  wolves  had  smelled  something  below 
the  surface,  although  there  were  no  provisions  there, 
and  had  dug  up  and  exposed  a  corner  of  the  tent  in 
which  the  articles  were  enveloped.  Had  either  travel- 
lers or  Indians  been  here  since,  they  would  have  car- 


*  Cache.  (French).  A  cavity  or  hole  in  the  earth,  in  which  travel- 
lers bury  their  provisions  or  goods.  The  word  is  used  by  the  Hudson's 
Bay  traders,  and  by  the  hunters  and  trappers  of  the  prairies,  and  the 
Rocky  Mountains,  even  to  the  shores  of  the  Pacific. 


200  FORT   YUMA 

ried  the  investigation  further.  A  great  deal  of  proper- 
ty has  thus  been  buried  by  parties  crossing  to  Cali- 
fornia, in  the  hope  that  they  or  their  friends  might  at 
some  future  time  recover  it ;  although  it  is  safe  to  say 
that  of  every  hundred  caches  so  made,  not  five  are  ever 
opened  afterwards. 

In  making  a  cache,  it  is  best  to  select  a  spot  within 
fifty  feet  of  a  tree,  rock,  or  other  prominent  object, 
from  which  the  distance  can  be  measured  and  the  bear- 
ings taken.  A  hole  is  then  dug  to  such  depth  as  may 
be  required  to  bury  the  intended  articles,  which  are  to 
be  protected  by  cloths  or  boards  when  necessary. 
When  the  hole  has  been  covered  over,  the  earth  or 
sand  that  remains  is  scattered  about  or  removed,  so  as 
to  leave  no  indications  of  what  has  been  done.  It  is 
well  to  build  the  camp-fire  immediately  over  it,  as  that 
will  account  for  the  disturbance  of  the  ground,  and  the 
foot  prints  about  the  spot.  It  is  never  prudent  to 
make  a  cache  beneath  a  tree,  or  in  a  spot  where  the 
party  can  be  watched  by  Indians  or  others  lying  in 
ambush.  When  Fort  Yuma  was  abandoned  a  few 
months  before  our  arrival  there,  as  it  was  expected  to 
be  re-occupied,  many  articles  which  the  garrison  did 
not  wish  to  remove  were  thus  hidden.  But  on  their 
return,  they  found  that  their  place  of  concealment 
had  been  discovered  by  the  Yumas,  and  every  thing 
carried  off. 

June  liih.  As  the  soldiers,  being  all  on  foot,  were 
greatly  fatigued  by  their  yesterday's  march,  I  deter- 
mined to  allow  them  until  evening  to  rest,  and  endea- 
vor to  make  a  march  in  the  night.  There  was  here  a 
little  salt  grass  and  cane  about  the  lagoon,  with  willow 


TO    THE    COCO-MARICOPA    VILLAGES.  201 

bushes  for  the  animals  ;  and  for  ourselves,  every  luxury 
that  a  camp  life  affords. 

Accordingly,  as  the  sun  began  to  throw  its  long 
shadows  across  the  hills,  and  when  about  half  an  hour  of 
daylight  remained,  we  moved  from  camp.  The  road 
was  pretty  good  and  less  sandy  than  before.  We  did 
not  now  take-  the  table-land,  but  kept  on  a  lower  ter- 
race, which  seemed  to  lead  along  the  spur  of  a  dark 
rocky  hill,  until  we  were  suddenly  brought  to  a  stand. 
The  river  had  washed  away  the  terrace,  and  left  no 
passage.  We  were  therefore  obliged  to  retrace  our 
steps  a  short  distance,  and  pass  over  the  hills,  which 
were  exceedingly  rocky,  and  overgrown  with  cacti. 
Not  being  able  to  discern  the  smaller  ones  among  the 
rocks,  the  mules  were  several  times  stopped  by  coming 
in  contact  with  their  thorns.  From  one  poor  creature 
the  blood  flowed  as  though  he  had  been  purposely 
bled ;  many  of  the  men,  too,  had  cause  to  remember 
this  night's  march  among  the  cacti.  At  two  o'clock, 
the  moon,  which  until  then  had  given  us  a  faint  light, 
went  down,  when  we  were  compelled  to  stop,  as  it  was 
impossible  to  find  our  way  through  the  light  and  deep 
sand  in  which  we  then  were.  The  packs  were  accord- 
ingly removed  from  the  mules,  although  the  saddles 
were  left  on ;  and  the  wagon-mules  were  tied  to  the 
mezquit  bushes  near.  We  then  lay  down  on  the  bare 
sand  just  where  we  were,  and,  rolling  our  blankets 
around  us,  for  it  was  quite  cool,  slept  soundly  until 
daylight. 

June  25th.  With  the  break  of  day  we  were  again 
off,  having  no  mules  to  catch,  no  tents  to  strike,  or 
breakfast  to  get.     In  an  hour  and  a  half  we  struck  a 


202  FORT   YUMA 

sluice  of  the  river,  where  we  encamped.  There  was 
no  appearance  of  grass  here ;  but  with  plenty  of  wil- 
lows and  cotton-wood,  the  animals  seemed  content.  As 
we  were  all  fatigued  from  our  night's  journey,  we 
threw  ourselves  on  the  sand,  and,  after  a  couple  of 
hours1  sleep,  awoke  quite  refreshed,  and  ready  for  our 
coffee  and  breakfast. 

All  about  us  we  found  signs,  that  a  large  encamp- 
ment of  Americans  had  been  here,  with  indications  of 
a  cache.  These  were  the  tires  of  two  wheels  straight- 
ened and  inserted  so  deeply  in  the  ground  that  they 
could  not  be  withdrawn.  They  were  probably  land 
marks,  from  which  bearings  had  been  taken  and  dis- 
tances measured.  There  had  evidently  been  a  great 
breaking  up  of  wagons  and  destruction  of  property 
here.  The  day  was  very  hot,  and  rendered  more 
oppressive  by  the  bare  sand  around  us.  The  bottom 
land  was  broad,  and  but  partially  wooded.  Near  us 
was  a  sluice,  which  had  been  filled  when  the  river  was 
high,  or  it  may  have  been  a  bend  of  the  river  through 
which  the  water  had  flowed.  We  did  not  see  the  river. 
Just  before  sunset,  we  resumed  our  journey,  continu- 
ing a  few  miles  along  the  river  bottom  where  the  road 
was  good.  We  then  ascended  about  one  hundred  and 
twenty  feet  to  a  plateau,  up  a  very  steep  and  rocky 
way,  where  I  much  feared  our  wagons  would  be  crush- 
ed ;  but  by  the  soldiers  taking  hold,  and  every  man 
pushing  and  pulling,  we  at  length  surmounted  the  hill. 
The  road  was  now  hard  and  smooth,  until  we  came  to 
an  arroyo,  which  we  had  to  descend,  and  then  cross 
over  steep  and  rocky  hills,  which  again  endangered 
the  wagons.     On  reaching  the  crest  of  the  table-land, 


TO    THE    COCO-MARICOPA    VILLAGES.  203 

where  we  descended  to  the  second  terrace  or  bottom, 
we  saw  numerous  fragments  of  trunks,  boxes,  clothing, 
wagons,  with  human  bones  and  skulls,  showing  that  it 
had  been  the  scene  of  some  terrible  disaster.  A  soldier  of 
the  escort  from  Fort  Yuma  revealed  to  us  the  mystery. 

In  March  of  last  year  (1851)  a  party  of  emigrants, 
in  crossing  the  continent,  stopped  at  the  Pimo  villages. 
Among  them  was  a  Mr.  Oatman  and  his  family,  con- 
sisting of  his  wife,  two  daughters  from  12  to  15  years 
of  age,  and  a  son  of  12  years.  Mr.  0.  had  with  him 
one  or  more  wagons,  and  a  variety  of  merchandise; 
and,  contrary  to  the  advice  of  his  friends,  he  set  off 
from  the  village  in  advance,  the  rest  of  the  party  not 
being  ready  to  accompany  him.  Some  days  after,  his 
little  son  found  his  way  back  to  the  Pimo  Indians,  a 
distance  of  some  seventy  miles,  having  crossed  a  de- 
sert of  forty -five  miles  without  water  on  his  way.  He 
reported  that  the  party  had  been  attacked  by  In- 
dians, his  father  and  mother  killed,  and  his  sisters  car- 
ried off.  He  himself  had  been  badly  beaten  by  the 
savages  and  left  for  dead.  After  lying  some  time,  he 
revived ;  when  he  saw  the  mangled  bodies  of  his  pa- 
rents before  him,  his  sisters  gone,  and  the  wagon  plun- 
dered of  its  contents.  The  party  soon  after  set  out 
on  their  journey,  accompanied  by  the  lad  and  some 
Maricopa  Indians.  On  arriving  at  the  scene  of  the 
disaster,  they  covered  the  remains  of  Mr.  Oatman  and 
his  wife  with  stones  (for  it  was  impossible  to  dig  a 
grave),  and  then  continued  their  journey  to  Fort  Yu- 
ma, where  they  informed  Major  Heintzelman  of  the 
occurrence. 

The  Major  immediately  despatched  a  party  of  sol- 


204  FORT    YUMA 

diers  with  provisions  for  those  still  behind,  and  with 
orders  to  scour  the  country,  and  endeavor,  if  possible, 
to  recover  the  missing  girls.  But  they  saw  no  Indians, 
nor  has  it  yet  been  ascertained  by  what  tribe  the  out- 
rage was  committed. 

We  reached  the  valley  again  at  11  p.  m.,  when  we 
stopped  for  the  remainder  of  the  night,  and  lay  down 
on  the  sand  to  get  a  few  hours  sleep.  The  air  was  so 
dry  and  hot,  that  tents  were  unnecessary. 

June  26th.  Finding  no  grass,  cane,  or  bushes  near 
us  on  which  the  animals  could  feed,  we  moved  off,  soon 
after  4  o'clock,  with  the  break  of  day.  Our  route  now 
lay  across  a  bed  of  sand  so  light  that  the  wheels  sank 
deep,  rendering  it  necesary  to  double  one  of  the  teams 
before  we  could  pass  it.  Even  with  the  aid  of  this 
device,  it  was  slow  work.  It  now  became  necessary 
to  cross  the  Gila,  as  the  plateau  rose  abruptly  from  the 
margin  of  the  river,  not  leaving  a  passage  wide  enough 
for  a  mule.  Our  route  had  hitherto  been  wholly  on 
the  south  side  since  leaving  the  Colorado.  I  do  not 
think  the  north  side  would  present  as  good  a  road ; 
besides  which,  it  would  be  necessary,  if  the  north  bank 
should  be  followed,  to  cross  the  Gila  at  its  mouth,  as 
the  Colorado  cannot  be  forded  above  the  junction. 

The  river  where  we  crossed  was  about  three  feet 
deep  in  the  channel.  After  getting  over,  we  had  to 
traverse  another  half  mile  of  deep  sand,  and  then 
recross,  to  get  on  the  southern  bank  once  more.  At 
the  second  crossing  my  wagon  sank  so  deep  in  a  quick- 
sand, that  the  mules,  after  struggling  in  vain  to  pull  it 
out,  .broke  the  traces  and  left  me  alone  in  the  middle 
of  the  stream.     It  was  necessary  to  attach  four  mules 


TO    THE    COCO-MARICOPA    VILLAGES. 


205 


to  it  before  it  could  be  drawn  out.  We  now  con- 
tinued another  half  mile  near  the  base  of  a  black -look- 
ing rocky  bluff  without  a  tree  to  shade  us.  I  thought 
it  best  to  stop  here,  as  we  could  not  reach  the  next 
bend  in  the  river  before  the  sun  would  be  too  far  up 
to  travel.     The  bottom-land,  or  valley,  which  is  visible 


Basin  of  tlie  Gila. 


from  the  summit  of  this  bluff  for  twenty  miles,  is  alto- 
gether sand,  with  a  few  clumps  of  willows  on  the  mar- 
gin of  the  river.  Not  an  acre  of  arable  land  is  visible. 
The  bluff,  which  is  but  the  termination  of  the  plateau 
or  desert,  rises  about  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet 
above  the  bed  of  the  stream.  The  river  from  here  is 
quite  open  on   the  north  and  west,  so  that  the  moun- 


206  FORT    YUMA 

tains  on  the  Colorado  which  we  saw  at  Fort  Yuma 
were  distinctly  visible. 

In  order  to  examine  some  sculptured  rocks  of  which 
I  had  heard,  I  left  camp  at  5  o'clock  p.  m.  accompanied 
by  Doctor  Webb,  in  advance  of  the  train.  After  cross- 
ing a  plain  for  about  five  miles,  we  reached  the  object 
of  our  search,  which  consisted  of  a  pile  of  large  boul- 
ders, heaped  up  some  forty  or  fifty  feet  above  the 
plain,  and  standing  entirely  alone.  Such  of  these  rocks 
as  present  smooth  sides  are  covered  with  sculptures, 
rudely  pecked  in,  of  animals  and  men,  as  well  as  of 
various  figures,  apparently  without  meaning.  There 
are  hundreds  of  them  so  ornamented,  showing  that  the 
place  has  long  been  the  resort  of  the  Indians  for  this 
purpose ;  for  there  seems  to  be  nothing  else  to  attract 
them  here.  Many  of  the  inscriptions,  like  those  before 
described,  bear  the  stamp  of  great  age,  others  having 
been  made  over  them  repeatedly,  rendering  it  impos- 
sible to  trace  out  either  the  early  or  the  later  mark- 
ings. I  selected  thirteen,  of  which  I  made  copies. 
By  this  time  the  shades  of  night  were  falling  about  us  ; 
and  the  train  having  already  passed,  it  was  necessary 
to  hasten  on  to  overtake  it.  I  regretted  that  I  could 
not  spend  the  day  in  this  interesting  locality,  in  order 
to  copy  more  of  the  sculptures,  as  well  as  to  make  a 
closer  examination  of  the  many  recesses  among  the 
rocks.  I  do  not  attempt  any  explanation  of  these  rude 
figures,  but  must  leave  the  reader  to  exercise  his  own 
ingenuity  in  finding  out  their  meaning,  if  any. 

Leaving  this  place  we  entered  an  arroyo  of  gravel ; 
and  after  following  it  for  two  or  three  miles,  we 
ascended  a  very  difficult  and  rocky  hill  to  the  plateau. 


SCULPTURED    ROCKS,    RIVER   GILA.       No.   4 


SCULPTURED    ROCKS.    RIVER    GILA.       NO.    5 


SCULPTURE!*     ROCKS.   HTVER    GILA       SO 


TO    THE    COCO-MARICOPA   VILLAGES.  207 

A  spur  or  projection  of  this  hill  had  to  be  crossed ; 
and  then,  by  an  easy  slope,  we  again  descended  to  a 
lower  terrace.  After  marching  about  eighteen  miles, 
by  the  bright  light  of  the  moon,  we  stopped  the  train 
and  bivouacked  in  the  sand  till  morning,  without 
turning  out  the  mules. 

June  28th.  We  rested  comfortably  on  our  sandy 
beds,  and  resuming  our  march  before  five  o'clock  this 
morning,  reached  a  bend  in  the  river  four  miles  dis- 
tant. As  the  soldiers  had  had  a  tedious  march  during 
the  night,  and  evinced  much  fatigue,  I  concluded  to 
remain  here  during  the  clay  to  give  them  rest. 

Our  camp  was  in  a  very  dense  thicket  of  willows 
and  cotton-woods  near  the  river's  bank,  into  which  we 
cut  our  way  with  axes.  Here  we  had  an  admirable 
retreat,  whose  recesses  the  rays  of  the  sun  could  not 
penetrate ;  and  we  passed  the  day  with  some  degree  of 
comfort.  The  Gila  rippled  close  by  ;  and  a  deep  hole 
being  near  us  which  we  thought  might  have  some 
attractions  for  trout,  should  any  stray  this  way,  we 
rigged  our  lines,  and  the  experiment  was  rewarded 
with  several  fine  fish. 

In  the  night  we  were  aroused  by  the  firing  of  a 
gun.  Every  one  sprang  from  his  bed,  believing  an 
enemy  near ;  but  it  proved  to  be  an  accident.  One 
of  the  Mexican  arrieros,  in  attempting  to  pull  his  rifle 
out  from  a  pile  of  saddles  with  the  muzzle  towards 
him,  having  caught  the  trigger  and  discharged  it. 
The  stupid  fellow  narrowly  escaped  with  his  life,  for 
the  ball  passed  through  his  hand. 

Soon  after  five  o'clock,  p.  m.,  we  resumed  our  jour- 
ney ;   and  after  a  march  of  eight  miles  across  a  bend, 


208  FORT    YUMA 

we  again  struck  the  river  near  a  point  where  our  sur- 
veying parties  had  had  a  station,  and  had  remained 
several  days.  There  we  found  an  abundance  of  mez- 
quit  and  willows,  but  no  appearance  of  grass.  Near  us 
was  a  sluice,  which  a  year  before  was  the  main  branch 
of  the  river,  the  stream  having  since  found  another 
channel.  We  bivouacked  at  this  place,  doubtful  whe- 
ther we  should  find  as  good  feed  for  the  mules  by 
proceeding  further,  the  mezquit  beans  being  now  in 
the  best  state  for  the  animals. 

June  2dth.  Before  the  sun  had  risen  we  were 
again  on  our  way,  intending  to  stop  at  the  last  water- 
ing place,  five  or  six  miles  in  advance.  My  desire 
was  to  keep  the  animals  fresh  and  in  good  condition 
for  the  march  across  the  long  desert  which  lay  before 
us,  and  to  give  the  soldiers  a  day's  rest  before  setting 
out.  The  Gila  here  makes  a  bend  to  the  north,  and 
is  not  again  seen  from  the  road  until  it  reaches  the 
Coco-Maricopa  villages,  forty-five  miles  distant.  As 
there  is  no  water  the  whole  distance,  the  jourfley  must 
be  made  in  one  march,  without  stopping ;  to  prepare 
for  it,  therefore,  we  encamped  for  the  day  in  a  mez- 
quit grove  near  the  river. 

The  kegs  and  canteens  were  filled  with  water  pre- 
paratory for  the  journey ;  and  in  order  to  give  the 
soldiers  a  little  the  start  of  us,  they  set  off  at  four 
o'clock.  The  train  left  an  hour  and  a  half  later,  our 
course  being  east  by  north.  We  entered  at  once  upon 
the  great  plateau  or  desert,  where  the  road  was  level 
and  hard.  The  animals  moved  off  at  a  quick  gait,  and 
had  seemingly  got  the  idea  that  they  wrere  approach- 
ing grassy  fields.     About  fifteen  miles  brought  us  to 


TO    THE    COCO-MARICOPA    VILLAGES.    '  209 

a  mountain  range  which  had  long  loomed  up  before 
us,  and  seemed  to  present  an  impassable  barrier  to  our 
progress ;  but  as  we  drew  near,  what  appeared  at  a 
distance  to  be  continuous,  now  showed  many  passages 
through,  of  easy  access,  and  with  an  ascent  so  gradual 
as  to  be  scarcely  apparent.  The  great  mountain 
chain,  as  it  seemed  to  us  to  be,  was  in  reality  a  collec- 
tion of  detached  ridges  and  isolated  mountains  rising 
abruptly  from  the  desert.  We  were  accordingly  able 
to  keep  on  our  course,  winding  through  these  mountains 
with  scarcely  an  ascent  or  descent  worth  naming.  The 
road  was  excellent  through  all  the  defiles;  although 
there  were  many  small  gullies  requiring  care  in  cross- 
ing, and  which  shows  that  there  are  very  heavy  rains 
here  at  times. 

The  vegetation  on  this  desert  is  the  same  as  on  the 
several  portions  we  had  from  time  to  time  passed  over 
in  our  journey  from  the  Colorado.  The  great  cereus 
here  raises  its  lofty  head  above  all  other  plants,  attain- 
ing its  greatest  perfection  in  this  barren  and  desolate 
region.  We  passed  several  of  gigantic  dimensions, 
and  others  of  a  variety  of  forms,  exhibiting  singular 
contortions.  If  one  unused  to  these  remarkable  plants 
should  suddenly  be  brought  to  this  place,  where  he 
would  see  before  him  a  vast  plain  studded  with  thou- 
sands of  these  cacti,  many  of  which  rise  to  the  height 
of  twenty  or  thirty  feet,  in  a  single  stem  without  a 
branch,  he  would  be  very  likely,  particularly  if  he  saw 
them  as  we  did  by  moonlight,  to  imagine  himself  in 
the  midst  of  the  ruins  of  a  magnificent  palace,  the 
columns  of  which  were  alone  left  standing.  The  lesser 
plants,  thinly  scattered  over  the  plain,  are  a  dwarfish 
VOL.  n. — 14 


210  FORT    YUMA 

mezquit  and  larrea  Mexicana,  with  an  occasional  palo 
verde  in  the  arroyos. 

Towards  midnight,  the  pack-mules  passed  me ;  for 
up  to  this  time  I  had  been  in  advance.  I  had  observed 
before,  that  in  long  marches,  when  the  wagon-mules 
became  fatigued,  those  with  packs  would  quicken  their 
pace.  My  wagon-mules,  unwilling  to  be  left,  increased 
their  pace,  and  I  allowed  them  to  keep  just  far  enough 
behind  the  packs  to  avoid  the  dust.  As  there  was  no 
stopping  the  pack-mules  without  relieving  them  of 
their  burdens,  Mr.  Leroux  said  it  would  be  far  better 
to  push  on  until  we  reached  the  water  and  grass ;  and 
I  determined  with  my  little  wagon  to  keep  with  him. 
It  was  now  about  two  o'clock,  and  the  soldiers  as  well 
as  the  horsemen  were  so  much  fatigued,  that  the 
wagons  were  stopped,  and  all  threw  themselves  down 
just  as  they  were  to  get  a  little  rest  on  the  bare  desert, 
hitching  their  mules  to  their  waists  by  their  long 
lariats.  I  left  them,  and  hastened  forward  with  Mr. 
Leroux  and  the  packs. 

June  30th.  At  daylight  we  passed  the  south  end  of 
a  range  of  mountains  which  extend  to  the  Gila,  termi- 
nating near  the  mouth  of  the  Salinas  River ;  and  at  half 
past  six  we  reached  some  water-holes,  about  a  mile  from 
the  first  Coco-Maricopa  village,  thus  making  the  journey 
of  forty-five  miles  in  thirteen  hours.  This  may  be  con- 
sidered slow  in  the  age  of  locomotives  and  steamers, 
or  even  with  stage-coaches  ;  but  with  a  train  of  emaci- 
ated pack -mules,  each  carrying  on  his  back  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  pounds  weight,  and  going  the  whole 
distance  without  a  particle  of  food  or  water,  it  is  some- 
thing of  a  feat. 


TO    THE    COCO-MARICOPA   VILLAGES.  211 

It  was  indeed  a  pleasant  sight  to  find  ourselves 
once  more  surrounded  by  luxuriant  grass.  Although 
we  had  met  with  a  little  salt  grass  in  one  or  two  places 
on  the  march,  which  no  animal  would  eat  if  he  could 
get  any  thing  else,  we  had  not  seen  a  patch  of  good 
grass  since  leaving  our  camp  at  San  Isabel,  fifty-six 
miles  from  San  Diego.  At  Vallecita  and  Carrizo  Creek 
it  is  indifferent. 

As  it  would  yet  be  several  hours  before  we  could 
look  for  the  wagons  and  the  remainder  of  the  party, 
we  turned  the  mules  out  to  luxuriate  on  the  rich  pasture 
before  them,  and  creeping  under  some  mezquit  bushes 
soon  fell  asleep,  rest  being  more  desirable  than  food. 

The  wagons  with  the  rest  of  the  party,  including 
the  escort,  came  in  at  half-past  ten.  We  now  got  out 
all  the  tents,  and  arranged  our  camp  with  much  care, 
as  we  were  to  be  here  for  some  days,  to  await  the  arri- 
val of  Lieutenant  Whipple  and  the  surveying  party. 
We  selected  a  spot  in  which  there  was  a  pretty  grove 
of  mezquit  bushes,  and  there  we  pitched  the  tents. 
The  water  here  is  found  in  several  holes,  from  four  to 
six  feet  below  the  surface,  which  were  dug  by  Colonel 
Cooke  on  his  march  to  California.  In  some  of  these 
holes  the  water  is  brackish,  in  others  very  pure.  The 
Gila  passes  about  two  miles  to  the  north ;  for  one  half 
of  which  distance  the  grass  extends,  the  other  half 
being  loose  sand.  Major  Emory,  in  his  report,*  re- 
commends parties  going  to  California  by  this  route 
not  to  cross  the  plateau  which  we  had  just  come 
over,  but  to  keep  to  the  river,  as  "  the  journey  is  but 

*  Notes  of  Military  Reconnoissance,  p.  89. 


212       FORT    YUMA    TO    THE    COCO-MARICOPA    VILLAGES. 

a  trifle  longer."  The  accounts  on  which  he  bases  this 
recommendation  were  erroneous,  the  route  along  the 
river  being  more  than  double  the  distance,  as  reported 
to  me  by  the  engineers  whose  duties  required  them  to 
follow  it.  It  is  besides  thickly  wooded,  and  would  pre- 
sent difficulties  to  wagons,  and  even  to  pack-mules ; 
whereas  the  road  over  the  plateau  which  we  took  is 
excellent  all  the  way.  It  is  also  proper  to  state,  that 
Lieutenant  Whipple  and  Mr.  Gray  found  the  bend  of 
the  river  to  be  much  greater  than  it  is  laid  down  by 
Major  Emory  on  his  map."25" 

*  Mr.  Gray  in  his  official  letter  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  from 
San  Diego,  relating  to  the  survey  of  the  Gila,  says,  that  "  many  errors  of 
others  who  had  been  along  this  river,  in  astronomical  observations, 
were  corrected  by  Lieutenant  Whipple." — Senate  Doc.  No.  119.  32c? 
Cong.  1st  Session,  p.  307. 

It  may  be  mentioned  in  this  connection,  that  the  survey  of  the 
Boundary  Commission  brought  to  light  two  important  geographical 
facts.  One  was,  that  the  Colorado,  after  receiving  the  Gila,  takes  a 
sudden  turn  of  seven  or  eia'ht  miles  to  the  westward  before  resuming 
its  southerly  direction,  which  turn  gives  the  United  States  both  banks 
of  the  river.  The  other  was  the  error  in  laying  down  the  great  bend  just 
below  the  mouth  of  the  Salinas.  Yet  both  these  supposed  discoveries 
were  made  by  Father  Kino  before  the  year  1700,  although  they  never 
obtained  a  place  in  the  maps ;  for  in  speaking  of  this  eminent  mission- 
ary and  geographical  explorer,  Alegro  says  :  "  En  este  viage  observo  el 
padre  Kino  dos  cosas,  entre  otras :  la  primera  que  el  Gila  como  a  55 
grados  de  San  Geronimo,  despues  de  haber  corrido  cuasi  constantemento 
al  Ouest,  vuelve  como  por  espacio  de  ocho  leguas  al  Norte.  La  se- 
gunda,  que  despues  de  juntos  el  Gita  y  el  Colorado,  corren  por  doce 
leguas  al  Poniente  antes  de  volver  acia  el  Sur  a  desembocar  en  el  Seno 
Californio." — Alec/re  Hist,  de  la  Compania  de  Jesus  en  Nueva  Espana. 
Tom.  iii.  p.  119. 


THE    COCO-MARICOPA    AND    THE    PIMO    INDIANS.       213 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

THE    COCO-MARICOPA   AND    THE    PIMO   INDIANS. 

Visit  from  the  Coco-Maricopa  Indians — Camp  removed  to  the  banks  of  the 
Gila — The  river  dry — No  grass — War  party — Keturn  to  our  first  camp 
— Traffic  with  these  Indians— Further  accounts  of  the  Oatman  family 
— Francisco  the  Maricopa  interpreter — Feeding  the  tribe — Visit  from 
the  Pimos — Religious  notions  of  these  tribes — Their  manners  and  cus- 
toms— Agriculture — Art  of  spinning  and  weaving — Manufactures  ot 
cotton — Pottery — Basket-work — Dress — Their  attempts  at  collecting 
zoological  specimens — Villages — Houses  and  mode  of  building — Store- 
houses— Horses  and  cattle. 

In  the  afternoon  our  camp  was  filled  with  the  Coco- 
Maricopa  Indians,  who  had  discovered  us  from  some 
of  their  look-outs.  They  all  manifested  a  friendly  dis- 
position, and  seemed  very  glad  to  meet  among  us  so 
many  of  their  old  acquaintances,  several  of  the  party 
having  spent  some  days  among  them  while  engaged 
in  surveying  the  river.  The  most  active  and  important 
man  among  them  was  a  chief  named  Francisco  Dukey. 
He  had  been  in  various  parts  of  Mexico  and  California, 
spoke  Spanish  fluently,  and  acted  as  our  interpreter. 
There  were  three  or  four  others  who  had  lived  for 
some  time  at  Tucson,  where  they  had  picked  up  suffi- 
cient Spanish  to  make  themselves  understood. 


214  THE    COCO-MARICOPA   AND 

I  told  them  we  wanted  vegetables,  fruit,  green 
corn,  and  mules;  for  which  we  would  pay  them  in 
white  cotton  cloth,  calico,  red  flannel  and  other  shirts, 
blankets,  and  trinkets.  They  generally  raise  a  great 
many  fine  melons ;  but  it  was  too  early  yet  for  them. 
They  brought  us  green  corn,  squashes,  beans,  and 
dried  peas.  We  also  bought  of  them  some  dried 
corn  (maize)  for  the  animals. 

The  culinary  department,  as  usual,  seemed  to  have 
most  attractions  for  our  Indian  friends,  who  formed  a 
•double  row  around  the  fire  while  cooking  was  going 
on.  They  also  crowded  into  the  tents,  and  occupied 
all  the  space  about  them.  When  night  came,  we 
expected  they  would  leave ;  but  they  stretched  them- 
selves out  on  the  grass,  and  passed  the  night  in  the 
camp. 

June  30t7i.  As  the  heat  was  intense,  the  mercury 
ranging  from  100°  to  110°,  and  as  we  had  very  little 
shade,  it  was  thought  advisable  to  get  nearer  the 
river,  where  there  were  more  trees,  and  where  the 
men  would  have  a  better  opportunity  to  bathe,  a  lux- 
ury which  they  had  enjoyed  eyery  day  since  leaving 
Fort  Yuma.  The  Indians  told  me  we  had  better 
remain  where  we  were,  as  there  was  no  grass  near  the 
river.  I  felt  disposed  to  listen  to  them ;  but  such  was 
the  desire  of  the  party  to  be  on  the  water  that  I  con- 
sented to  go,  and  gave  orders  to  strike  the  tents  imme- 
diately after  breakfast. 

By  eight  o'clock  we  set  off,  under  the  guidance  of 
Francisco,  and  followed  by  fifty  or  sixty  more  of  his 
tribe.  After  crossing  a  deep  arroyo  of  sand,  which  is 
filled  by  the  river  at  its  floods,  and  pushing  our  way 


THE    PIMO    INDIANS.  215 

through  a  thick  underbrush  of  willows,  we  at  length 
reached  the  bank  of  the  river,  when  I  found  the  state- 
ments of  the  Indians  too  true.  There  were  many  fine 
large  cotton-wood  trees,  beneath  which  we  stopped, 
and  which  afforded  us  a  good  shade  from  the  scorching 
rays  of  the  sun ;  but  there  was  not  a  blade  of  grass  to 
be  seen,  and,  what  was  worse,  the  Gila  was  dry  !  We 
crossed  and  recrossed  its  bed  without  wetting  the  soles 
of  our  shoes ;  although  by  digging  a  couple  of  feet, 
we  found  water  for  ourselves  and  our  animals. 

We  now  turned  the  animals  loose  to  browse  upon 
the  twigs  of  the  willows  and  cotton-woods,  as  there 
was  no  other  food  for  them ;  and  I  sent  Mr.  Leroux 
up  the  stream,  in  search  of  the  two  great  desiderata 
for  the  party,  grass  and  water,  and  shade  if  it  was  to  be 
found.  In  three  or  four  hours,  after  making  a  diligent 
search  through  the  bottom,  he  returned  and  reported 
that  the  river  was  dry  as  far  as  he  had  followed  it, 
and  that  he  had  met  with  no  grass.  In  fact,  he  was 
told  by  the  Indians,  that  we  should  find  no  grass  until 
we  passed  the  Pimo  villages,  from  twelve  to  fifteen 
miles  beyond.  It  was  so  hot  and  dry  where  we  were, 
that  we  did  not  pitch  our  tents,  having  concluded  to 
retrace  our  steps  in  the  morning  to  our  first  camp  at 
the  water -holes. 

The  dryness  of  the  river  was  produced  by  the 
water  having  been  turned  off  by  the  Indians  to  irrigate 
their  lands,  for  which  the  whole  stream  seemed'  barely 
sufficient.  It  is  probable,  however,  that,  with  more 
economical  management,  it  might  be  made  to  go  much 
further. 

A  party  of  the  Coco-Maricopas  remained  with  us 


216  THE    COCO-MARICOPA   AND 

to-day,  who  were  to  set  off  in  the  morning  on  an  expe- 
dition against  their  enemies,  the  Apaches,  north  of  the 
Salinas.  They  were  gayly  dressed,  as  is  the  universal 
custom  of  the  Indians  on  such  occasions,  and  mounted 
on  good-looking  horses.  The  chiefs  who  were  to  lead 
the  band  begged  hard  of  me  to  lend  them  a  few  rifles 
with  the  necessary  ammunition  ;  which  I  had  to  refuse. 
As  an  additional  inducement,  which  they  thought  I 
could  not  refuse,  they  offered  to  bring  me  a  live 
Apache  boy,  and  a  girl  too,  if  I  wished ;  but  having 
no  desire  for  such  additions  to  our  party,  I  was  com 
pelled  to  decline  the  generous  proposal. 

July  1st.  Our  Indian  friends  composing  the  war 
party  were  up  at  daylight  preparing  for  a  start.  They 
seemed  to  be  supplied  with  small  loaves  of  bread  and 
dried  meat,  of  which  they  made  their  morning's  meal. 
They  then  decorated  themselves  with  all  the  finery 
they  could  muster.  Most  of  them  had  shirts  of  white 
cotton  or  red  flannel,  which  they  had  obtained  of  us, 
and  which  they  seemed  to  regard  as  the  beau-ideal  of 
a  dress,  without  the  addition  of  any  other  garment. 
Such  as  had  their  own  cotton  blankets,  placed  them 
around  their  bodies  in  folds,  and  over  this  wound  their 
lariats  as  tight  as  possible ;  for  the  double  purpose,  I 
suppose,  of  bracing  their  bodies,  and  of  protecting 
their  vital  parts  from  arrows.  Those  who  possessed 
neither  shirts  nor  blankets,  remained  as  nature  made 
them,  with  the  addition  of  a  little  paint.  On  their 
head  dresses,  they  had  all  bestowed  more  attention 
than  on  their  bodies.  Some  had  them  plastered  with 
clay,  so  as  to  resemble  huge  turbans.  Others  had 
decorated  the   great  club  of  hair  which   hung  down 


THE    PIMO    INDIANS.  217 

their  backs  with  bits  of  scarlet  cloth,  but  more  of 
them  with  the  richly -figured  sashes  or  belts  of  their 
own  manufacture.  Some  again  wore  their  hair  in 
braids  tastefully  wound  around  their  heads,  intermin- 
gled with  pieces  of  scarlet  cloth  ;  while  a  few,  less  par- 
ticular as  to  their  appearance,  wore  it  clubbed  up 
behind  in  a  huge  mass.  The  manes  and  tails  of  their 
horses  were  also  set  off  with  bits  of  white  and  red 
cloth.  Their  arms  were  solely  the  bow  and  arrow  : 
most  of  them  had  a  skin  quiver  hung  across  their 
backs  ;  though  a  few  carried  their  arrows  in  their  gir- 
dles. There  was  quite  an  exciting  time  as  the  party 
were  about  to  start;  and  several  of  the  Commission 
desired  to  take  their  rifles  and  accompany  them,  a 
request  which  was  of  course  refused. 

Wishing  to  get  back  to  our  old  camp  in  the  cool  of 
the  morning,  we  did  not  wait  for  breakfast,  but  were 
off  by  five  o'clock,  and,  after  another  hard  tug  through 
the  sand,  reached  the  camping  ground,  where  we  had 
every  thing  we  could  ask  for,  except  shade,  and  water 
to  bathe  in.  The  latter  was  the  greatest  deprivation. 
The  tents  were  again  pitched,  and  the  camp  arranged 
as  it  was  on  the  day  of  our  arrival. 

The  Indians  again  flocked  around  us,  and  in  greater 
numbers  than  before.  The  Pimos  having  heard  of  our 
arrival,  many  of  them  came  also,  bringing  such  vege- 
tables as  they  had,  together  with  jpinole,  made  both 
from  wheat  and  corn.  Some  of  the  pinole  was  sweet- 
ened with  the  flour  of  mezquit  beans,  which  they  also 
brought  separate  in  small  earthen  vases,  or  ollas,  as  the 
Mexicans  call  them.  The  mezquit  flour,  which  is  ground 
very  fine,  has  a  sickish  sweetness ;  so  that,  although  I 


218  THE    COCO-MARICOPA   AND 

became  fond  of  the  beans  in  the  pod,  and  liked  to  pick 
them  from  the  trees  as  we  rode  along,  I  could  not  eat 
them  when  dry  and  converted  into  flour.  They  also 
brought  us  the  fruit  of  the  petahaya  rolled  up  in  masses 
or  balls  as  large  as  one's  fist.  In  this  state  it  resem- 
bles in  appearance  the  pulp  of  figs,  and  has  something 
of  the  same  taste  mingled  with  that  of  the  raspberry. 
We  had  gathered  some  as  we  came  along  the  Gila,  but 
had  found  none  so  good  as  this.  All  became  very 
fond  of  it,  and  our  Indian  friends  found  a  ready  sale 
for  all  they  brought.  Jars  of  molasses  extracted  from 
the  same  were  also  offered  for  sale. 

I  inquired  of  the  Indians  to-day  what  they  knew  of 
the  murder  of  the  Oatman  family  before  mentioned. 
They  remembered  the  affair  well ;  indeed  one  of  the 
chiefs  present  had  accompanied  the  party  after  the 
committal  of  the  murder.  His  statement  corresponded 
with  what  I  have  related.  They  charged  the  Tonto 
Apaches  with  the  crime,  and  said,  "  With  God's  per- 
mission, we  will  retake  the  two  children,  and  restore 
them  to  the  Americans."  I  told  them  they  should  be 
well  rewarded,  if  they  would  do  so  ;  and  that  if  so  for- 
tunate as  to  recover  them,  they  might  take  them  to 
'the  American  Fort  (Yuma)  on  the  Colorado ;  or  if 
•they  could  not  carry  them  there,  to  the  Mexican  com- 
manding officer  at  Tucson. 

Among  the  Maricopas,  I  noticed  to-day  three  whom 
I  had  seen  in  Ures  when  there  last  winter,  and  to  whom 
I  had  given  notes  of  recommendation.  They  now 
showed  them  to  me  carefully  wrapped  up  in  several 
envelopes,  and  deposited  in  a  bag  of  black  skin.  All 
the  chiefs,  both  Pimos  and  Coco-Maricopas,  have  let- 


THE    PIMO    INDIANS.  219 

ters  which  they  have  obtained  from  passing  emigrants, 
recommending  them  to  the  favor  and  kind  treatment 
of  others.     They  prize  these  certificates  very  highly. 

July  2d.  This  morning,  Francisco,  the  Maricopa  in- 
terpreter, breakfasted  with  me,  and,  from  his  ease  at 
table,  showed  that  he  had  been  among  civilized  people 
before.  He  was  well  dressed,  having  on  pantaloons,  a 
shirt,  and  hat.  He  is  a  man  of  much  intelligence  an4 
shrewdness,  and  expressed  a  desire  to  serve  us.  The 
Americans  who  had  been  through  these  villages  before, 
he  said,  had  given  his  people  very  little,  although  they 
had  done  much  for  them.  They  had  brought  the 
Americans  wood  and  water,  and  had  acted  as  guides, 
sometimes  accompanying  them  many  miles,  and  he  him- 
self had  acted  as  interpreter  for  all  parties,  but  had 
received  little  or  nothing  in  return.  Besides  this,  his 
people  had  often  given  corn,  melons,  and  vegetables, 
to  ours ;  but  the  Americans  had  told  them  they  were 
very  poor  (as  they  doubtless  were),  and  had  neither 
clothes  nor  goods  with  which  to  reward  their  kind- 
ness. He  said  they  sometimes  received  money 
from  the  Americans ;  but  it  was  of  little  use  to  them, 
as  they  wanted  manta  (white  cotton)  and  shirts.  I  told 
Francisco,  in  reply,  that  those  he  referred  to  were 
mostly  families  of  poor  emigrants,  who  had  left  their 
homes,  and  were  going  to  California  in  the  hope  of 
doing  better  ;  and  that  before  I  left,  if  his  people  con- 
ducted themselves  well,  I  would  not  only  pay  him  for 
all  I  received,  but  would  make  him  and  the  other  chiefs 
of  his  tribe  presents,  to  induce  them  to  treat  all  other 
Americans  who  might  pass  their  villages  with  kind- 
ness, and  supply  them  with  what  they  could  spare. 


220  THE    COCO-MARICOPA   AND 

There  was  one  practice  of  this  chief  that  was  not 
so  agreeable  to  me,  namely,  that  of  helping  his  friends 
to  the  choicest  bits  from  my  table.  When  we  took 
our  places,  they  all  assembled,  and  sat  or  stood  gaping 
around.  Francisco,  during  the  meal,  occasionally  hand- 
ed them  a  piece  of  bread  or  meat ;  and  when  we  had 
finished,  he  coolly  piled  up  his  plate,  and  passed  it 
around  among  his  friends.  At  first,  I  was  rather 
amused  at  the  fellow's  impudence ;  but  on  a  subse- 
quent occasion,  he  carried  the  joke  still  further,  not  only 
giving  them'  what  he  had  collected  on  his  own  plate, 
but  stripping  the  table  of  all  that  remained,  so  as  to 
leave  nothing  for  my  cook  and  servant.  As  our  sup- 
ply of  provisions  was  limited,  I  had  no  idea  of  feed- 
ing so  many  hungry  mouths,  which  had  an  abundance 
at  home  ;  consequently  my  second  invitation  to  the 
chief,  was  the  last.  Yet  he  made  his  appearance  regu- 
larly every  morning  while  we  remained,  and  gave 
many  hints  about  being  hungry,  expressing  his  surprise 
to  the  cook  that  he  did  not  have  a  seat  at  my  table. 
I  told  him,  finally,  that  it  was  not  the  custom  among 
Americans,  when  they  asked  a  friend  to  their  table,  to 
feed  his  whole  tribe. 

This  man  afterwards  became  quite  a  bore  to  us  ;  for 
nothing  would  satisfy  his  avarice.  I  gave  him  shirts, 
pantaloons,  white  cotton,  and  calico,  besides  beads  and 
trinkets  for  his  wife  and  children.  Lieut.  Paige,  also, 
made  him  some  valuable  presents ;  but  he  constantly 
asked  for  more,  and  was  most  importunate  for  whiskey. 
I  told  him  we  had  none ;  but  this  he  seemed  to  doubt, 
declaring  that  we  were  the  first  party  of  Americans  he 
had  ever  seen   that  did  not  drink  whiskey.      Every 


THE    PIMO    INDIANS.  221 

junk  bottle  he  saw  about  my  tent  or  Wagon,  was  sus- 
pected to  contain  the  forbidden  liquor ;  and  nothing 
would  satisfy  him  until  he  examined  them  himself. 
After  finding  in  one  lemon  syrup,  in  another  vinegar, 
and  in  a  third  a  mixture  for  diarrhoea,  which  communi- 
cated an  unpleasant  pucker  to  his  mouth,  the  fellow  gave 
up  all  hopes  of  obtaining  the  obj  ect  of  his  search.  Much 
harm  has  been  done  by  Americans  in  giving  this  poor 
and  simple-hearted  people  intoxicating  drinks ;  and  it 
is  a  matter  of  satisfaction  to  me  to  state,  that  in  my 
long  intercourse  with  the  Indians  here,  as  well  as  at  the 
Copper  Mines  with  the  Apaches,  none  ever  got  a  drop 
of  liquor  from  me,  or  from  my  camp  to  my  knowledge. 

In  the  evening,  while  a  crowd  of  Indians  were  lying 
or  squatting  around  my  tent,  I  had  a  long  talk  with  a 
Maricopa,  whose  name  I  forget  (but  who  spoke  Span- 
ish well),  on  the  manners  and  customs  of  his  people. 
This  man  was  terribly  crippled,  having  a  year  before 
been  engaged  in  a  fight  with  the  Yumas,  in  which  his 
party  was  defeated.  He  was  lanced  in  many  places, 
beaten  with  clubs,  his  hair  cut  off,  and  left  for  dead. 
After  the  combatants  had  left,  he  revived,  and  by 
some  means  succeeded  in  getting  home.  He  was  still 
unable  to  walk,  except  with  a  long  staff,  but  had  to  be 
lifted  on  his  horse,  and  rode  about  with  some  diffi- 
culty. He  was  quite  an  intelligent  man,  and,  while  we 
remained,  was  constantly  in  our  camp. 

He  said  the  Coco-Maricopas  came  here  not  many 
years  before,  to  escape  from  the  Yumas,  with  whom 
they  were  constantly  at  war,  and  by  whom  they  had 
been  greatly  reduced  in  numbers.  Their  former  range 
was  along  the  valley  of  the  Gila,  on  the  opposite  side 


222  THE    COCO-MARICOPA   AND 

of  the  Jornada  and  towards  the  Colorado.  Their  pre- 
sent position  adjoining  the  Pinios,  was  chosen  for  the 
benefit  of  mutual  protection. 

This  people  restrict  themselves  to  a  single  wife. 
Their  ideas  of  a  Supreme  Being,  in  whose  existence 
they  believe,  are  of  so  vague  a  nature  that  I  could  not 
ascertain  them  with  exactness.  After  death,  they 
believe  that  their  souls  go  to  the  banks  of  the  Colorado, 
their  ancient  dwelling-place,  and  there  take  refuge  in 
the  great  sand  hills,  where  they  are  metamorphosed 
into  various  animals  and  birds.  Their  heads,  hands, 
feet,  etc.,  each  become  owls,  bats,  wolves,  and  other 
animals.  They  believe,  too,  that  the  souls  of  their  ene- 
mies, the  Yumas,  also  find  a  place  there ;  and  that  the 
wars  which  have  so  long  existed  between  them  on  earth, 
will  be  continued  there,  after  death. 

When  a  man  desires  to  marry,  and  has  made  choice 
of  a  girl  for  his  wife,  he  first  endeavors  to  win  over 
her  parents  by  making  them  presents.  The  fair  one's 
attention  is  sought  by  another  process.  To  do  this,  he 
takes  his  flute,  an  instrument  of  cane  with  four  holes, 
and,  seating  himself  beneath  a  bush  near  her  dwell- 
ing, keeps  up  a  plaintive  noise  for  hours  together. 
This  music  is  continued  day  after  day  ;  and  if  no 
notice  is  at  length  taken  of  him  by  the  girl,  he  may 
*•'  hang  up  his  flute,"  as  it  is  tantamount  to  a  rejec- 
tion. If  the  proposal  is  agreeable,  the  fair  one 
makes  it  known  to  the  suitor,  when  the  conquest  is 
considered  complete.  No  girl  is  forced  to  marry  against 
her  will,  however  eligible  her  parents  may  consider 
the  match.  Whenever  a  girl  marries,  it  is  expected 
that  her  husband  will  present  her  parents  with  as  much 


THE    PIMO    INDIANS.  223 

as  his  means  will  permit,  to  compensate  them  for  the 
loss  of  their  daughter,  whose  services  are  to"  them  a 
matter  of  consequence. 


Indian  Flute,  and  Eattle  of  Deer's  Hoofs. 

Among  both  the  Coco-Maricopas  and  the  Pimos, 
the  women  do  the  principal  part  of  the  work.  Besides 
taking  care  of  the  children  and  attending  to  the  house- 
hold matters,  they  grind  the  corn,  make  baskets,  gather 
mezquit  beans,  help  till  the  ground,  and  sometimes 
spin  and  weave. 

The  men  plant  and  gather  the  crops,  and  take  care 
of  the  animals.  This  I  believe  is  all  they  do  ;  and  as 
the  performance  of  these  duties  is  not  a  very  onerous 
task,  they  are  idle  the  greater  portion  of  the  time.  Their 
implements  of  husbandry  are  steel  hoes  and  axes  which 
they  obtain  from  the  Mexicans,  harrows,  and  occasion- 
ally a  long-handled  spade.  Grinding  corn  on  the  me- 
tates,  or  stones,  is  a  work  of  great  labor,  and  comes 
hard  on  the  poor  women,  who  are  obliged  to  get  upon 
their  knees,  and  exert  the  whole  strength  of  their  arms 


224  THE    COCO-MARICOPA   AND 

and  bodies  in  the  task.  I  have  seen  women  thus  em- 
ployed when  the  thermometer  stood  at  110°,  while 
their  lords  lay  stretched  out  at  length  on  their  backs 
looking  on. 

Water  is  invariably  brought  by  the  women  in  large 
earthen  vessels  upon  their  heads  resting  upon  a  small 
cushion.  Some  of  these  vessels  hold  six  gallons.  This 
mode  of  carrying  burdens,  by  which  the  body  is  kept 
in  a  perfectly  erect  position,  tends  greatly  to  develope 
the  chest  and  add  to  the  general  beauty  of  the  figure. 
Hence  we  see  among  the  Indians,  as  well  as  among  the 
lower  class  of  Mexicans,  forms  which  Walker  might 
well  have  taken  for  models  in  his  "Analysis  of  Beauty 
in  Women." 

As  the  manners  and  customs  of  the  Pinios  and 
Coco-Maricopas  are  the  same,  with  the  exception  of 
their  rites  of  burial,  I  shall  include  both  in  describing 
these  customs  ;  although  there  is  little  doubt  but  that 
the  knowledge  of  the  arts  which  they  possess  originated 
with  the  Pimos.  Cotton  is  raised  by  them,*  which 
they  spin  and  weave.  Their  only  manufactures  consist 
of  blankets  of  various  textures  and  sizes ;  a  heavy  cloth 
of  the  same  material  used  by  the  women  to  put  around 
their  loins;  and  an  article  from  three  to  four  inches 
wide,  used  as  a  band  for  the  head,  or  a  girdle  for  the 
waist.  The  blankets  are  woven  with  large  threads, 
slightly  twisted  and  without  any  nap.  They  are  made 
of  white  cotton,  and  are  without  ornament  of  colors  or 
figures,  save  a  narrow  selvage  of  buff. 

*  I  brought  home  with  me  the  seeds  with  samples  of  this  cotton, 
which  was  pronounced  equal  to  the  best  Sea  Island.  The  seeds  I  dis- 
tributed among  various  planters. 


THE    PIMO    INDIANS. 


225 


The  implements  used  by  these  'tribes  for  spinning 
and  weaving  are  of  the  most  primitive  character.  A 
slender  stick  about  two  feet  long  passing  through  a 
block  of  wood  which  serves  to  keep  up  the  momentum 
imparted  to  it,  constitutes  the  spindle.  One  end  of 
this  rests  on  a  wooden  cup  inserted  between  the  toes, 


■^ 


Indian  weaving 


and  the  other  is  held  and  twirled  by  the  fingers  of  the 
right  hand ;  while  the  left  hand  is  occupied  in  draw- 
ing out  the  thread  from  the  supply  of  cotton,  which  is 
coiled  upon  the  left  arm  in  loose  rolls. 

In  weaving,  the  warp  is  attached  to  two  sticks,  and 

VOL.  IX. 15 


226  THE    COCO-MAKICOPA   AND 

stretched  upon  the  ground  by  means  of  stakes.  Each 
alternate  thread  of  the  warp  is  passed  round  a  piece  of 
cane,  which,  being  lifted,  opens  a  passage  for  the  shut- 
tle in  the  manner  of  a  sley.  The  operator  sits  in  the 
fashion  of  a  tailor,  #nd,  raising  the  sley  with  one  hand, 
with  the  other  passes  the  shuttle,  which  is  simply  a 
pointed  stick  with  the  thread  wound  upon  it,  between 
the  threads  of  the  warp.  The  work  is  beaten  up  after 
the  passage  of  each  thread  by  the  use  of  a  sharp  smooth- 
edged  instrument  made  of  hard  wood.  The  operation 
of  course  progresses  slowly ;  and  from  the  length  of 
time  consumed  in  spinning  and  weaving,  they  set  a 
high  price  upon  their  blankets,  asking  for  them  ten  or 
twelve  dollars  in  money,  or  a  new  woollen  blanket  of 
equal  size.  The  weaving  is  generally  done  by  the  old 
men. 

The  head-band  or  girdle  consists  of  a  white  ground 
with  a  variety  of  figures  of  red,  blue,  and  buff  The 
figures  are  angular,  and,  though  they  present  a  great 
variety,  are  all  of  one  general  character.  The  colored 
portions  of  these  belts  are  made  of  wool,  and  the  colors 
are  quite  brilliant.  On  examining  the  patterns  on  these 
bands,  one  is  struck  with  their  general  resemblance  to 
the  figures  on  the  ancient  pottery  found  among  the 
ruins  of  this  country,  a  comparison  with  which  will  be 
made  hereafter. 

The  pottery  made  by  these  tribes  is  all  red  or  dark 
brown,  the  latter  a  blending  of  black  and  red.  The 
articles  made  are  very  limited,  though,  perhaps,  quite 
sufficient  for  their  wants.  In  fact,  they  are  the  same 
as  those  made  and  in  use  by  the  Mexicans.  They  con- 
sist of  ollas,  or  vases,  of  every  size,  the  largest  holding 


THE    PIMO    INDIANS. 


227 


about  two  pailfulls,  and  the  smallest  half  a  pint ;  jars 
with  small  apertures,  resembling  bottles  ;  basins  of  dif- 
ferent sizes  and  forms,  from  that  of  a  milk-pan  to  a 
saucer ;  and  oblong  vessels  of  small  dimensions  used 
as  dippers.  All  these  vessels  are  painted  or  ornamented 
with  black  lines  arranged  in  geometrical  figures,  and  of 
a  character  resembling  those  on  the  head-bands. 


Baskets  and  Pottery  of  the  Pimos  and  Coco-Maricopas. 


The  basket  work  of  this  people  is  remarkably  well 
made  of  willow  twigs,  and  so  close  as  to  be  impervious 
to  water.  The  baskets  are  of  various  shapes,  and  are 
used  for  different  purposes.  Those  of  a  large  basin- 
like form  are  the  most  common.  These  they  carry  on 
their  heads  filled  with  corn  or  other  articles.     Like 


228 


THE    COCO-MARICOPA    AND 


the   pottery,   they  are  ornamented  with  geometrical 
figures,  arranged  with  much  taste.  ' 

The  dress  of  the  Coco-Maricopas  and  the  Pimos  is 
the  same.  The  women  fold  the  smaller  blankets  or 
other  cloths,  and  pass  them  around  their  loins,  letting 
them  hang  to  their  knees.  They  are  sometimes 
fastened  with  one  of  the  belts  before  mentioned,  but 
are  generally  kept  in  place  by  simply  tucking  one  end 
in.  Sandals  of  raw  hide  are  worn  on  the  feet.  No- 
thing is  worn  on  the  head,  nor  is  the  hair  ever  tied  up. 


In  front  it  is  cut  off  square  across  the  eyebrows ;  the 
rest  is  suffered  to  hang  loosely  over  the  ears,  neck, 
and  about  half  way  down  the  back,  affording  a  pro- 
tection to  these  parts  from  the  intense  heat  of  the  sun. 
It  is  a  universal  custom  among  the  women  when  they 
arrive  at  maturity,  to  draw  two  lines  with  some  blue- 
colored  dye  from  each  corner  of  the  mouth  to  the  chin. 
This  is  pricked  in  with  some  pointed  instrument,  and 
remains  through  life.     Occasionally  a  fair  one  gets  a 


THE    PIMO   INDIANS.  229 

string  of  beads ;  but  I  saw  more  men  and  boys  with 
these  ornaments  than  women.  One  boy  in  particular, 
who  might  pass  for  a  dandy  among  them,  wore  some 
twenty  or  more  strings  of  beads.  The  body,  arms, 
and  legs  of  the  women  are  naked.  They  generally 
have  fine  forms;  for  which  they  are  indebted,  as  I 
have  before  remarked,  to  their  mode  of  carrying  bur- 
dens on  their  heads.  In  this  respect,  there  is  a  marked 
difference  between  them  and  the  men,  who  are  gener- 
ally lean  and  lank,  with  very  small  limbs  and  narrow 
chests,  Their  labor  is  so  light,  and  they  keep  so 
closely  to  their  villages  or  the  immediate  vicinity,  that 
there  is  .  no  opportunity  for  physical  development 
The  men  in  general  go  naked,  except  the  breech- 
cloth.  A  few,  however,  are  provided  with  their  native 
blankets  of  large  size,  which  they  fold  and  throw 
over  their  shoulders  in  the  manner  of  the  Mexicans. 
Some  fasten  them  around  their  waists  in  graceful  folds, 
letting  the  ends  fall  to  their  knees ;  then  drawing  a 
cord  between  their  legs  and  attaching  it  to  their  waists, 
their  garment  resembles  a  capacious  pair  of  pantaloons. 
I  suppose  that  all  are  provided  with  cotton  blankets ; 
but,  owing  to  the  almost  incessant  heat  of  the  day, 
they  seldom  wear  them.  At  night,  when  cool,  these 
constitute  their  sole  covering.  The  head-band  is  worn 
by  nearly  all  the  men  gracefully  put  on  in  several  folds, 
with  the  braided  ends  hanging  down  to  their  shoul- 
ders. They  also  have  a  large  woollen  cord,  from  half 
an  inch  to  an  inch  in  diameter,  of  different  colors, 
which  they  use  as  a  head  ornament,  twining  it  around 
the  hair.  So  many  Americans  have  been  among  these 
people,  that  most  of  them  have  obtained  ragged  or 


230  THE    COCO-MARICOPA   AND 

cast-off  shirts,  which  they  put  on  on  great  occasions. 
By  their  traffic  with  the  Boundary  Commission,  they 
obtained  a  large  number  of  these  garments  of  a  good 
substantial  quality  both  cotton  and  woollen.  The  bright 
scarlet  shirts  gave  them  quite  a  picturesque  appear- 
ance. When  they  visited  our  camp,  every  man  put 
on  his  best  garments,  no  matter  what  was  their  fashion, 
or  how  many  he  had.  I  remember  that  on  one  occa- 
sion Francisco  made  his  appearance  in  a  pair  of  panta- 
loons, with  a  white  shirt,  over  which  was  a  checked 
one,  and  another  of  red  flannel  outside  of  that.  For  a 
short  time  he  strutted  about  the  camp,  the  envy  and 
admiration  of  his  friends.  But  he  soon  got  tired  of 
sporting  such  a  dress  with  the  heat  at  110°;  and 
shortly  after  we  saw  him  cooling  off  on  the  grass, 
divested  of  all  his  finery,  which  he  had  carefully  tied 
up  in  a  bundle. 

The  men  wear  their  hair  long,  never  cutting  it 
except  across  the  eyebrows,  down  to  which  it  hangs, 
and  thus  partially  protects  the  eyes.  When  loosed, 
their  hair  reaches  to  their  knees;  but  usually  it  is 
clubbed  up  in  a  large  mass  on  their  backs.  Their  ear- 
locks  either  hang  loose,  or  are  braided  in  several 
strands,  with  little  ornaments  of  bone,  tin,  or  red  cloth 
attached  to  them.  But  the  decoration  of  their  heads 
with  the  bands  of  which  I  have  spoken,  forms  the  most 
picturesque  part  of  their  costume.  They  have  a  sin- 
gular practice  of  filling  their  hair  with  clay ;  so  that 
when  dry  it  resembles  a  great  turban.  I  could  not 
imagine  their  object  in  adopting  so  filthy  a  custom, 
unless  it  was  to  destroy  the  vermin.  The  men  also 
wear  a  profusion  of  beads  when  they  can  obtain  them. 


THE    PIMO   INDIANS.  231 

Some  have  long  strings  of  sea-shells  or  parts  of  shells, 
which  are  highly  prized.  I  tried  to  buy  some  of  them ; 
but  the  only  man  at  all  disposed  to  sell  asked  me  five 
dollars  or  a  pair  of  blankets  for  a  few  strings,  a  price 
so  extravagant  that  I  declined  to  make  the  purchase. 

The  women  carry  their  infants  in  cradles  similar  to 
those  of  other  Indians.  I  have  seen  them  in  camp 
with  a  basket  of  green  corn  on  their  heads,  and  on  the 
top  of  this  the  cradle  and  child.  When  it  gets  to  be 
about  a  year  old,  it  is  carried  astride  on  the  hip,  the 
mother  holding  one  arm  around  its  body.  Although 
the  men  and  boys  go  naked,  I  never  saw  a  girl,  how- 
ever young,  without  clothes  around  its  hips  similar  to 
those  worn  by  the  women. 

The  Indians  were  much  amused  by  Dr.  Webb's  col- 
lection of  insects,  reptiles,  and  small  mammalia,  which 
were  preserved  in  bottles  or  hanging  about  our  tent. 
I  told  the  boys  to  go  out  and  collect  for  us  any  curious 
insects,  lizards,  or  snakes  they  could  find,  and  that  I 
would  reward  them  for  so  doing.  Instead  of  letting 
the  boys  go,  the  men,  in  the  belief  that  they  would  be 
well  rewarded,  went  themselves,  and  in  a  few  hours 
came  very  earnestly  to  my  tent  with  a  few  grasshop- 
pers and  crickets.  Although  utterly  valueless,  as  con- 
taining nothing  new,  yet  Dr.  Webb  graciously  re- 
ceived them,  as  an  encouragement  to  prosecute  their 
zoological  researches  further,  at  the  same  time  inform- 
ing his  new  recruits  that  lizards  and  horned  frogs, 
which  abound  on  the  plateau,  would  be  most  accept- 
able. They  now  set  off  again,  and  we  hoped  some- 
thing better  from  this  second  effort.  About  an  hour 
after,   some   half-a-dozen  sturdy   fellows  marched  to- 


232  THE    COCO-MARICOPA    AND 

wards  my  tent  in  single  file,  with  a  great  deal  of 
importance.  .  The  leader  advanced  with  a  dignified 
air,  and  the  Doctor  got  his  bottles  ready  to  receive 
the  specimens  which  the  six  men  had  collected.  But 
his  expectations,  if  he  indulged  any,  of  adding  new 
species  to  his  collection,  soon  vanished,  when  the  man 
laid  upon  the  table  two  small  lizards,  minus  their  tails, 
which  had  been  broken  off  in  securing  them.  For  their 
arduous  services  in  the  cause  of  science,  the  captors 
of  the  tailless  lizards  coolly  demanded  a  shirt  apiece. 

Two  old  chiefs  made  their  appearance  to-day,  and 
at  once  recognised  Mr.  Leroux  as  the  person  who 
guided  Colonel  Cooke  and  his  battalion  through  here 
in  1847.  Mr.  Leroux  also  recognised  one  whom  they 
called  Blanco,  as  a  chief  who  commanded  the  Marico- 
pas  twenty-five  years  ago,  when  a  party  of  hunters 
and  trappers  from  New  Mexico,  among  whom  was 
Leroux,  had  a  severe  fight  with  them,  and  escaped 
narrowly  with  their  lives.  On  being  reminded  of  it, 
the  old  chief  recollected  the  circumstances,  which  he 
related,  and  which  corresponded  with  the  account  of 
Leroux. 

The  valley  or  bottom-land  occupied  by  the  Pimos 
and  Coco-Maricopas  extends  about  fifteen  miles  along 
the  south  side  of  the  Gila,  and  is  from  two  to  four 
miles  in  width,  nearly  the  whole  being  occupied  by 
their  villages  and  cultivated  fields.  The  Pimos  occupy 
the  eastern  portion.  There  is  no  dividing  line  between 
them,  nor  any  thing  to  distinguish  the  villages  of  one 
from  the  other.  The  whole  of  this  plain  is  intersected 
by  irrigating  canals  from  the  Gila,  by  which  they 
are    enabled    to    control    the    waters,    and   raise    the 


THE    PIMO    INDIANS.  233 

most  luxuriant  crops.  At  the  western  end  of  the 
valley  is  a  rich  tract  of  grass,  where  we  had  our 
encampment.  This  is  a  mile  or  more  from  the  nearest 
village  of  the  Coco-Maricopas.  On  the  northern  side 
of  the  river  there  is  less  bottom-land,  and  the  irriga- 
tion is  more  difficult.  There  are  a  few  cultivated 
spots  here ;  but  it  is  too  much  exposed  to  the  attacks 
of  their  enemies  for  either  tribe  to  reside  upon  it. 

The  villages  consist  of  groups  of  from  twenty  to 
fifty  habitations,  surrounded  by  gardens  and  cultivated 
fields,  intersected  in  every  direction  by  acequias,  which 
lead  the  water  from  the  Gila.  Their  mode  of  irriga- 
tion is  the  same  as  that  practised  in  various  parts  of 
Mexico.  Their  cultivated  fields  are  generally  fenced 
with  crooked  stakes,  wattled  with  brush,  the  thorny 
mezquit  predominating ;  although  I  noticed  large 
patches  of  wheat,  a  long  distance  from  any  village, 
that  were  not  inclosed. 

Their  houses  are  built  with  stakes,  poles,  corn- 
shucks,  and  straw.  For  the  small  houses,  four  upright 
stakes  forked  at  one  end  are  inserted  in  the  ground. 
For  the  larger  dwellings  nine  are  used ;  three  on  each 
side,  and  one  in  the  centre.  Across  the  tops  of  these, 
other  sticks  are  laid  to  support  the  roof.  Next  a  row 
of  poles  is  inserted  in  the  ground,  a  few  feet  outside 
the  larger  upright  stakes,  bent  over  towards  the  centre 
and  fastened  to  the  horizontal  beams.  These  are  then 
united  in  the  centre,  forming  a  slightly  rounded  top. 
Smaller  poles  are  now  horizontally  interlaced  with 
the  upright  ones,  and  between  them  straw,  corn-shucks, 
or  rushes  are  interwoven  in  large  masses,  so  as  to  shed 
the  rain  and  protect  them  from  the  intense  heat  of  the 


234 


THE-  COCO-MARICOPA    AND 


sun ;  some  are  then  plastered  over  with  mud.  An 
opening  for  a  door  is  left,  about  three  feet  high,  to 
creep  in  at.  These  habitations  vary  in  height  from 
five  to  seven  feet ;  so  that  in  many  of  them  one  cannot 
stand  erect.  In  fact  they  are  chiefly  used  to  sit  and 
sleep  in.  In  diameter  they  are  from  fifteen  to  twenty- 
five  feet.  In  the  most  westerly  village  of  the  Coco- 
Maricopas,  from  which  the  annexed  sketch  was  taken, 
the  wigwams  are  wholly  plastered  with  mud.  Their 
cooking  is  done  out  of  doors,  where  the  greater  por- 
tion of  their  time  is  passed,  beneath  a  kind  of  shed  or 
bower  attached  to  the  wigwams  This  is  open  on  all 
sides,  and  merely  protected  from  the  sun  overhead. 
Beneath  these  bowers  the  people  are  generally  seen 
engaged  in  their  household  occupations,  only  resorting 
to  their  better  protected  abodes  in  cool  or  rainy 
weather.  The  accompanying  sketch  shows  the  man- 
ner of  erecting  these  wigwams. 


Mode  of  constructing  Wigwams. 


Besides  the  dwelling-places,  each  family  is  provided 
with  a  store-house  or  granary.  These  are  built  like 
the  Mexican  jaJeals,  i.  e..  with  stakes  placed  close 
together  and  about  eight  or  nine  feet  high.  They  are 
better  structures  than  the  dwellings,  and  are  probably 
made  more  open,  in  order  to  give  a  free  circulation  of 


THE    PIMO    INDIANS. 


235 


air  through  the  grain  deposited  in  them.  They  are 
wattled  with  straw  and  rushes,  and  are  sometimes 
coated  with  a  thick  layer  of  mud.  As  this  becomes 
dry,  additional  layers  of  mud  are  added,  which  render 


Coco-Maricopa  Village. 


them  impervious  to  water.  The  wheat  and  shelled 
corn  (maize)  are  put  into  large  vases  or  baskets,  from 
three  to  five  feet  high,  made  out  of  ropes  of  wheaten 
straw.  These  ropes,  which  are  as  thick  as  one's  arm, 
are  coiled  around  into  graceful  forms,  and  sewed 
together  like  some  kinds  of  basket  work.     The  vases 


236 


THE    COCO-MARICOPA    AND 


so  formed  contain  ten  or  twelve,  and  some  even  fifteen 
bushels  of  grain.  The  following  sketch  exhibits  a  view 
of  the  interior  of  a  Pimo  granary  or  store-houser 


Pimo  store-house. 


On  the  tops  of  their  wigwams  and  granaries  may 
often  be  seen  large  piles  of  mezquit  beans  in  the  pod, 
which  are  placed,  there  to  dry,  preparatory  to  being 
ground  into  flour  for  pinole. 

Both  the  tribes  of  Indians  referred  to,  use  a  singu- 
lar piece  of  frame-work  made  of  three  poles  connected 
with  a  netting,  which  is  carried  on  their  backs.  These 
are  used  both  by  women  and  men  for  gathering  mez- 
quit beans,  corn,  and  other  light  articles.  They  may  be 
seen  at  every  wigwam,  and  answer  the  purpose  of  a 
wheelbarrow.  They  are  highly  prized  by  their  owners, 
as  they  are  very  useful  to  them,  and  are  made  with 
much  labor.  For  the  only  specimen  I  could  obtain,  I 
was  obliged  to  give  goods  to  the  value  of  ten  dollars. 

These  people  possess  horses  and  cattle,  though  but 


THE    PIMO    INDIANS.  237 

very  few  mules.  I  found  it  impossible  to  procure  a 
single  mule  from  them  during  my  stay.  They  breed 
none,  and  what  they  obtain  are  such  as  have  been  lost 
or  abandoned  by  passing  emigrants.  They  plough  but 
little,  finding  their  hoes  quite  sufficient  for  turning  up 
the  light  soil.  When  ploughing  is  resorted  to,  oxen 
alone  are  used.  They  possess  a  few  carts  and  wagons, 
obtained  from  emigrants,  which  they  use  with  oxen 
for  agricultural  purposes.  We  saw  all  kinds  of  sad- 
dles among  them,  from  the  best  dragoon  and  Mexican 
saddles  to  the  simple  tree  or  frame.  They  find  them 
on  the  road,  where  they  have  been  thrown  away  by 
parties  who  have  lost  their  animals.  Those  who  ride 
bareback  use  a  broad  girth,  which  is  passed  quite 
loosely  around  the  body  of  the  horse.  Into  this  one 
foot  is  inserted.  There  seemed  to  be  numbers  of 
horses  among  them,  which  with  the  cattle  are  left  to 
graze  near  the  villages  during  the  day,  and  at  night 
are  brought  into  the  corrals,  or  yards,  for  safety. 

The  only  weapon  used  by  these  tribes  is  the  bow 
and  arrow.  The  short  club  of  the  Yumas  and  the 
long  lance  of  the  Apaches  I  never  saw  among  them. 
The  constant  use  of  this  weapon  has  rendered  them 
excellent  marksmen.  Even  the  boys  are  very  ex- 
pert in  the  use  of  it.  I  have  seen  boys  of  ten  or 
twelve  years  of  age,  strike  a  cent  three  times  out  of 
five  at  a  distance  of  fifteen  yards.  It  is  quite  common 
for  them  to  shoot  doves  with  their  arrows,  and  to  bring 
in  half  a  dozen  of  these  birds  after  a  ramble  among  the 
cotton-woods.  It  is  a  favorite  amusement  with  both 
men  and  boys  to  try  their  skill  at  hitting  the  petahaya, 
which  presents  a  fine  object  on  the  plain.     Numbers 


238       THE    COCO-MARICOPA    AND    THE    PIMO    INDIANS. 

often  collect  for  this  purpose ;  and  in  crossing  the 
great  plateau,  where  these  plants  abound,  it  is  common 
to  see  them  pierced  with  arrows. 


Pimo  man  and  woman. 


INDIAN  AMUSEMENTS.    SHOOTING  AT  THE  PETAHAYA. 


AT    THE    COCO-MARICOPA    AND    PIMO    VILLAGES.       239 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

AT   THE  COCO-MARICOPA   AND    PIMO    VILLAGES. 

Journey  to  the  River  Salinas — Its  rich  hottora-lands — Large  stream — Pimo 
Indians — Ruined  buildings — Mounds — Broken  pottery — Traces  of  irri- 
gating canals — Ancient  population  probably  large — Return  towards 
the  Pimo  villages — Are  taken  for  Apaches — Arrival  at  camp — Ar- 
rival of  Lieutenant  Whipple — Survey  of  the  Gila  completed — Trade 
reopened  with  the  Coco-Maricopas — Presents — Tribe  of  Oawenas — 
Remove  to  the  Pimo  villages — Cola  Azul  and  the  Pimos — Traffic 
with  them — Conference — Giving  presents — Arrival  of  Mexican  traders 
— Return  of  Lieutenant  Paige  with  the  escort — Leave  the  villages. 

July  3d.  In  order  to  make  the  most  of  my  time 
while  waiting  the  arrival  of  Lieutenant  Whipple  and 
party,  I  determined  to  take  a  short  trip  up  the  river 
Salinas,  as  far  as  the  "  Casas  Grandes,"  or  ancient 
remains  said  to  be  there.  I  asked  a  couple  of  Mari- 
copas  to  go  with  me  as  guides,  and  offered  them  a  red 
flannel  shirt  each  for  their  services.  They  wished  two 
others  to  accompany  them,  if  I  would  take  them  on 
the  same  terms.  Finding  that  I  consented  so  readily, 
they  parleyed  a  while,  and  then  demanded  for  each  a 
shirt,  six  yards  of  cotton,  and  sundry  small  articles, 
without  which  they  declared  they  would  not  go. 
Francisco,  the  interpreter,  was  their  spokesman,  and  I 
have  no  doubt  urged  them  to  make  this  demand.     I 


240  AT   THE    COCO-MARICOPA    AND 

refused  to  accede  to  it,  and  told  them  that  Francisco 
.and  one  other  would  answer  my  purpose,  as  first  pro- 
posed. 

At  six  o'clock  this  morning  we  set  off,  the  party 
consisting  of  Dr.  Webb,  Messrs.  Thurber,  Pratt,  Seaton, 
Force,  Leroux,  and  myself,  with  attendants.  Lieute- 
nant Paige,  with  six  soldiers,  also  accompanied  us,  that 
officer  wishing  to  examine  the  opposite  bank  of  the 
Gila,  as  well  as  the  lands  contiguous  to  the  Saliuas, 
with  a  view  of  establishing  a  military  post  in  the  vi- 
cinity of  the  Pimo  villages.  After  crossing  the  bed 
of  the  Gila  we  pursued  a  westerly  course  about  eight 
miles  to  the  point  of  a  range  of  mountains,  near  which 
we  struck  the  bottom-lands.  We  now  inclined  more 
to  the  north,  and  in  about  eight  miles  struck  the  Sali- 
nas, about  twelve  miles  from  its  mouth,  where  we 
stopped  to  let  the  animals  rest  and  feed.  The  bottom, 
which  we  crossed  diagonally,  is  from  three  to  four 
miles  wide.  The  river  we  found  to  be  from  eighty  to 
one  hundred  and  twenty  feet  wide,  from  two  to  three 
feet  deep,  and  both  rapid  and  clear.  In  these  respects 
it  is  totally  different  from  the  Gila,  which,  for  the  two 
hundred  miles  we  had  traversed  its  banks,  was  slug- 
gish and  muddy,  a  character  which  I  think  it  assumes 
after  passing  the  mountainous  region  and  entering  one 
with  alluvial  banks.  The  water  is  perfectly  sweet, 
and  neither  brackish  nor  salt,  as  would  be  inferred 
from  the  name.  We  saw  from  the  banks  many  fish  in 
its  clear  waters,  and  caught  several  of  the  same  species 
as  those  taken  in  the  Gila.  The  margin  of  the  river 
on  both  sides,  for  a  width  of  three  hundred  feet,  consists 
of  sand  and  gravel,  brought  down  by  freshets  when 


PIMO    VILLAGES.  241 

the  stream  overflows  its  banks ;  and  from  the  appear- 
ance of  the  drift-wood  lodged  in  the  trees  and  bushes, 
it  must  at  times  be  much  swollen,  and  run  with  great 
rapidity.  The  second  terrace  or  bottom-land,  varies 
from  one  to  four  miles  in  width,  and  is  exceedingly 
rich.  As  it  is  but  little  elevated  above  the  river,  it 
could  be  irrigated  with  ease.  At  present  it  is  covered 
with  shrubs  and  mezquit  trees,  while  along  the  imme- 
diate margin  of  the  stream  large  cotton-wood  trees 
grow.  Near  by  we  saw  the  remains  of  several  Indian 
wigwams,  some  of  which  seemed  to  have  been  but 
recently  occupied.  Francisco  told  us  they  were  used 
by  his  people  and  the  Pimos  when  they  came  here  to 
fish.  He  also  told  us  that  two  years  before,  when  the 
cholera  appeared  among  them,  they  abandoned  their 
dwellings  on  the  Gila  and  came  here  to  escape  the 
pestilence. 

Owing  to  the  intense  heat,  we  lay  by  until  five 
o'clock,  and  again  pursued  our  journey  up  the  river 
until  dark,  when,  finding  a  little  patch  of  poor  grass, 
we  thought  best  to  stop  for  the  night.  Supper  was 
got,  and  a  good  meal  made  from  our  fish.  As  we 
brought  no  tents,  we  prepared  our  beds  on  the  sand. 
We  had  not  long  been  in  when  we  saw  a  body  of 
twelve  or  fifteen  Indians  on  the  river  making  for  our 
camp.  At  first  some  alarm  was  felt,  until  Francisco 
told  us  that  they  were  Pimos.  They  proved  to  be  a 
party  which  had  been  engaged  in  hunting  and  fishing. 
They  were  a  jolly  set  of  young  men,  dancing  and  sing- 
ing while  they  remained  with  us.  I  told  them  we 
would  like  a  few  fish  for  breakfast,  if  they  would  bring 
them  in.     With  this  encouragement,  they  took   leave 

VOL.  II. — 16 


242  AT    THE    COCO-MARICOPA    AND 

of  us,  promising  to  fetch  us  some  in  the  morning. 
But  instead  of  waiting  till  the  morning,  they  returned 
to  the  camp  about  midnight,  aroused  the  whole  party 
with  their  noise,  and  wished  to  strike  a  bargain  at 
once  for  their  fish,  a  pile  of  which,  certainly  enough 
to  last  a  week,  they  had  brought  us.  There  was  no 
getting  rid  of  them  without  making  a  purchase,  which 
I  accordingly  did,  when  they  left,  and  permitted  us  to 
get  a  few  hours'  more  sleep. 

July  4dh,  1852.  Left  camp  at  half-past  four,  a.  m., 
determined  not  to  wait  for  breakfast,  but  make  the 
most  of  our  time  while  it  was  cool ;  for  it  would  be 
impossible  to  travel,  or  rather  be  attended  with  great 
inconvenience,  during  the  heat  of  the  day.  We  con- 
tinued our  course  due  east  up  the  river,  towards  some 
singular  piles  of  rocks  with  fantastic  tops,  appearing 
like  works  of  .art.  For  some  time  we  all  imagined 
these  rocks  to  be  the  ruined  buildings  of  which  we  were 
in  search — the  "houses  of  Montezuma,"  as  our  Indian 
friends  called  them.  We  passed  over  the  edge  of  a 
mountain,  at  the  base  of  which  the  river  ran,  and 
then  came  to  a  wide  and  open  plain,  stretching  some 
twenty-five  or  thirty  miles  eastwardly  and  southwardly. 
Entering  this,  we  attempted  to  cross  the  bottom, 
which  was  so  thickly  overgrown  with  weeds  and 
bushes  that  we  could  not  penetrate  it  We  tried  in 
vain  to  get  through,  but  finding  ourselves  scattered, 
and  fearing  we  should  lose  sight  of  each  other,  we 
retraced  our  steps  along  the  margin  of  the  hill,  until 
we  passed  the  jungle.  The  bottom  now  became  more 
open,  and  five  or  six  miles  further  brought  us  to  the 
plateau.     On  our  way  we  saw  many  traces  of  ancient 


PIMO    VILLAGES.  243 

irrigating  canals,  which  were  the  first  evidences  that 
the  country  had  been  settled  and  cultivated.  But  on 
reaching  the  plateau  we  found  remains  of  buildings, 
all,  however,  in  shapeless  heaps.  Not  an  erect  wall 
could  be  seen.  A  little  mound,  conical  or  oblong, 
designated  the  character  of  the  building.  In  many 
places  I  traced  long  lines  of  fallen  walls,  and  in  others 
depressions,  from  which  the  soil  had  been  removed 
to  make  the  adobe.  On  the  plain,  in  every  direction, 
we  found  an  immense  quantity  of  broken  pottery, 
metate  stones  for  grinding  corn,  and  an  occasional 
stone  axe  or  hoe.  The  ground  was  strewn  with 
broken  pottery  for  miles.  It  was  generally  painted 
in  a  variety  of  geometric  figures.  The  predominant 
colors  were  red,  black,  and  white.  The  quality  of  the 
ware  was  very  fine,  more  so  than  that  made  by  the 
Pimos.  I  noticed  too  that  much  of  it  was  painted  on 
the  inside,  while  at  the  present  time  all  the  pottery  of 
the  Indians  and  Mexicans  is  painted  on  the  outside. 

As  it  was  now  growing  very  warm,  we  left  the 
plateau  and  struck  off  for  the  Salinas,  encamping 
beneath  some  tall  cotton-woods,  where  we  prepared 
and  partook  of  a  late  breakfast. 

Mr.  Leroux,  who  had  before  come  down  the  Sali- 
nas, pointed  out  to  me  a  mountain  some  six  or  eight 
miles  off,  at  the  base  of  which  the  river  San  Francisco 
or  Verde  enters  from  the  north.  Since  we  struck  the 
Salinas,  its  course  had  been  mostly  east  and  west ;  and 
as  far  as  it  could  be  traced  by  the  cotton-woods  and 
verdure  which  mark  its  course,  its  direction  indi- 
cated the  same.  We  supposed  ourselves  now  to  be 
from  thirty-five  to  forty  miles  from  its  mouth.     Look- 


244  AT    THE    COCO-MARICOPA    AND 

ing  east  from  where  we  were,  the  whole  prospect  was 
shut  in  by  mountains  rising  one  above  the  other.  I 
was  informed  by  Leroux,  that  such  was  the  character 
of  the  country  all  the  way  to  New  Mexico ;  and  that 
there  were  no  more  broad  desert  plains  or  luxuriant 
valleys  like  those  of  the  Salinas  and  Gila  rivers  for  the 
entire  distance.  He  came  here  from  Albuquerque,  on 
the  Rio  Grande,  by  the  valley  of  the  Rio  Verde,  in 
fourteen  days. 

We  found  the  river  clear  and  rapid,  as  at  the  first 
camp,  with  many  trout,  whose  silvery  sides  glittered 
in  the  translucent  stream.  The  quantity  of  water 
passing  down  the  Salinas  is  more  than  double  that  of 
the  Gila,  which  only  becomes  a  respectable  river  after 
it  receives  the  waters  of  the  former.  Yet  there  are 
seasons  when  the  whole  is  evaporated,  or  absorbed  by 
the  sandy  bed  through  which  it  passes,  before  reach- 
ing the  Colorado.  When  at  Hermosillo,  in  Sonora,  I 
met  an  American  who  had  passed  over  the  same  route, 
and  he  found  the  bed  dry  in  many  places. 

At  five  in  the  afternoon,  the  heat  being  less,  I 
crept  from  beneath  my  shelter  of  willows,  where  I  had 
spent  several  hours,  and,  accompanied  by  Dr.  Webb, 
mounted  my  mule,  and  left  for  the  plateau  in  advance 
of  the  party.  A  ride  of  a  mile  brought  us  to  the  table- 
land, when  we  made  for  a  large  mound  or  heap  which 
arose  from  the  plain.  In  crossing  the  bottom  we 
passed  many  irrigating  canals  ;  and  along  the  base  of 
the  plateau  was  one  from  twenty  to  twenty-five  feet 
wide,  and  from  four  to  five  feet  deep,  formed  by  cut- 
ting down  the  bank — a  very  easy  mode  of  construc- 
tion, and  which  produced  a  canal  much  more  substan- 


PIMO    VILLAGES.  245 

tial  than  if  carried  across  the  bottom.  It  must  have 
extended  many  miles.  The  whole  of  this  broad  valley 
appeared  to  have  been  cultivated,  though  now  over- 
grown with  mezquit  shrubbery. 

On  reaching  the  great  pile,  I  found  it  to  be  the 
remains  of  an  adobe  edifice  from  two  hundred  to  two 
hundred  and  twenty-five  feet  in  length,  by  from  sixty 
to  eighty  feet  wide,  its  sides  facing  the  cardinal  points. 
Portions  of  the  wall  were  visible  only  in  two  places, 
one  near  the  summit,  at  the  south  end,  where,  from 
the  height  of  the  pile,  it  must  have  originally  been 
three  or  four  stories  high ;  and  the  other  at  the  north- 
ern extremity,  on  the  western  side.  These  remains 
just  projected  above  the  mass  of  rubbish  and  crum- 
bled walls.  The  rest  formed  rounded  heaps  of  various 
heights  and  dimensions,  worn  into  deep  gullies  by  the 
rain ;  the  whole  presenting  a  striking  resemblance  to 
the  mounds  which  mark  the  site  of  ancient  Babylon. 

The  higher  walls  seen  in  the  sketch,  probably 
belonged  to  an  inner  portion  of  the  building.  Near 
this  is  a  conical  hill,  formed,  doubtless,  by  the  crum- 
bling away  of  the  higher  portion  or  tower.  Near  the 
wall,  which  projects  from  the  lower  portion,  at  the 
northern  end,  are  some  large  masses  of  this  wall 
which  have  fallen.  The  adobe  is  still  very  hard,  so 
much  so  that  I  could  not  break  it  with  the  heel  of  my 
boot.  Several  broken  metates,  or  corn-grinders,  lie 
about  the  pile.  I  picked  up  a  stone  pestle  and  some 
small  sea  shells.  Along  the  eastern  side  are  the 
remains  of  a  long  wall,  extending  beyond  the  build- 
ing, now  but  a  rounded  heap,  which  seemed  to  have 
formed  an  inclosure.     On  the  western  side  is  an  exca- 


246 


AT    THE    C0C0-MAR1C0PA    AND 


vation  about  four  feet  deep,  and  extending  from  sixty 
to  eighty  feet  from  the  main  heap,  and  along  its  entire 
length ;  from  which  I  suppose  the  mud  and  gravel  to 
have  been  taken  to  make  the  adobe.  To  the  north- 
east, at  a  distance  of  two  or  three  hundred  feet,  are 
the  ruins  of  a  circular  inclosure.  This  was  not  large 
enough  for  a  corral ;  nor  could  it  have  been  a  well,  as 


Ruins  on  tlie  SaKnas. 


it  is  too  near  the  margin  of  the  plateau  where  the 
canal  ran,  which  would  always  furnish  a  supply  of 
water.  At  the  south,  two  hundred  yards  distant,  are 
the  remains  of  a  small  building  with  a  portion  of  the 
wall  still  standing. 

From  the  summit  of  the  principal  heap,  which  is 
elevated  from  twenty  to   twenty-five  feet  above  the 


PIMO    VILLAGES.  247 

plain,  there  maybe  seen  in  all  directions  similar  heaps  ; 
and  about  a  mile  to  the  east,  I  noticed  a  long  range  of 
them  running  north  and  south,  which  the  Indians  said 
were  of  a  similar  character  to  that  on  which  we  stood. 
In  every  direction,  the  plain  was  strewn  with  broken 
pottery,  of  which  I  gathered  up  some  specimens  to 
show  the  quality,  as  well  as  the  style,  of  ornamenta- 
tion. I  also  found  several  of  the  green  stones  resem- 
bling amethysts  which  the  Indians,  after  heavy  rains, 
come  here  in  search  of.  They  are  highly  prized  by 
them.  All  the  early  travellers  in  this  country,  from 
Coronado,  who  crossed  the  Gila  in  1540,  to  the  present 
time,  have  spoken  of  these  so  called  amethysts.  I 
would  have  liked  to  make  a  further  examination  of 
this  plain ;  but  our  animals  had  no  grass  or  other  feed, 
nor  should  we  find  any  until  we  could  reach  the  Gila, 
twenty-five  miles  distant,  which  prevented  me  from 
extending  my  examinations. 

Mr.  Leroux  informed  me  that  on  the  banks  of  the 
San  Francisco,  are  similar  heaps  to  these,  and  other 
ruins,  the  walls  still  standing.  He  thinks  that  the 
buildings  he  has  seen  on  that  river,  and  others  in  the 
Moqui  and  Navajo  country,  of  three  and  four  stories 
in  height,  would,  if  in  a  ruined  state,  make  similar 
heaps  to  those  under  our  notice.  I  am  inclined  to  the 
same  opinion,  and  believe  that  the  ruins  we  visited, 
belonged  to  a  building  of  several  stories. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  this  valley,  as  well  as  that 
of  the  Verde  and  Gila  Rivers,  were  once  filled  with  a 
dense  population,  far  enough  advanced  in  civilization 
to  build  houses  of  several  stories  in  height,  surrounded 
with  regular  outworks,  and  to  irrigate  their  lands  by 


248  AT    THE    COCO-MARICOPA    AND 

canals  extending  miles  in  length ;  but  they  seem  to 
have  left  no  trace  or  tradition  by  which  we  can  tell 
who  they  were,  or  what  was  their  fate.  I  made  fre- 
quent inquiries  of  the  Pimos  and  Coco-Maricopas  as  to 
the  builders  of  these  and  the  ruins  on  the  Gila,  but 
could  obtain  no  other  than  the  ever-ready,  Quien 
sabe  ?  These,  as  well  as  the  ruins  above  the  Pimo 
villages  are  known  among  the  Indians  as  the  "  houses  of 
Montezuma,"  an  idea  doubtless  derived  from  the  Mexi- 
cans, rather  than  from  any  tradition  of  their  own.  We 
asked  our  Indian  guide,  who  Montezuma  was.  He 
answered,  "Nobody  knows  who  the  devil  he  was;  all 
we  know  is,  that  he  built  these  houses." 

After  spending  an  hour  here,  we  took  a  strongly 
marked  trail,  which  looked  as  though  it  had  been 
travelled  for  a  century,  and  which  led  due  south 
towards  the  Pimo  villages.  There  were  other  trails, 
leading  in  various  directions ;  showing  that  the  plain 
is  much  traversed,  and  the  ruins  often  visited.  We 
journeyed  rapidly  over  the  plain,  which  was  a  portion 
of  the  great  plateau  or  desert.  It  was  a  perfect  level 
without  an  undulation.  Not  a  hill  or  a  ravine  inter- 
cepted our  path.  The  vegetation  was  the  same  as 
found  on  the  plateau  in  our  journey  up  the  south  side 
of  the  Gila.  Larrea  and  small  mezquit  bushes  predom- 
inated ;  while  now  and  then  the  graceful  petahaya 
raised  its  tall  head  far  above  the  dwarfish  plants  of  the 
desert,  often  startling  us  with  its  sudden  appearance. 
It  was  near  midnight  when  we  entered  a  thick  grove 
of  mezquit,  from  whose  branches  were  pendent  large 
quantities  of  the  beans  of  which  the  mules  are  so  fond. 
As  we  had  now  travelled  from  twenty-three  to  twenty- 


PIMO    VILLAGES.  249 

five  miles  from  the  Salinas,  and  did  not  know  the  dis- 
tance to  the  river,  we  concluded  to  stop  here.  We 
accordingly  hitched  our  mules  by  their  long  lariats  to 
these  bushes,  on  which  they  could  feed,  and  stretched 
ourselves  beneath  their  wide-spreading  branches,  to 
get  a  little  rest  until  daylight  should  again  appear. 

July  5th.  At  half-past  four,  without  waiting  for 
breakfast  (for  the  reason  that  we  had  none  to  cook),  we 
resumed  our  journey,  and  in  two  miles  reached  the 
Gila,  or  rather  its  bed ;  for  it  was  dry  here.  As 
we  entered  the  first  fields  of  the  Pimos,  the  sen- 
tinels in  the  outskirts,  seeing  us  approach  in  long 
single  file,  mistook  us  for  Apaches  and  gave  the 
alarm  accordingly ;  a  very  natural  mistake,  as  no 
party  of  emigrants  or  travellers  had  ever  entered 
their  country  from  the  north.  We  heard  the  alarm 
given,  and  echoed  in  all  voices,  from  one  tree  or 
house-top  to  the  other,  until  it  reached  their  villages. 
"  Apaches  !  Apaches !  "  was  the  cry  from  every  mouth ; 
and  when  it  reached  the  first  village,  it  was  borne 
onward  to  every  part  of  the  community,  even  to  their 
allies  the  Maricopas.  The  two  Indian  guides  who 
were  with  us,  discovered  the  stampede  we  had  so  unin- 
tentionally caused  among  their  Pimo  brethren,  and 
seemed  to  enjoy  the  joke  much.  In  a  few  minutes  we 
saw  the  Pimos  mounted,  bounding  towards  us  in  every 
direction,  armed  and  ready  for  the  contest ;  others,  on 
foot  with  their  bows  and  arrows,  came  streaming  after 
them  ;  and  in  a  short  time,  the  foremost  horseman, 
who  was  doubtless  striving  to  take  the  first  Apache 
scalp  and  bear  it  as  a  trophy  to  his  people,  reigned  his 
steed  before  us.     As  he  and  those  about  him,  perceived 


250  AT   THE    COCO-MARICOPA    AND 

their  mistake,  they  all  burst  into  a  hearty  laugh,  which 
was  joined  in  by  the  rest  as  they  came  up.  Assem- 
bling around  our  two  Maricopas,  they  learnt  the  par- 
ticulars of  our  visit  to  the  Salinas.  They  then  all 
wheeled  around ;  and  while  a  portion  acted  as  our 
escort  to  their  villages,  others  fell  behind  and  brought 
up  the  rear,  so  that  our  entry  was  that  of  a  grand 
cavalcade.  At  8  o'clock,  we  reached  our  place  of 
encampment,  having  travelled  fourteen  miles. 

In  the  afternoon,  Lieutenant  Whipple  and  his  party 
arrived.  They  had  completed  the  survey  of  the  Gila, 
a  labor  at  this  season  of  the  year,  with  the  heat  at  from 
100  to  120  degrees  Fahrenheit,  attended  with  no  small 
difficulty. 

June  Qth.  As  the  notes  of  this  survey,  and  the 
accompanying  -astronomical  observations,  had  been 
obtained  with  great  labor  and  some  suffering.  I  felt 
unwilling  to  expose  them  to  the  risk  of  being  lost  in 
a  journey  across  the  continent ;  and,  accordingly, 
determined  to  remain  here  a  few  days  longer,  to  give 
Lieutenant  Whipple  an  opportunity  to  duplicate  them 
with  the  view  of  sending  them  back  by  a  messenger 
to  Major  Heintzelman,  at  Port  Yuma,  to  be  forwarded 
by  him  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  at  Washing- 
ton. 

A  brisk  trade  was  carried  on  to-day  with  the  Coco- 
Maricopas  for  corn,  beans,  meal,  pinole,  and  squashes,  as 
well  as  for  the  various  articles  of  their  manufacture, 
such  as  pottery,  cotton  blankets,  baskets,  &c.  I  gave 
the  trading  department  into  Mr.  Thurber's  hands,  find- 
ing it  would  be  better  managed  by  one  person.  He 
fitted  up  his  tent  for  the  purpose  and  made  such  a  dis- 


PIMO    VILLAGES.  251 

play  of  goods  as  was  never  beheld  before  in  this  commu- 
nity. I  also  told  Francisco,  the  chief  before  mentioned, 
to  invite  all  the  chiefs  or  captains  as  he  called  them, 
of  his  tribe  to  come  in,  and  I  would  make  each  of 
them  a  present  of  such  articles  as  I  had  to  give.  Five, 
accordingly,  presented  themselves,  and  to  each  of 
them  I  gave  shirts,  a  few  yards  of  cotton  cloth,  some 
vermillion,  beads,  trinkets,  etc. ;  with  all  which  they 
seemed  greatly  pleased.  I  told  them  that  these  things 
were  in  return  for  the  friendship  shown,  and  the  assis- 
tance they  had  given  to  the  poor  American  emigrants 
who  had  passed  through  their  country,  and  that  they 
must  continue  to  aid  them  when  in  their  power  to  do 
so.  I  added  that  they  would  then  be  considered  as 
the  true  friends  of  the  Americans,  and  would  be 
rewarded  accordingly  ;  furthermore,  that  the  Ameri- 
cans might  be  induced  to  establish  a  garrison  near 
them,  which  would  protect  them  and  prevent  all  future 
attacks  from  the  Apaches. 

It  was  on  this  occasion,  that  I  gave  Francisco  so 
many  things,  for  which  he  seemed  so  ungrateful.  I 
found  too,  that  he  had  told  his  people  to  advance  the 
price  of  their  corn,  and  other  things  ;  which  made  this 
day's  bartering  the  end  of  our  trade.  I  felt  quite  indif- 
ferent on  the  subject,  as  it  was  my  intention  to  remove 
the  camp  to  the  villages  of  the  Pimos ;  for  Mr.  Leroux 
had  ascertained  that  they  were  much  better  supplied 
with  corn  and  every  other  commodity  than  the  Cooo- 
Maricopas,  and  were  very  desirous  that  we  should 
divide  our  time  with  them  for  the  purpose  of  trading. 

A  few  Indians  of  a  nearly  extinct   tribe  called  the 
Cqivinas,  were  in  camp  to-day.      Only  ten  of  this  tribe 


252  AT    THE    COCO-MARICOPA    AND 

remain,  who  are  living  among  the  Pimos.  and  Coco- 
Maricopas.  Their  former  dwelling-place  was  on  the 
Gila  towards  the  Colorado.  There  they  were  brought 
in  contact  with  the  Yumas  ;  and  in  the  constant  wars 
that  existed  between  them  and  the  Cawinas,  they  were 
all  exterminated,  except  the  small  number  which  had 
taken  refuge  here.  They  speak  a  language  different 
from  the  Pimos  and  Maricopas,  and  I  could  find  but 
one  man  among  the  latter  who  understood  it.  He 
promised  to  come  and  give  me  the  vocabulary,  but 
did  not  again  make  his  appearance. 

July  8th.  After  breakfast  this  morning,  we  struck 
our  tents,  and  bade  farewell  to  our  Maricopa  friends, 
among  whom  we  had  been  ten  days,  with  many  regrets. 
From  the  first  day  of  our  arrival,  they  had  thronged  our 
camp  both  day  and  night;  and  I  am  not  aware  that 
they  ever  took  an  article  that  did  not  belong  to  them, 
nor  had  there  been  any  difficulty  between  us,  except 
their  trying  to  overreach  us  in  trade.  But  this  did 
not  interrupt  our  friendship,  or  prevent  me  from  treat- 
ing them  all  with  kindness.  In  their  intercourse  with 
the  whites,  they  are  a  docile  and  inoffensive  people; 
but  they  exhibit  the  same  cruelty  as  other  Indians, 
towards  those  of  their  red  brethren  with  whom  they 
are  at  war.  They  still  have  occasional  fights  with  the 
Yumas  and  the  Apaches  ;  and  should  any  prisoner  fall 
into  their  hands,  they  would  delight,  as  much  as  the 
Apaches  do,  in  putting  him  to  the  torture. 

Last  winter,  while  Dr.  Webb  and  his  party  were 
here,  they  saw  an  example  of  this.  It  appears  that 
when  Captain  Ximenes,  with  the  Mexican  Commission, 
was  at  the  Colorado,  they  induced  an  intelligent  Yuma 


PIMO    VILLAGES. 


253 


to  return  with  them.  On  passing  through  the  villages 
of  the  Coco-Maricopas,  notwithstanding  every  effort 
of  the  Captain  to  conceal  this  man,  they  discovered 
him,  and  by  stratagem,  got  possession  of  him.  The 
party  endeavored  to  effect  his  release  ;  but  they  had 
not  force  enough  to  compel  his  captors  to  surrender 
him,  and  no  presents  would  induce  them  to  do  so.  He 
was  put  to  the  torture ;  and  Dr.  Webb  and  the  other 
gentlemen  of  the  U.  S.  Commission,  were  invited  to 
join  the  Maricopas,  in  the  festivities  and  dances  on  the 
occasion. 


Group  of  Pimo  Indians. 

As  we  rode  through  the  villages,  we  saw  the  peo- 


254  AT    THE    COCO-MARICOPA    AND 

pie  engaged  in  their  various  occupations.  The  women 
were  generally  at  work  grinding  their  corn  or  wheat. 
The  children  were  squatting  or  lying  in  the  shade, 
doing  nothing.  The  cradle  was  suspended  by  a  cord 
to  the  roof  and  kept  swinging  by  the  husband,  who  lay 
stretched  at  length  on  his  back,  or  by  the  children. 
In  these  communities,  there  are  men  who  labor  in  the 
fields,  while  others  lounge  about  the  villages  doing 
nothing.  They  seem  to  have  their  dandies  and  gen- 
tlemen of  leisure,  as  well  as  their  more  civilized  bre- 
thren. The  women,  too,  were  carrying  water  on  their 
heads,  or  transporting  other  things  in  the  sprawling 
frames  upon  their  backs. 

At  noon,  having  journeyed  about  twelve  miles 
through  these  villages  and  cultivated  fields,  we  reached 
a  spot  near  an  acequia,  where  there  was  grass,  and  a 
pleasant  grove  of  mezquit  trees.  Here  we  pitched 
our  tents,  intending  to  remain  a  few  days. 

We  had  scarcely  got  our  camp  in  order,  when  we 
were  surrounded  by  the  Pimos.  I  sent  a  messenger  to 
inform  their  head  chief  Cola  Azul  (blue  tail)  who  was 
at  work  in  the  fields,  that  I  would  be  glad  to  see  him. 
In  a  short  time  he  appeared,  accompanied  by  his  inter- 
preter Tu-maams.  Although  it  was  a  dreadfully  hot 
day,  when  we  felt  like  divesting  ourselves  of  as  much 
clothing  as  possible,  Cola  Azul  appeared  in  a  large  blue 
blanket  overcoat,  pantaloons,  and  a  green  felt  hat, 
while  his  attendants  were  either  naked,  or  wore  around 
their  loins  the  white  cotton  blanket  of  their  own  manu- 
facture. He  at  once  presented  me  a  number  of  ere-  I 
dentials  from  various  American  officers,  and  others, 
who   had  passed  here,  and  held  intercourse  with  him 


FRAGMENTS    OF    ANCIENT    POTTERY    FROM    THK    GILA    AND    SALINAS. p.   255. 


I 


PIMO    VILLAGES.  255 

and  his  tribe — setting  forth  that  he  was  the  head  chief, 
that  his  people  were  friendly  to  the  Americans,  and 
requesting  all  should  respect  them  and  treat  them 
kindly.  The  earliest  of  these,  was  from  Colonel  St. 
George  Cooke.  This.chief  was  about  50  years  of  age, 
with  a  fine,  amia.ble  expression  of  countenance,  and  a 
quiet  and  dignified  manner.  He  was  greatly  beloved 
by  his  people,  who  showed  him  more  deference  than 
I  had  ever  seen  extended  by  Indians  to  their  supe- 
riors. 

I  told  this  chief  who  we  were,  and  the  object  of 
our  visit.  He  readily  comprehended  my  meaning,  and 
referred  to  the  surveying  parties  under  Mr.  Gray  and 
Lieutenant  Whipple,  which  had  been  operating  here 
during  the  winter.  I  told  him  that,  having  completed 
the  work,  we  were  now  on  our  return  to  the  United 
States  ;  and  that  having  heard  of  his  kind  treatment 
of  the  Americans  who  had  passed  through  the  villages 
of  his  people  on  their  way  to  California,  I  wished  to 
see  all  the  chiefs  of  his  tribe  and  present  to  them  a  few 
articles,  as  a  token  of  the  respect  which  the  American 
government  entertained  for  them.  I  added,  that  I 
would  be  ready  to  receive  them  the  following  morning. 

July  9th.  The  day  had  scarcely  dawned  when  I  was 
awoke  by  a  chattering  of  strange  voices  around  my 
tent ;  on  putting  out  my  head,  I  found  to  my  surprise, 
that,  although  it  was  but  4  o'clock,  the  Pimo  chiefs 
were  already  on  the  spot.  This  was  a  little  too  early 
for  business,  and  besides,  I  was  not  prepared  for  the 
proposed  conference.  It  would  have  been  impolite 
to  send  them  back ;  so  I  requested  them  to  wait  until  I 
had  taken  mv  breakfast,  which  would  be  in  about  three 


256  AT    THE    COCOMARICOPA    AND 

hours.  They  seemed  well  content  with  the  delay,  and 
the  opportunity  it  gave  them  to  stroll  around  the  camp, 
and  inspect  the  several  culinary  processes,  from  that  of 
the  Mexican  arrieros  with  their  queer  dishes,  to  the 
cuisine  of  the  officers,  where,  if  there  was  no  great 
variety  of  food,  there  was  to  them  a  curious  display 
of  iron,  tin,  and  copper  cooking  utensils,  with  some 
articles  for  the  table  that  attracted  their  attention. 

At  eight  o'clock,  I  was  ready  to  receive  the  depu- 
tation of  the  Pimo  chiefs.  The  largest  tent  in  the  com- 
mission had  been  pitched  for  the  purpose.  The  ends 
and  sides  were  opened  and  rolled  up,  and  trunks  placed 
for  the  chiefs  to  sit  upon.  There  were  altogether 
six  chiefs,  including  Cola  Azal,  besides  two  interpre- 
ters. The  latter  were  absolutely  necessary,  as  there 
were  no  Pimos  who  spoke  Spanish.  Tumaams,  the  elder 
of  the  interpreters,  was  born  of  Pimo  and  Maricopa 
parents,  and  spoke  both  languages.  He  therefore 
repeated  what  the  Pimo  chiefs  said,  to  a  Maricopa, 
named  Mis-ke-tai-ish,  who  spoke  Spanish ;  and  I  com- 
municated with  him.  This  was  a  roundabout  way  of 
talking ;  but  there  was  no  alternative.  At  the  oppo- 
site end  of  the  tent  were  the  officers  of  the  Commission. 
On  the  outside  were  congregated  crowds  of  Indians, 
both  Pimos  and  Coco-Maricopas ;  for  the  latter  had 
followed  us,  and  were  nearly  as  numerous  as  when  we 
were  among  them.  It  was  quite  an  animated  scene ; 
the  women,  with  their  children,  equalled  the  men  in 
number,  having  come  to  do  a  little  shopping  after  the 
business  with  the  chiefs  had  been  dispatched. 

I  stated  to  them  as  briefly  as  possible,  that  the 
Americans  had  heard  from  General  Kearney,  Colonel 


PIMO    VILLAGES.  257 

Cooke,  and  others,  who  had  passed  through  their  coun- 
try on  their  way  to  California,  of  the  friendly  disposi- 
tion the  Pimos  had  manifested  towards  them.  That 
the  surveying  parties  belonging  to  the  Boundary  Com- 
mission, had  also  spoken  favorably  of  them.  That  I 
was  not  an  Indian  Agent,  such  as  the  United  States 
often  sent  to  make  treaties  with  the  tribes,  and  to  dis- 
tribute presents  ;  but  was  in  command  of  a  party  from 
the  American  government  to  trace  the  Boundary  line 
which  separated  the  United  States  from  Mexico.  That 
having  been  to  California,  and  completed  this  duty,  I 
was  then  on  my  return  to  the  United  States,  and  should 
remain  a  few  days  with  them,  to  give  my  animals  rest, 
as  well  as  to  procure  corn  for  them,  and  vegetables  for 
my  party.  That  I  also  wished  to  purchase  of  them, 
specimens  of  the  various  articles  which  they  made, 
such  as  their  blankets,  baskets,  pottery,  bows  and 
arrows,  &c,  to  show  to  the  American  people,  that 
they  might  see  what  they  could  do  ;  and  that,  for  these 
I  would  give  them  in  exchange,  blankets,  cotton  shirts, 
and  other  articles.  Furthermore,  I  told  them,  as  an 
evidence  of  my  good  feelings  towards  them,  and  in 
consideration  of  the  kind  treatment  they  had  extended 
to  the  Americans,  I  would  present  to  each  of  them 
and  to  the  interpreters,  some  shirts  and  cotton  cloth. 
To  these  I  added,  for  Cola  Azul,  blankets,  calico,  beads, 
and  trinkets  for  his  wife  and  children.  Before  separat- 
ing, I  requested  them  to  exert  themselves  in  endeav- 
oring to  obtain  the  liberation  of  the  two  American 
girls  (Mr.  Oatman's  daughters)  who  had  been  carried 
into  captivity  by  the  Apaches,  or  other  Indians,  not 
known  to  me. 

VOL.  II. 17 


258  AT    THE    COCO-MARICOPA   AND 

They  were  much  pleased  with  these  trifling  pre- 
sents, reiterated  their  expressions  of  friendly  feelings 
towards  the  Americans,  and  said  they  would  dq  all  in 
their  power  to  recover  the  two  girls.  They  believed 
the  Tonto  Apaches  to  have  been  the  murderers  of 
their  parents.  I  told  them  of  the  intention  of  the 
government  to  establish  a  military  post  near  them  on 
the  Gila,  which  would  protect  them  from  further  attacks 
of  the  Apaches.     This  pleased  them  much. 

After  the  conference  was  ended,  trading  com- 
menced with  much  briskness.  The  same  articles  were 
bought  of  them  as  from  the  Maricopas,  and  we  were 
enabled,  without  difficulty,  to  obtain  all  the  corn  that 
was  necessary  for  the  mules  of  the  whole  train.  One 
of  their  baskets  we  agreed  upon  with  them  for  a 
measure,  a  certain  number  of  which  was  the  value  of 
a  yard  of  white  cotton  or  a  particular  kind  of  shirt. 
This  was  quite  satisfactory  to  them  ;  and  a  much  larger 
quantity  of  corn  was  brought  in  than  we  were  able  to 
take.  When  we  had  nearly  completed  our  purchases, 
Francisco,  the  Maricopa  chief  and  interpreter,  came  in 
and  again  interfered  ;  but  the  Pimos  did  not  regard 
hirn,  and  manifested  much  pleasure  when  I  ordered 
him  out  of  the  camp.  They  did  not  like  his  officious- 
ness,  and  said  he  always  thrust  himself  forward  when- 
ever a  party  of  Americans  or  Mexicans  came  along, 
and  managed  to  get  whatever  they  had  to  give  away 
or  barter,  much  to  their  disadvantage. 

July  10th.  Three  Mexican  traders  arrived  this 
morning  from  Tucson,  opened  their  goods  at  one  of 
the  villages,  and  for  a  while  drew  most  of  the  Indians 
from  us.     Towards  evening  they  returned,  and  for  the 


PIMO    VILLAGES.  '       259 

few  things  we  wanted,  they  now  asked  more  than 
double  their  former  prices.  Green  corn,  which  we  had 
bought  for  one  dollar  a  hundred,  in  the  ear,  they  now 
asked  four  dollars  for,  and  other  things  in  proportion. 
We  had,  however,  procured  every  thing  we  required, 
except  mules,  which  we  were  much  in  want  of.  These 
they  had  promised  to  bring  us,  but  had  failed  to  do 
so. 

Lieutenant  Whipple  joined  us  to-day,  having  com- 
pleted his  notes  and  plottings,  and  we  are  again  en- 
camped together. 

July  12th.  As  the  escort  under  Lieutenant  Paige 
furnished  me  by  Major  Heintzelman  at  Fort  Yuma, 
had  accompanied  us  as  far  as  was  deemed  necessary, 
that  officer  made  arrangements  to  set  out  on  his  return 
to  the  Colorado  this  morning,  with  his  command.  I 
availed  myself  of  the  opportunity  to  communicate  with 
the  government,  and  advise  it  of  the  successful  com- 
pletion of  the  Survey  of  the  river  Gila. 

We  were  now  to  leave  the  Gila  and  strike  across  a 
desert  of  ninety  miles,  where  there  is  said  to  be  neither 
grass  nor  water,  before  we  should  reach  Tucson,  the 
extreme  outpost  of  the  Mexicans.  I  deemed  it  advi- 
sable, therefore,  to  move  our  camp  to  the  farthest  point 
on  the  Gila,  before  attempting  to  cross  this  Jornada. 
The  Mexican  traders  who  arrived  yesterday  said  they 
had  found  no  water  the  entire  distance ;  and  unless 
it  should  rain,  of  which  there  was  some  prospect, 
(although  we  had  seen  none  for  two  months)  our  ani- 
mals would  undergo  great  hardships  in  crossing  it. 
We  accordingly  set  out  after  breakfast  this  morning, 
passing  through  the  last  of  the  Pimo  villages  and  their 


260       AT    THE    COCO-MARICOPA   AND    PIMO    VILLAGES. 

cultivated  fields;  and,  after  following  the  road  for 
twelve  miles,  turned  short  off  to  the  north,  and  en- 
camped for  the  last  time  on  the  banks  of  the  Gila.  The 
river  was  here  much  contracted,  with  steep  banks  fif- 
teen feet  high,  and  completely  overhung  with  willows 
and  cotton-woods,  the  latter  from  the  opposite  banks, 
meeting  at  the  top.  Its  width  was  less  than  fifty  feet, 
and  its  greatest  depth  did  not  exceed  nine  inches.  It 
moved  sluggishly  along,  was  well  charged  with  mud, 
and  uncomfortably  warm  to  bathe  in.  The  bottom 
lands  were  three  quarters  of  a  mile  in  width  on  the 
south  side,  where  we  encamped,  with  a  rich  soil,  and 
filled  with  mezquit  trees. 

But  few  Indians  came  in  to-day,  as  we  were  between 
six  and  eight  miles  above  their  most  easterly  village. 
Those  who  ventured  to  follow  us,  said  that  it  was  un- 
safe to  go  so  far  from  home  unless  in  large  numbers, 
as  bands  of  the  Apaches  were  constantly  hanging  about 
near  their  villages,  watching  every  opportunity  to  send 
an  arrow  through  them,  or  rob  them  of  their  animals. 
It  was  so  exceedingly  hot  to-day,  that  after  reaching 
camp,  we  lay  under  the  deep  shade  of  the  willows,  on 
the  river's  bank,  without  pitching  our  tents. 


INDIANS    OF    THE    GILA,    AND   THE    CAS  AS    GRANDES.    261 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

INDIANS    OF    THE    GILA,    AND    THE    CASAS    GRANDES. 

History  of  the  Goco-Maricopas  and  Pimos — Origin  of  their  semi-civiliza- 
tion— Difference  of  languages — Their  number — Physical  peculiarities — 
Deserving  the  attention  of  Christians  and  philanthropists — Early  ac- 
counts of  these  Indians — First  described  by  Father  Kino  in  1697 — 
Sedelmayer's  visit  to  them  in  1744 — Father  Font's  in  1775 — Visit  to 
the  Casas  Grandes  of  the  Gila — Description  of  these  ruins — Evidences 
of  a  former  large  population — Irrigating  canals — Broken  pottery — 
Father  Font's  description  of  their  buildings — Singular  error  in  relation 
to  their  dimensions — Kino  and  Mangi's  visit  to  them  in  1694 — Notion 
of  the  Aztec  origin  of  these  buildings  not  well  founded — Excessive  heat. 

Having  now  left  these  peaceable  semi-civilized  Indians, 
a  few  general  remarks  respecting  them  seem  to  be 
required. 

Some  writers  have  endeavored  to  point  out  physi- 
cal differences 'between  the  Pimos  and  their  allies  the 
Coco-Maricopas ;  but  I  must  confess,  that  after  being 
constantly  with  them  for  thirteen  days,  I  was  unable 
to  distinguish  one  from  the  other,  except  by  some  slight 
difference  in  the  method  of  wearing  their  hair.  Their 
modes  of  life,  as  before  remarked,  are  the  same,  with 
the  exception  of  their  funeral  rites.  In  the  valley,  or 
rather  bottom-land,  which  they  occupy,   there  is  no 


262  INDIANS    OF    THE    GILA, 

dividing  line  between  them  ;  nor  is  there  any  distin- 
guishing character  in  their  villages.  I  consider  that 
the  arts  of  spinning  and  weaving,  and  of  making  pottery, 
now  practised  by  both  tribes,  and  in  which  they  are 
equally  expert,  originated  with  the  Pimos,  who  inher- 
ited this  knowledge  from  their  ancestors ;  and  that  from 
the  earliest  period,  doubtless  for  centuries,  they  have 
occupied  portions  of  the  same  valley  where  we  now 
find  them.  In  leaving  their  villages,  I  noticed  on  the 
edge  of  the  plateau  traces  of  former  habitations,  which 
had  been  abandoned  for  a  great  length  of  time. 

The  Coco-Maricopas  took  up  their  abode  in  the 
valley  immediately  adjoining  the  Pimos  about  thirty 
years  since,  from  a  point  lower  down  the  Gila,  where 
they  were  exposed  to  the  constant  attacks  of  the  Yumas 
and  Apaches,  which  tribes,  in  consequence  of  their 
greater  numbers,  had  nearly  annihilated  them.  They 
came  hither  for  protection,  and  formed  an  alliance, 
offensive  and  defensive,  with  the  Pimos.  They  found 
the  latter  possessing  the  arts  of  weaving,  of  building 
more  comfortable  dwellings,  of  making  better  pottery, 
enjoying  a  more  peaceful  mode  of  life,  than  that  to 
which  they  had  been  accustomed.  These  arts  and 
habits  the  Maricopas  gradually  adopted.  Their  lan- 
guages are  totally  different,  so  much  so  that  I  was 
enabled  to  distinguish  them  when  spoken.  The 
former  is  soft  and  melodious,  the  latter  harsh  and 
guttural.  The  Pimos  bury  their  dead,  while  the  Coco- 
Maricopas  burn  theirs.  These  peculiarities  stamp  them 
as  distinct  nations. 

I  have  not  cited  the  agriculture  of  these  tribes  as 
superior  to  that  of  all  other  Indians ;   although  I  may 


AND  THE  CASAS  GRANDES.  263 

be  safe  in  saying,  that  the  system  is  more  extensively 
and  methodically  practised  than  elsewhere.  The  Yu- 
mas,  and  other  tribes  on  the  Colorado  irrigate  their 
lands,  and  raise  wheat,  corn,  melons,  etc.  The  Moquis 
and  the  Navajos,  far  to  the  north,  do  the  same ;  and 
the  warlike  Apaches,  who  are  more  nomadic  in  their 
habits  than  any  tribe  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains, 
raise  corn  when  driven  to  extremities.  But  the  Pimos 
and  Coco-Maricopas  have  made  agriculture  more  of  a 
system.  Their  lands  are  better  irrigated,  their  crops 
are  larger,  and  the  flour  which  they  make  from  their 
wheat  and  maize  is  quite  as  good  as  the  Mexicans 
make,  except  in  their  grist-mills. 

I  am  inclined  to  think  that  Major  Emory  in  his 
Report  has  greatly  over-estimated  the  number  of  these 
people.  He  states,  that  "the  population  of  the  Pimos 
and  Coco-Maricopas  together  is  estimated  variously  at. 
from  three  to  ten  thousand,  and  that  "  the  first  is  evi- 
dently too  low."'"  From  information  obtained  from  the 
chiefs,  and  the  Mexican  officers  in  Sonora,  I  should 
not  place  them  above  two  thousand.  Captain  John- 
ston, f  another  officer  attached  to  the  army  under 
General  Kearney's  command,  in  estimating  them  as 
embracing  "  over  two  thousand  souls,"  came  very  near 
the  mark.  Of  the  number  stated  by  me,  I  was  told 
that  two  thirds  were  Pimos. 

Their  complexion  is  a  dark  brown,  differing  from 
that  of  the  red-skins  east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and 
from  the  olive  cast  of  the  California  tribes.  The 
women  have  good  figures,  with  full  chests  and  finely 

*  Emory's  Report,  p.  86.       f  Johnston's  Report,  p.  599. 


264  INDIANS    OF    THE    GILA, 

formed  limbs,  owing,  in  a  measure,  to  the  burdens 
they  carry  on  their  heads.  The  men  have  small  and 
slender  limbs,  and,  in  their  physical  development,  are 
quite  inferior  to  the  tribes  between  the  Mississippi 
and  the  Rocky  Mountains.  This  is  readily  accounted 
for  by  their  different  modes  of  life.  The  Pimos  exhi- 
bit a  great  simplicity  of  character,  more  so,  I  think, 
than  the  Maricopas,  preferring  to  lead  the  quiet  lives 
of  agriculturists  to  the  roving  and  predatory  habits  of 
the  Apaches,  Comanches,  Navajos,  and  others.  But 
although  they  do  not  like  wars,  they  are  by  no  means 
cowards,  and  do  not  hesitate  to  march  against  their 
enemies,  the  Apaches,  when  it  becomes  necessary. 
There  are  no  tribes  of  Indians  on  the  continent  of 
North  America  more  deserving  of  the  attention  of 
philanthropists  than  those  of  which  I  am  speaking. 
None  have  ever  been  found  further  advanced  in  the  arts 
and  habits  of  civilized  life.  None  exhibit  a  more 
peaceful  disposition,  or  greater  simplicity  of  character ; 
and  certainly  none  excel  them  in  virtue  and  honesty. 
They  are  quite  as  industrious  as  their  necessities 
require  them  to  be.  Possessing  no  market  for  the 
sale  of  their  produce,  they  raise  but  little  more  than  is 
necessary  to  supply  their  own  wants.  To  do  this,  with 
a  soil  of  great  fertility,  and  water  at  their  command, 
requires  but  little  labor.  Hence,  after  their  crops  are 
in,  they  have  nothing  to  do  until  the  season  arrives  to 
gather  them.  Their  granaries  are  then  filled  with 
wheat,  corn,  beans,  pumpkins,  squashes,  mezquit  beans 
(their  substitute  for  sugar),  and  the  fruit  of  the  peta- 
haya ;  and  after  that,  they  undergo  another  long  season 
of  inactivity.    Our  Missionary  Societies  and  Boards  of 


AND    THE    CASAS    GRANDES.  265 

Education  could  not  devote  a  portion  of  their  means 
to  a  more  worthy  object,  than  to  send  teachers  and 
mechanics  among  this  interesting  people  before  they 
become  contaminated  by  intercourse  with  the  whites, 
and  the  seeds  of  evil  are  sown,  which,  when  ripened, 
will  exert  the  same  baneful  influence  upon  them  as 
they  have  upon  all  other  aboriginal  tribes,  leading  to 
their  degradation  and  final  extinction.  They  will  be 
found  willing  pupils,  having  expressed  a  great  desire 
to  be  taught  to  read,  and  to  obtain  a  knowledge  of 
the  mechanic  arts. 

Among  the  Indians  visited  by  Coronado  and  Marco 
de  Niza,  about  the  middle  of  the  sixteenth  century,  in 
their  extensive  journeys  through  the  regions  between 
the  Rio  Grande  and  the  Pacific,  although  it  is  certain 
that  the  former  crossed  the  Gila,  I  am  unable  to  dis- 
cover any  allusion  to  the  Pimos,  or  to  the  district 
occupied  by  them.  In  the  diary  of  an  expedition 
made  by  the  ensign  Juan  Mateo  Mangi,  who  accompa- 
nied Father  Kino,  in  the  year  1697,  after  visiting  the 
Casa  Grande  (of  which  I  shall  hereafter  speak),  he 
says  :  "On  the  margin  of  the  river,  distant  one  league 
from  the  Casa  Grande,  we  found  a  town  in  which  we 
counted  one  hundred  and  thirty  souls."*  The  author 
continues  :  "  Having  traversed  four  leagues,  we  arrived 
at  the  town  of  Tusonimon,  which  is  so  named  from  a 
great  heap  of  horns,  from  the  wild  or  sylvan  sheep, 
which  appears  like  a  hill ;  and  from  the  number  that 

*  I  am  indebted  for  this  extract  to  Mr.  Schoolcraft's  valuable  work 
on  the  Indian  Tribes,  vol.  hi.,  p.  301.  It  is  from  a  manuscript  in  the 
archives  of  the  City  of  Mexico,  from  which  it  was  copied  by  Bucking- 
ham Smith,  Esq.,  Secretary  of  the  United  States  Legation. 


266  INDIANS    OF    THE    GILA, 

there  are  of  the  animals,  they  make  the  common  sub- 
sistence of  the  inhabitants.  From  what  can  be  seen 
of  the  highest  of  these  houses,  there  appears  to  be  a 
country  of  more  than  a  hundred  thousand  hastas  in 
extent.* 

"  The  heathen  Indians  received  us  with  jubilee, 
giving  of  their  provisions  to  the  soldiers ;  and  we 
counted  two  hundred  persons,  who  were  gentle  and. 
affable.  Remaining  there  to  sleep,  the  Father  and  I 
instructed  them,  through  the  interpreters,  in  the  mys- 
teries of  our  Holy  Faith ;  on  which  they  besought  us 
that  there  might  be  baptized  fifteen  of  their  children 
and  seven  sick  adults." 

Four  leagues  from  the  Casa  Grande  would  bring  us 
about  to  the  spot  where  we  were  then  encamped,  and 
near  to  the  villages  of  the  Pimos,  which,  in  former 
times,  extended  much  further  up  the  Gila  than  they 
do  at  present.  The  great  country  which  the  writer 
saw  here  was  doubtless  the  plain  where  the  villages 
now  stand,  and  the  great  plain  to  the  north,  extending 
twenty -five  or  thirty  miles  to  the  Salinas. 

But  Alegro,f  in  recounting  the  arduous  labors  of 
Father  Kino,  relates  other  particulars  of  the  Pimos  and 
Coco-Maricopas,  and  the  interviews  between  them  and 
this  zealous  missionary.  Kino  found,  in  1698,  the 
most  friendly  relations  existing  between  them,  and 
noticed  the  difference  in  their  languages  and  dress. 
But  their  manners  and  customs  were  the  same;  and 


*  Measure  of  a  lance,  about  three  yards  in  length, 
f  Hist,  de  la  Compania  de  Jesus  en  Nueva  Espana,  tom.  iii.,  pp.  83 
and  103. 


AND    THE    CASAS    GKANDES.  267 

the  worth}^  Father  particularly  noticed  "  their  peace- 
fulness  and  their  gentleness."  They  were  alike  desi- 
rous to  be  "baptized  and  instructed,  a  desire  that  Kino 
willingly  gratified.  He  estimates  their  numbers  at  four 
thousand ;  but  whether  or  not  this  includes  both  tribes, 
is  not  clear.  They  then  irrigated  their  lands  as  now, 
and  had  large  cultivated  fields  of  wheat.  The  Coco- 
Maricopas  were  then  situated  beyond  the  Pimos,  pro- 
bably on  the  Salinas  and  Gila,  below  the  junction. 
Father  Kino,  in  another  expedition  to  the  Gila,  took 
with  him  two  Pimo  Indians  from  the  mission  at  Ures 
to  act  as  his  interpreters,  which  enabled  him  to  com- 
municate freely  with  these  tribes. 

In  an  anonymous  manuscript  of  a  Jesuit,  dated 
1764,  descriptive  of  Sonora,*  where  he  lived  many 
years  as  a  missionary,  the  writer  speaks  of  the  Pimos, 
who  were  on  the  precise  spot  where  we  now  find  them 
inhabiting  both  margins  of  the  Gila.  "The  towns  of 
that  people,"  he  says,  "  which  occupy  ten  leagues  of  the 
mild  vale  along  it,  with  some  islands,  abound  in  wheat, 
maize,  etc.,  and  yield  much  cotton;  to  them  also  is 
referred  the  fabrication  of  the  finest  kinds  of  pottery, 
whose  remains  form  one  of  the  archaeological  indica- 
tions of  the  Gila  valley." 

But  the  most  circumstantial  account  of  the  Pimos 
is  that  of  Father  Pedro  Font,  who,  with  Father  Garces, 
made,  in  1775-76,  a  journey  from  the  Presidio  of 
Orcasitas,   in  Sonora,   to  Monterey,  in  California,   of 

*  Extract  from  a  MS.  entitled,  "  Description  Geografica  Natural  y 
Curiosa  de  la  Provincia  de  Sonora.  Por  un  Amigo  del  Servicio  de  Dios. 
Ano  de  1764,"  in  Mr.  Schoolcraft's  History,  Condition,  and  Prospects  of 
the  Indian  Tribes,  before  referred  to,  vol.  iii.  p.  304. 


268  INDIANS    OF    THE    GILA, 

which  I  have  before  spoken.  They  passed  down  the 
Gila,  which  river  they  struck  about  the  place  where 
we  were  now  encamped.  The  towns  were  then  called 
Uturituc  and  Sutaguison.  I  now  quote  from  the  jour- 
nal of  Father  Font,  a  manuscript  copy  of  which  is  in 
my  possession : 

November  1st.  1775.  We  left  the  laguna  at  half-past 
nine  a.  m.,  and  at  one  p.  m.  arrived  at  Uturituc.  The 
Indians  (according  to  my  calculation  about  one  thou- 
sand) received  us  in  two  files,  the  men  on  one  side, 
the  women  on  the  other ;  and  when  we  alighted,  they 
all  came  by  turns  to  salute  us,  and  shake  hands  with 
us,  first  the  men  and  then  the  women  ;  and  they  mani- 
fested great  joy  at  seeing  us.  They  lodged  us  in  a 
large  shed  of  boughs,  which  they  erected  on  purpose, 
and  (although  Gentiles)  planted  a  large  cross  in  front 
thereof,  and  then  went  and  fetched  water  to  the  camp 
for  the  people. 

"  November  Id.  This  being  All  Souls'  clay,  we 
three  priests  said  nine  masses.  We  left  Uturituc  at 
11  a.  m.,  and  at  3  p.  m.  stopped  on  the  banks  of  the 
Gila,  near  the  town  of  Sutaguison,  having  travelled 
about  four  leagues.  The  inhabitants  of  the  pueblo 
(town),  some  five  thousand  souls,  came  out  to  receive 
and  salute  us  with  demonstrations  of  great  joy.  On  the 
road  we  passed  two  other  pueblos." 

At  the  period  referred  to,  it  appears  that  the  Coco- 
Maricopas  were  not  with  the  Pimos ;  but  in  journeying 
down  the  Gila,  at  the  distance  of  seventeen  leagues 
from  the  villages  of  the  latter,  our  travellers  met  with 
a  tribe  whom  they  call  the  Opas  •  and  fifteen  leagues 
farther,  they  encountered  the  Coco-Maricopas,  which, 


AND    THE    CASAS   GRANDES.  269 

says  Font,  "  are  the  same  as  the  Opas."  By  following 
the  course  of  the  river,  which  it  appears  the  Fathers 
did,  the  thirty-two  leagues  they  travelled  from  the 
Pimos,  would  bring  them  to  the  western  end  of  the 
Jornada,  where  they  found  the  Coco-Maricopas. 

It  has  been  asserted  that  "  the  Maricopas  have 
removed  gradually  from  the  Gulf  of  California  to  their 
present  location  in  juxta-position  with  the  Pimos."* 
I  cannot  learn  that  they  ever  were  on  the  Gulf; 
although  it  appears  from  the  missionary  authorities, 
that  there  was  a  band  of  them  on  the  western  bank  of 
the  Colorado,  "  living  in  a  valley  thirty-six  leagues  in 
length,  and,  for  the  space  of  nine  leagues,  remarkably 
fertile  and  pleasant,"  who  were  "  allied  to  the  Coco- 
Maricopas  of  the  Gila."  But  from  the  early  accounts 
of  the  Indian  tribes  on  the  Gila,  it  appears  they  occu- 
pied the  valley  from  a  point  west  of  the  Jornada,  where 
Father  Font  found  them  in  1775,  to  the  Salinas  above 
its  mouth.  Father  Sedelmayer  met  them  in  1744, 
about  the  same  place  on  the  Gila,  living  on  peaceful 
terms  with  the  Pimos,  and  used  them  for  his  guides  to 
the  Colorado.  It  appears  that  at  this  time,  too,  they 
were  living  on  the  Salinas,  in  the  very  district  that  we 
passed  over  in  our  visit  to  the  ruins  on  that  river. 

In  his  description  of  this  country,  Venegas  f  speaks 
of  the  river  Assumption,  which  he  says,  is  "  composed 
of  two  rivers,  the  Salado  and  Verde."     These,  on  their 

*  Emory's  Report,  p.  89. 

f  The  Salinas,  where  it  unites  with  the  Gila,  was  originally  called 
the  Assumption.  The  San  Francisco,  which  enters  the  latter  from  the 
north  about  forty-five  miles  from  its  mouth,  was  called  the  Verde 
(green)  and  also  the  Azul  (blue)  river. 


270  INDIANS    OF    THE    GILA, 

way  to  the  Gila,  run  through  a  very  pleasant  country 
of  arable  land,  inhabited  by  the  Coco-Maricopas, 
who  are  separated  from  the  Pimos  by  a  desert, 
although  united  to  them  in  consanguinity.  Their 
kingdom  is  bounded  on  the  west  by  a  desert  and 
mountainous  country,  extending  to  the  rancherias  of 
the  Yumas,  who  live  along  the  river  Colorado,  but 
below  its  junction  with  the  Gila."* 

It  therefore  appears  that  the  Coco-Maricopas  were 
found  early  in  the  last  century  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  Jornada,  or  desert  of  forty-five  miles,  which  reaches 
to  the  villages  of  the  Pimos ;  and  that  thence  they  ex- 
tended east,  occupying  the  banks  of  the  Salinas,  to  a 
point  north  of  the  latter,  from  which,  as  Venegas  says, 
"  they  were  separated  by  a  desert."  They  also  tra- 
versed the  country  south  of  the  Gila,  where  they  are 
often  located  on  the  early  maps. 

It  is  not  my  intention  in  this  work  to  enter  into 
any  ethnological  disquisitions  respecting  these  In- 
dians; as  they  will  form  the  subject-matter  of  another 
work.  I  will  merely  observe  that,  notwithstanding 
the  deadly  hostility  existing  between  the  Coco-Marico- 
pas and  Yumas,  their  languages  are  nearly  the  same. 
The  Comeya,  or  Diegenos,  of  the  Pacific  coast,  will  also 
be  found  closely  allied  to  them. 

July  12th.  In  the  hope  that  the  Pimos  might  bring 
us  in  some  mules,  as  promised,  I  determined  to  remain* 
another  day  before  leaving  the  Gila,  and  to  employ  it 


*  Venegas,  History  of  California.  Vol.  II.  p.  184.  See  also  Cla- 
vigero,  Storia  de  California.  Hervas,  Catalogo  de  las  Lenguas.  Vol.  I. 
pp.  337  to  343. 


AND    THE    CASAS    GRANDES.  271 

in  making  a  visit  to  the  celebrated  "  Casa  Grande"  or 
"  Casa  de  Montezuma,"  as  it  was  called  by  our  Indian 
friends,  alike  with  all  other  ancient  remains  in  the  coun- 
try. 

I  left  early  this  morning,  accompanied  by  Dr.  Webb 
and  Mr.  Thurber,  taking  as  guides  two  Pimo  Indians, 
one  of  them  Misketaush,  who  spoke  Spanish.  We  were 
all  mounted  on  mules.  After  following  the  road  for 
two  miles,  we  turned  to  the  east  and  struck  General 
Kearney's  trail,  which  we  found  still  deep  and  distinct, 
although  but  the  trail  of  a  single  file.  It  is  sunk  three 
or  four  inches  in  the  hard  gravel  plain  ;  and  as  it  will 
continue  to  be  followed  by  other  parties  passing  along 
the  Gila,  as  well  as  by  the  Indians,  it  may  exist  for 
centuries,  an  enduring  monument  of  that  remarkable 
campaign.  General  Kearney  had  with  him  a  mountain 
howitzer.  The  narrow  ruts  made  by  the  wheels  were 
as  distinct  as  though  it  had  just  passed  along  ;  the  six 
years  which  had  elapsed  since  the  march  of  that  officer, 
have  scarcely  begun  to  deface  them. 

After  following  this  trail  in  an  easterly  direction, 
about  eight  miles  across  the  plateau,  which  was  covered 
with  small  mezquit  trees,  we  turned  off  to  the  south- 
east. Another  mile  brought  us  to  the  building  of 
which  we  are  in  search,  rising  above  a  forest  of  mez- 
quit. For  two  or  three  miles  before  reaching  it,  I  had 
noticed  quantities,  of  broken  pottery,  as  well  as  the 
traces  of  ancient  acequias  or  irrigating  canals,  along  the 
bottom-land,  portions  of  which  we  occasionally  crossed 
on  our  left.  This  bottom  is  a  continuation  of  that  occu- 
pied by  the  Pimos,  although  much  narrower,  it  being 
only  a  mile  in  width  near  the  ruins.       It  is  thickly 


272  INDIANS    OP    THE    GILA, 

covered  with  mezquit-trees  from  twelve  to  twenty  feet 
in  height ;  among  those  on  the  plateau,  the  tall  and 
graceful  petahaya  occasionally  thrusts  forth  its  thorny 
arms,  like  so  many  solitary  columns  or  giant  candela- 
bra. The  bright  walls  of  the  ancient  edifice  presented 
a  striking  contrast  with  the  deep  green  foliage  of  the 
trees  which  surrounded  it. 

The  "  Casas  Grandes,"  or  Great  Houses,  consist  of 
three  buildings,  all  included  within  a  space  of  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  yards.  The  principal  and  larger  one  is 
in  the  best  state  of  preservation,  its  four  exterior  walls 
and  most  of  the  inner  ones  remaining.  A  considerable 
portion  of  the  upper  part  of  the  walls  has  crumbled 
away  and  fallen  inwards,  as  appears  from  the  great 
quantity  of  rubbish  and  disintegrated  adobe  which  fills 
the  first  story  of  the  building.  Three  stories  now  stand 
and  can  plainly  be  made  out  by  the  ends  of  the  beams 
remaining  in  the  walls,  or  by  the  cavities  which  they 
occupied ;  but  I  think  there  must  have  been  another 
story  above,  in  order  to  account  for  the  crumbling 
walls  and  rubbish  within.  The  central  portion  or  tower 
rising  from  the  foundation,  is  some  eight  or  ten  feet 
higher  than  the  outer  walls,  and  may  have  been  several 
feet,  probably  one  story,  higher  when  the  building  was 
complete.  The  walls  at  the  base  are  between  four 
and  five  feet  in  thickness ;  their  precise  dimensions 
could  not  be  ascertained,  so  much  having  crumbled 
away.  The  inside  is  perpendicular,  while  the  exterior 
face  tapers  towards  the  top,in  a  curved  line.  These  walls, 
as  well  as  the  division  walls  of  the  interior,  are  laid 
with  large  square  blocks  of  mud,  prepared  for  the  pur- 
pose by  pressing  the  material  into  large  boxes  about  two 


AND    THE    CASAS    GRANDES.  273 

feet  in  height  and  four  feet  long.  When  the  mud 
became  sufficiently  hardened,  the  case  was  moved 
along  and  again  filled,  and  so  on  until  the  whole  edifice 
was  completed.  This  is  a  rapid  mode  of  building  ;  but 
the  Mexicans  seem  never  to  have  applied  it  to  any  pur- 
pose but  the  erection  of  fences  or  division-walls.  The 
material  of  this  building  is  the  mud  of  the  valley,  mix- 
ed with  gravel.  The  mud  is  very  adhesive,  and  when 
dried  in  the  sun,  is  very  durable.  The  outer  surface 
of  the  wall  appears  to  have  been  plastered  roughly  ;  but 
the  inside,  as  well  as  the  surface  of  all  the  inner  walls, 
is  hard  finished.  This  is  done  with  a  composition  of 
adobe,  and  is  still  as  smooth  as  when  first  made,  and 
has  quite  a  polish.  On  one  of  the  walls  are  rude 
figures,  drawn  with  red  lines,  but  no  inscriptions.  From 
the  charred  ends  of  the  beams  which  remain  in  the 
walls,  it  is  evident  that  the  building  was  destroyed  by 
fire.  Some  of  the  lintels  which  remain  over  the  doors 
are  formed  of  several  sticks  of  wood,  stripped  of  their 
bark,  but  showing  no  signs  of  a  sharp  instrument.  The 
beams  which  supported  the  floors,  were  from  four  to 
five  inches  in  diameter,  placed  about  the  same  distance 
apart,  and  inserted  deeply  in  the  walls. 


MffiffiF- 


Hieroglyphic. 


Most  of  the   apartments  are  connected  by  doors, 
besides  which  there  are  circular  openings  in  the  upper 


VOL.  II. —  is 


274  INDIANS    OF    THE    GILA, 

part  of  the  chambers  to  admit  light  and  air.  The 
ground  plan  of  the  building  shows  that  all  the  apart- 
ments were  long  and  narrow  without  windows.  The 
inner  rooms,  I  think,  were  used  as  store-rooms  for  corn ; 
in  fact,  it  is  a  question  whether  the  whole  may  not 
have  been  built  for  a  similar  purpose.  There  are  four 
entrances,  one  in  the  centre  of  each  side.  The  door 
on  the  western  side  is  but  two  feet  wide,  and  seven  or 
eight  high;  the  others  three  feet  wide  and  five  in  height, 
tapering  towards  the  top, — a  peculiarity  belonging  to 
the  ancient  edifices  of  Central  America  and  Yucatan. 
With  the  exception  of  these  doors,  there  are  no  exterior 
openings,  except  on  the  western  side,  where  they  are 
of  a  circular  form.  Over  the  doorway  corresponding 
to  the  third  story,  on  the  western  front,  is  an  opening, 
where  there  was  a  window,  which  I  think  was  square. 
In  a  line  with  this  are  two  circular  openings. 

The  southern  front  has  fallen  in  in  several  places, 
and  is  much  injured  by  large  fissures,  yearly  becoming 
larger,  so  that  the  whole  of  it  must  fall  ere  long.  The 
other  three  fronts  are  quite  perfect.  The  walls  at  the 
base,  and  particularly  at  the  corners,  have  crumbled 
away  to  the  extent  of  twelve  or  fifteen  inches,  and  are 
only  held  together  by  their  great  thickness.  The  moist- 
ure here  causes  disintegration  to  take  place  more  rapidly 
than  in  any  other  part  of  the  building ;  and  in  a  few  years, 
when  the  walls  have  become  more  undermined,  the 
whole  structure  must  fall,  and  become  a  mere  rounded 
heap,  like  many  other  shapeless  mounds  which  are 
seen  on  the  plain.  A  couple  of  days'  labor  spent  in 
restoring  the  walls  at  the  base  with  mud  and  gravel, 
would  render  this  interesting  monument  as  durable  as 


■jr. 


AND    THE    CAS  AS    GRANDES.  275 

brick,  and  enable  it  to  last  for  centuries.  How  long  it 
has  been  in  this  ruined  state,  is  not  known ;  we  only 
know  that  when  visited  by  the  missionaries  a  century 
ago,  it  was  in  the  same  condition  as  at  present. 

The  exterior  dimensions  of  this  building  are  fifty 
feet  from  north  to  south,  and  forty  from  east  to  west. 
On  the  ground  floor  are  five  apartments.  Those  on 
the  north  and  south  sides  extend  the  whole  width  of 
the  building,  and  measure  32  by  10  feet.  Between 
these  are  three  smaller  apartments,  the  central  one 
being  within  the  tower.  All  a,re  open  to  the  sky. 
There  is  no  appearance  of  a  stairway  on  any  of  the 
walls  ;  whence  it  has  been  inferred  that  the  means  of 
ascent  may  have  been  outside. 

On  the  south-west  of  the  principal  building  is  a 
second  one  in  a  state  of  ruin,  with  hardly  enough  of 
the  walls  remaining  to  trace  its  original  form.  The 
accompanying  ground-plan  will  show  what  portions  of 
the  walls  are  standing.  The  dark  lines  represent  the 
erect  walls,  the  faint  lines  the  heaps  of  fallen  ones. 
The  central  portion,  judging  from  the  height  of  the 
present  walls,  was  two  stories  high  ;  the  outer  wall, 
which  can  only  be  estimated  from  the  debris,  could  not 
have  been  more  than  a  single  story. 

North-east  of  the  main  building  is  a  third  one, 
smaller  than  either  of  the  others,  but  in  such  an  utter 
state  of  decay  that  its  original  form  cannot  be  deter- 
mined. It  is  small,  and  may  have  been  no  more  than 
a  watch  tower.  In  every  direction  as  far  as  the  eye 
can  reach,  are  seen  heaps  of  ruined  edifices,  with  no 
portions  of  their  walls  standing.  To  the  north-west, 
about  two  hundred  yards  distant,  is  a  circular  embank- 


276 


INDIANS    OF    THE    GILA, 


ment  from  eighty  to  one  hundred  yards  in  circumfer- 
ence, which  is  open  in  the  centre,  and  is  probably  the 
remains  of  an  inclosure  for  cattle.     For  miles  around 


Elevation  of  Casas  Grandes,  Rio  Gila, 


these  in  all  directions,  the  plain  is  strewn  with  broken 
pottery  and  metates  or  corn-grinders.  The  pottery  is 
red,  white,  lead-color,  and  black.       The  figures  are 


Ground  Plan  of  Casas  Grandes,  Eio  Gila. 


usually  geometrical  and  formed  with  taste,  and  in 
character  are  similar  to  the  ornaments  found  on  the 
pottery  from  the  ruins  on  the  Salinas  and  much  further 
north.  Much  of  this  pottery  is  painted  on  the  inside, 
a  peculiarity  which  does  not  belong  to  the  modern 
pottery.  In  its  texture  too,  it  is  far  superior.  I  col- 
lected a  quantity  of  these  fragments,  from  which  I 
selected  the  larger  pieces.     Those  containing  the  most 


AND    THE    CASAS    GRANDES.  277 

interesting  patterns  are  represented  in  the  accompany- 
ing engraving. 

The  origin  of  these  buildings  is  shrouded  in  mys- 
tery. They  were  found  much  as  they  now  appear  by 
the  earliest  explorers  of  the  country,  who  were  told 
by  the  Indians  that  they  had  been  built  five  hundred 
years  before.  One  thing  is  evident,  that  at  some 
former  period  the  valley  of  the  Gila,  from  this  ruin  to  the 
western  extremity  of  the  rich  bottom-lands  now  occu- 
pied by  the  Pimos  and  Coco-Maricopas,  as  well  as  the 
broad  valley  of  the  Salinas,  for  upwards  of  forty  miles, 
was  densely  populated.  The  ruined  buildings,  the 
irrigating  canals,  and  the  vast  quantities  of  pottery  of 
a  superior  quality,  show  that,  while  they  were  an  agri- 
cultural people,  they  were  much  in  advance  of  the 
present  semi-civilized  tribes  of  the  Gila.  But  this  civi- 
lization extended  far  beyond  the  district  named. 
From  information  given  me  by  Leroux,  it  appears  that 
ruins  of  the  same  sort  exist  on  the  San  Francisco  or 
Verde  River ;  and  Captain  Johnston  and  Major  Emory 
both  saw  similar  evidences  of  wide-spread  population 
far  above  the  district  in  question.  What  connection 
this  ancient  people  had  with  the  Moquis  and  Zunis, 
and  with  the  "seven  cities  of  Cibola,"  visited  by  Marco 
de  Niza  and  Coronado,  remains  to  be  settled.  This  is 
strictly  an  ethnological  question,  requiring  evidences 
and  arguments  which  do  not  properly  belong  to  this 
work.  So  with  regard  to  the  identification  of  particu- 
lar tribes  yet  in  existence  as  the  descendants  of  this 
ancient  race,  philology  renders  us  the  most  reliable 
aid.  But  I  have  omitted  speaking  of  philological  ana- 
logies, as  they  belong  to  another   topic,  and  would 


278  INDIANS    OF    THE    GILA, 

occupy  too  much  space  to  be  introduced  here.  Little 
has  yet  been  done  for  the  ethnology  of  the  Indian 
tribes  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  except  by  Mr. 
Hale,  in  his  elaborate  and  admirable  "  Ethnology  and 
Philology  of  the  United  States  Exploring  Expedition." 
But  I  have  reason  to  believe,  that  when  the  various  lan- 
guages of  Mexico,  California,  and  of  the  tribes  between 
the  Colorado  and  New  Mexico,  are  subjected  to  a  rigid 
examination  and  comparison,  some  interesting  facts 
will  be  deduced. 

The  most  detailed  of  the  early  accounts  of  the 
ruins  on  the  Gila  is  that  of  Father  Pedro  Font,  to  whose 
interesting  and  reliable  journal  I  have  before  alluded. 
As  these  ruins  have  been  misunderstood  by  many, 
and  an  important  error  propagated  respecting  them,  I 
will  give  an  extract  from  the  diary  of  this  missionary 
from  the  manuscript  copy  obtained  by  me  in  Califor- 
nia : 

"  The  Commandant  determined  that  we  should 
rest  to-day,  and  thus  we  had  an  opportunity  to  ex- 
amine the  large  building  called  Montezuma's  House, 
situated  at  the  distance  of  one  league  from  the  river 
Gila,  and  three  leagues  E.  S.  E.  of  the  laguna.  We 
were  accompanied  thither  by  some  Indians,  and  by 
the  Governor  of  Uturituc,  who  on  his  way  related  to 
us  a  history  and  tradition  respecting  said  house, 
handed  down  from  their  forefathers,  and  composed 
altogether  of  fiction  confusedly  mixed  with  some 
Catholic  truths.  We  carefully  examined  this  edifice 
and  its  ruins,  the  iconographical  plan  of  which  I  here 
lay  down ;  and  the  better  to  understand  it,  I  give  the 
following  explanation  and  description : 


AND  THE  CASAS  GRANDES.  279 

"  The  large  house  or  palace  of  Montezuma,  accord- 
ing to  the  histories  and  meagre  accounts  of  it  which  we 
have  from  the  Indians,  may  have  been  built  some  five 
hundred  years  ago:  for,  as  it  appears,  this  building 
was  erected  by  the  Mexicans,  when,  during  their 
transmigration,  the  Devil  led  them  through  various 
countries  until  they  arrived  at  the  promised  land  of 
Mexico ;  and  in  their  sojourns,  which  were  long  ones, 
they  formed  towns  and  built  edifices.  The  site  on  which 
this  house  is  built  is  level  on  all  sides,  and  at  the  dis- 
tance of  about  one  league  from  the  river  Gila,  and  the 
ruins  of  the  houses  which  composed  this  town  extend 
more  than  a  league  towards  the  east  and  other  cardi- 
nal points ;  and  all  this  land  is  partially  covered  with 
pieces  of  pots,  jars,  plates,  etc. ;  some  common,  and 
others  painted  of  different  colors,  white,  blue,  red, 
etc.  ;  which  is  a  sign  that  this  has  been  a  large  town, 
inhabited  by  a  distinct  people  from  the  Pimos  of  the 
river  Gila,  who  do  not  know  how  to  manufacture  such 
earthenware.  We  made  an  exact  survey  of  this  edi- 
fice, and  of  its  situation,  which  we  measured  in  the 
mean  time  with  a  lance  ;  and  this  measure  I  after- 
wards reduced  to  geometrical  feet,  which  gave  a  little 
more  or  less  than  the  following  result : 

"  The  house  forms  an  oblong  square,  facing  exactly 
to  the  four  cardinal  points,  east,  west,  north,  and 
south ;  and  round  about  it  there  are  ruins,  indicating 
a  fence  or  wall,  which  surrounded  the  house  and  other 
buildings,  particularly  in  the  corners,  where  it  appears 
there  has  been  some  edifice  like  an  interior  castle  or 
watch-tower ;  for  in  the  angle  which  faces  towards  the 
south-west  there  stands  a  ruin,  with  its  divisions  and  an 


280  INDIANS    OF    THE    GILA, 

upper  story.  The  exterior  wall  extends  from  north  to 
south  four  hundred  and  twenty  feet,  and  from  east  to 
west  two  hundred  and  sixty  feet.  The  interior  of 
the  house  consists  of  five  halls;  the  three  middle  ones 
being  of  one  size,  and  the  two  extreme  ones  longer. 
The  three  middle  ones  are  twenty-six  feet  in  length 
from  north  to  south,  and  ten  feet  in  breadth  from  east 
to  west.  The  two  extreme  ones  measure  twelve  feet 
from  north  to  south,  and  thirty-eight  feet  from  east  to 
west."* 

The  Casa  Grande,  as  described  in  this  extract  from 
Father  Font,  has  been  alluded  to  by  many  authors, 
and  the  dimensions,  as  given  by  him,  quoted;  but  all 
have  mistaken  the  meaning  of  the  writer  in  the  dimen- 
sions. He  speaks  of  the  house  around  which  "there 
are  ruins,  indicating  a  fence  or  wall  which  surrounded 
the  house  and  other  buildings ;  "  and  then  goes  on  to 
say,  that  "the  exterior  ivall  extends  from  north  to 
south  four  hundred  and  twenty  feet,  and  from  east  to 
west  two  hundred  and  sixty  feet."  Nearly  all  the 
writers  who  refer  to  the  building  (and  there  are  many, 
among  which  may  be  named  Baron  Humboldt  him- 
self*), quote  these  dimensions  of  the  "fence"  or  "ex- 
terior wall,"  as  those  of  the  edifice  itself.  It  is  possi- 
ble that  the  manuscript  referred  to  by  Baron  Hum- 
boldt differed  from  that  in  my  possession ;  for  the 
extract  from  Font's  journal,  contained  in  Mr.  School- 
craft's work  on  the  Indian  tribes,  says  :   "  The  exterior 


*  Father  Pedro  Font's  Journal  from  Orcasitas,  in  Sonora,  to  Mon- 
terey, California,  in  1775,  '76,  '77.     MS. 

f  Political  Essay  on  New  Spain,  vol.  ii.  p.  301. 


AND  THE  CAS  AS  GR  ANDES.  281 

wall  of  the  house  is  four  hundred  and  twenty  feet," 
etc.*  What  follows  clearly  shows  this  to  be  an  error ; 
for  it  says,  "the  interior  of  the  house  consists  of  five 
halls,"  and  then  gives  the  dimensions  of  each  apartment, 
which  nearly  correspond  with  my  admeasurement,  f 

Mr.  Gallatin  is  the  only  writer,  as  far  as  I  know, 
who  understood  the  greater  dimensions  alluded  to  as 
referring  to  an  exterior  wall.  After  giving  the  size 
of  the  building  and  its  apartments  from  Father  Font, 
he  says,  "Around  the  whole  there  are  indications  of  an 
external  wall,  which  included  the  house  and  other 
buildings,"  four  hundred  and  twenty  by  two  hundred 
and  sixty  feet.  J 

The  earliest  account  of  this  building  is  that  of 
Mangi,  who,  in  company  with  Father  Kino,  visited  it 
in  the  year  1694,  on  which  occasion  he  said  mass  in  it. § 
His  relation  also  exists  only  in  manuscript.  "  There 
was  one  great  edifice,"  says  he,  "  with  the  principal 
room  in  the  middle  of  four  stories,  and  the  adjoining 
rooms  on  its  four  sides  of  three  stories,  with  the  walls 
two  yards  in  thickness,  of  strong  mortar  and  clay,  so 
smooth  and  shining  within  that  they  appear  like  bur- 
nished tables,  and  so  polished  that  they  shone  like  the 
earthenware  of  Puebla. 

"At  the  distance  of  an  arquebuss  shot  twelve  other 

*  Font's  admeasurement  was  in  Spanish  geometrical  feet,  which  dif- 
fer from  the  English  foot  of  twelve  inches. 

f  History,  Condition,  and  Prospect  of  the  Indian  Tribes,  vol.  iii. 
p.  300. 

J  Trans,  of  Amer.  Ethnol.  Society,  vol.  ii.  p.  86. 

§  See  extract  from  Mangi's  Diary,  in  Schoolcraft's  History  and  Con- 
dition of  the  Indian  Tribes,  vol.  iii.  p.  301. 


282  INDIANS    OF    THE    GILA, 

houses  are  to  be  seen,  also  half  fallen,  having  thick 
walls,  and  all  the  ceilings  burnt,  except  in  the  lower 
room  of  one  house,  which  is  of  round  timbers,  smooth 
and  not  thick,  which  appeared  to  be  of  cedar  or  savin, 
and  over  them  sticks  of  very  equal  size,  and  a  cake  of 
mortar  and  hard  clay,  making  a  roof  or  ceiling  of  great 
ingenuity.  In  the  environs  are  to  be  seen  many  other 
ruins  and  heaps  of  broken  earth,  which  circumscribe 
it  two  leagues,  with  much  broken  earthenware  of 
plates  and  pots  of  fine  clay,  painted  of  many  colors, 
and  which  resemble  the  jars  of  Guadalajara,  in  Spain. 
It  may  be  inferred  that  the  population  or  city  of  this 
body  politic  was  very  large ;  and  that  it  was  of  one 
government  is  shown  by  a  main  canal,  which  comes 
from  the  river  by  the  plain,  running  around  for  the 
distance  of  three  leagues,  and  inclosing  the  inhab- 
itants in  its  area,  being  in  breadth  ten  varas,'*  and 
about  four  in  depth,  through  which  perhaps  was 
directed  one  half  the  volume  of  the  river,  in  such  a 
manner  that  it  might  serve  for  a  defensive  moat,  as 
well  as  to  supply  the  wards  with  water,  and  irrigate 
'the  plantations  in  the  adjacencies." 

By  the  foregoing  extracts  it  will  be  seen  that  these 
buildings  were  in  much  the  same  condition  as  that 
in  which  we  now  see  them,  although  a  century  and  a 
half  has  elapsed  since  Mangi's  visit.  He  was  told  of 
other  ruins  "  a  day's  journey  to  the  north  on  another 
stream "  flowing  into  the  Gila,  which  were  doubtless 
those  on  the  Salinas  that  I  have  described. 

*  About  twenty-seven  feet.  See  also  Alegro's  Hist,  de  la  Compa- 
nia  de  Jesus,  en  Nueva  Espana,  torn.  iii.  p.  84. 


AND  THE  CASAS  GRANDES.  283 

I  have  been  unable  to  learn  from  what  source  the 
prevailing  idea  has  arisen  of  the  migration  of  the 
Aztecs,  or  ancient  Mexicans,  from  the  north  into  the 
valley  of  Mexico,  and  of  the  three  halts  they  made  in 
their  journey  thither.  This  is  another  idea  which  has 
been  so  widely  promulgated  that  it  has  settled  down 
into  an  acknowledged  fact,  although  I  confess  I  have 
seen  no  satisfactory  evidence  of  its  truth.  People 
have  got  too  much  in  the  way  of  ascribing  all  ancient 
remains  to  the  Aztecs.  We  hear  of  them  on  the 
shores  of  Lake  Michigan,  where  some  have  located  the 
famous  city  of  Aztlan.  Other  remains  are  spoken  of 
in  the  Navajo  county,  south  of  the  Great  Salt  Lake, 
where  the  Aztecs  are  said  to  have  tarried  a  while. 
Again  they  are  placed  at  the  "  Casas  Grandes,"  on 
the  Gila;  whence  they  are  supposed  to  have  gone 
to  a  place  north  of  the  city  of  Chihuahua,  where 
extensive  remains  are  said  to  exist.  The  traditions 
which  gave  rise  to  this  notion  are  extremely  vague, 
and  were  not  seriously  entertained  until  Torquemada, 
Boturini,  and  Clavigero  gave  them  currency,  but  they 
must  now  give  way  to  the  more  reliable  results  from 
linguistic  comparisons.  No  analogy  has  yet  been 
traced  between  the  language  of  the  old  Mexicans  and 
any  tribe  at  the  north  in  the  district  from  which  they 
are  supposed  to  have  come  ;  nor  in  any  of  the  relics, 
ornaments,  or  works  of  art,  do  we  observe  a  resem- 
blance between  them.  The  explorations  and  investi- 
gations recently  made,  and  others  now  in  progress, 
may  throw  further  light  on  this  subject,  which  I  shall 
now  dismiss. 

After  three  hours  spent  at  the  ruins,  the  hottest,  I 


284   INDIANS    OF    THE    GILA,    AND    THE    CASAS    GR ANDES. 

think,  I  ever  experienced,  we  set  out  on  our  return  to 
camp.  Our  Indian  companions,  having  got  out  of 
water  (of  which  we  had  none  to  spare),  set  off  in 
advance  to  reach  the  river,  and  there  wait  for  us. 
They  were  quite  reluctant  to  go  alone  even  a  couple 
of  miles,  for  fear  of  the  Apaches  ;  and  I  doubt  whether 
they  would  have  ventured  even  then  without  us,  had 
they  not  been  driven  to  do  so  by  extreme  thirst.  As 
our  canteens  were  all  exhausted  before  leaving,  we 
were  obliged  to  follow  their  example.  We  found  the 
river's  bank  about  fifteen  feet  high,  and  so  abrupt  that 
it  was  with  some  difficulty  we  reached  the  water. 
After  following  the  route  by  which  we  came,  and 
crossing  on  our  way  several  of  the  old  irrigating 
canals,  from  which  the  ancient  people  who  occupied 
the  valley  derived  their  water,  we  reached  our  camp 
at  three  o'clock,  much  fatigued  though  amply  repaid 
by  our  day's  excursion.  The  mercury  had  stood  in 
the  shade,  beneath  the  trees,  at  119°  Fahrenheit, 
between  the  hours  of  ten  and  three  o'clock. 

I  found  a  few  Indians  in  camp,  among  them  a 
messenger  from  Francisco  Dukey,  the  Maricopa  inter- 
preter, who,  ashamed  to  come  himself,  had  sent  an- 
other to  me,  begging  that  I  would  give  him  a  written 
recommendation  to  show  to  other  Americans.  His 
request  was  peremptorily  refused. 


CASAS  GRANDES  TO  SANTA  CRUZ.        285 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

CASAS  GRANDES  TO  SANTA  CRUZ. 

Leave  the  Gila — Terrific  storm  on  the  desert — Encounter  a  party  of  Amer- 
icans at  midnight — Stopped  by  the  darkness — Unpleasant  situation — 
Pack-mules  and  cattle  missing — Picacho  mountain — Vegetation  of  the 
desert — Second  night's  march — Arrival  at  Tucson — General  Blanco — 
Arrival  of  Mexican  troops — Campaign  against  the  Apaches — Meet  Mr. 
Coons  with  14,000  sheep — His  disasters — Visit  from  Gen.  Blanco  and 
his  officers — Repairs  on  wagons — Tucson  and  its  valley — Meteorite- 
San  Xavier  del  Bac — Beautiful  church — Spanish  and  Anglo-Saxon  col- 
onization— Incessant  rains — Presidio  of  Tubac — Meet  Inez  Gonzales,  the 
captive  girl — Her  sad  fate — Uncertainty  of  irrigated  lands — California 
emigrants — Calabasa — Picturesque  valley — Tumacacori — San  Lazaro — 
More  emigrants — Reach  Santa  Cruz. 

July  IWi.  The  heat  continued  excessive.  The  ther- 
mometer had  ranged  every  day  since  our  arrival  at 
the  Maricopa  and  Pimo  villages  at  from  100°  to  119° 
between  the  hours  of  10  and  3 ;  in  fact  it  had  scarcely 
fallen  below  100  between  these  hours  since  we  struck 
the  desert  beyond  the  Colorado.  During  the  week 
we  were  at  Fort  Yuma,  as  well  as  during  our  journey, 
there  was  but  little  variation.  The  nights  remained 
comfortable  all  the  time ;  so  that  in  the  open  air  a 
single  blanket  was  necessary. 

Having  a  long  march  before  us,  we  left  camp  at  half- 
past  4  p.  m.,    desiring  to  reach  a  mountain  forty -five 


286  CASAS    GRANDES   TO 

miles  distant,  or  half  way  across  the  great  Jornada,  the 
following  morning,  although  we  had  little  hope  of  find- 
ing water  until  we  should  get  to  Tucson.  The  mountain 
referred  to  is  called  the  "  Picacho,"  a  name  applied  to 
every  high  abrupt  peak.  Our  course  lay  a  little  to  the 
east  of  south,  direct  for  the  Picacho,  across  a  vast  open 
plain.  A  short  range  of  mountains  on  the  west,  within  a 
mile  of  the  road,  was  soon  passed.  On  the  east  was  a 
lofty  range  fifty  miles  distant,  with  no  intervening  ob- 
jects. The  road  was  excellent;  and  our  animals  being 
fresh,  we  hurried  them  on  as  fast  as  it  was  prudent  to 
do.  As  we  progressed,  there  seemed  to  be  a  likeli- 
hood of  rain,  which  was  somewhat  increased  by  a  per- 
ceptible change  in  the  air.  The  prospect  before  us 
was  dismal  enough,  in  the  midst  of  the  wide-spreading 
desert ;  for  by  night-fall  we  had  passed  the  mountains 
on  our  right,  and  were  soon  far  from  any  landmark. 

As  the  sun  sank  below  the  horizon,  the  dark  cloud- 
bank  which  we  had  observed  far  to  the  south  ascended, 
and  we  could  see  the  rain  already  falling  on  the  dis- 
tant mountain.  Night  now  set  in  ;  the  thick  clouds 
rose  higher  and  higher,  and  before  nine  o'clock  had 
completely  obscured  every  star.  Shrouded  as  we  were 
in  darkness,  it  was  no  easy  matter  to  find  our  way 
through  the  low  mezquit  bushes  scattered  over  the 
desert.  But  nature's  light-house  opened  its  portals, 
and  the  vivid  lightning  flashed  around  us  ;  so  that 
the  black  mountain,  our  beacon  in  this  desert,  seemed 
constantly  before  us.  Up  to  this  time  I  had  taken  the 
lead  in  my  wagon  ;  but  as  my  mules  became  alarmed, 
rendering  it  impossible  to  get  along,  I  placed  Mr.Leroux, 
who  rode  a  milk-white  mule,  immediately  before  mine. 


SANTA    CBUZ.  287 

His  animal  could  be  seen,  and  all  followed  him.  Peals 
of  the  most  terrific  thunder  burst  upon  us,  leaving 
scarcely  an  interval  of  repose.  Next  came  violent 
gusts  of  wind,  accompanied  by  clouds  of  sand  and  dust, 
reminding  one  of  the  African  simoom.  The  wind  was 
from  the  south,  and  brought  the  sand  directly  in  our 
faces.  To  avoid  it  was  impossible.  Not  a  tree  was  to 
be  seen ;  no  ravine  appeared  where  we  could  shelter 
ourselves ;  and  the  nearest  mountain  was  yet  twenty 
miles  off.  Lastly  came  torrents  of  rain,  and  this  ter- 
rific storm  was  at  its  height. 

Slowly  we  journeyed  on,  drenched  to  the  skin,  not- 
withstanding our  overcoats  and  India  rubber  gar- 
ments. The  march  before  us  must  be  made,  and  the 
sooner  the  "  Picacho"  was  reached  the  better.  To  stop, 
was  to  endanger  our  animals ;  for  no  pools  had  yet 
been  seen  where  the  rain  had  accumulated,  so  that  we 
had  neither  water  nor  grass  to  give  them.  At  mid- 
night, in  the  midst  of  this  extreme  darkness  and  rain, 
where  one  would  about  as  soon  expect  to  meet  a  human 
being  as  in  the  middle  of  the  broad  ocean,  we  were 
suddenly  brought  to  a  stand  by  the  sound  of  voices! 
"Who  comes  there?  Quien  vive?"  were  quickly 
cried  by  a  dozen  voices  in  English  and  Spanish,  and  as 
quickly  answered,  "Friends!  Amigos!  Who  are 
you?  Where  are  you  from?  De  donde  viene?"  etc., 
and  in  a  moment  we  were  surrounded  by  horsemen, 
pack-mules,  and  the  accompaniments  of  a  large  party. 
Were  they  Indians,  or  Mexicans,  or  Americans — friends 
or  enemies,  ran  through  my  mind,  till  the  sound  of 
English  voices  dissipated  my  apprehensions.  It  proved 
to  be  a  party  of  between  forty  and  fifty  Americans, 


288  CASAS    GEANDES   TO 

bound  for  California.  We  stopped  about  ten  minutes 
to  exchange  a  few  words,  though  we  could  not  distin- 
guish faces.  This  we  were,  in  a  measure,  compelled 
to  do,  to  separate  our  animals  from  those  of  the  passing 
train,  for  all  were  now  mixed  up  together.  The  party 
was  from  Missouri,  and  had  come  by  the  way  of  El 
Paso.  They  gave  us  some  news  from  the  latter  place, 
which  was  very  acceptable.  Inquiries  were  made  by 
each  party  about  the  grass  and  water  on  the  route, 
when,  the  animals  becoming  restive,  we  bade  them 
adieu,  and  resumed  our  journey. 

Up  to  this  time,  the  tempest  had  not  in  the  least 
abated.  Indeed  the  darkness  seemed  growing  still 
thicker,  while  the  flashes  of  lightning  were  becoming 
less  frequent,  which  rendered  it  more  difficult  to  keep 
on  our  course.  After  a  longer  interval  than  usual,  the 
heavens  were  again  lighted  up,  when  I  found  myself 
going  in  an  opposite  direction  to  the  right  one,  and  the 
party  much  scattered.  Leroux  came  up,  and  said  that 
it  was  absolutely  necessary  to  stop  where  we  were  ;  as 
some  of  the  pack-mules  were  missing,  and  it  was 
impossible  to  keep  together  or  find  our  way  in  such 
impenetrable  darkness.  I  accordingly  had  my  mules 
taken  out  and  hitched  to  my  wagon  ;  the  same  was 
done  with  the  teams.  All  the  pack-mules  that  could  be 
found,  were  brought  together  ;  and  the  horsemen  fast- 
ened their  animals  wherever  they  could  find  a  bush. 
Dr.  Webb  and  myself  remained  quietly  in  our  wagon. 

In  the  midst  of  the  storm  Mr.  Thurber,  with  a  great 
deal  of  perseverance,  succeeded  in  making  a  fire.  This 
was  done  by  taking  the  leaves  of  some  books  that  had 
seen   their  best  days,  and    protecting  them  from  the 


SANTA    CRUZ.  289 

rain  with  an  India  rubber  coat,  until  well  lighted.  To 
these  was  added  some  dry  wood  found  in  the  wagons ; 
and  when  bushes  were  piled  upon  the  whole,  a  blazing 
fire  was  the  result.  This  served  as  a  guide  to  our 
scattered  people,  some  of  whom  had  found  themselves 
among  the  emigrating  party,  with  their  faces  turned 
towards  the  Gila ! 

June  14d.li.  As  soon  as  we  could  see,  the  animals 
were  mustered ;  when  three  mules  with  their  packs, 
two  donkeys,  and  our  three  remaining  beef-cattle,  were 
missing.  Two  Mexican  arrieros  were  left  to  hunt  up 
these  animals,  and  the  train  resumed  its  journey. 
The  road  was  now  very  muddy,  and  every  depression 
in  the  desert  became  filled  with  water,  making  the 
travelling  quite  heavy. 

Soon  after  starting  we  met  the  rest  of  the  party 
that  we  encountered  in  the  night.  They  had  become 
separated  from  those  in  advance,  and  had  been  com- 
pelled to  await  the  return  of  day.  Among  them  were 
several  women  on  mules,  who  appeared  to  have  had 
a  sorry  time  of  it.  The  "  Picacho"  was  still  far 
ahead ;  but  after  watering  the  animals,  we  pushed  on, 
and  at  11  o'clock  reached  its  base,  where  we  encamp- 
ed. I  had  been  eighteen  hours  in  my  seat,  and  was 
glad  to  throw  myself  on  the  ground  beneath  the  shade 
of  a  mezquit  bush,  and  get  some  sleep.  After  an  hour's 
rest  I  got  up  and  made  a  fire  for  my  cook,  who  was 
still  deep  in  his  slumbers  ;  and  by  one  o'clock  we  had 
our  breakfast.  This  forty-five  miles  was  the  most 
fatiguing  day's  journey  we  had  yet  had,  including  the 
exposure  during  the  whole  night  to  such  a  tempest  of 
wind  and  rain. 

VOL.  n. — 19 


290 


CASAS    GRANDES    TO 


The  vegetation  of  this  desert  is  the  same  as  that 
near  the  Gila,  viz.,  dwarfish  mezquitat  intervals,  larrea 
Mexicana,  palo  verde,  and  cacti ;  the  great  petahaya 
luxuriating  as  usual  in  the  barrenness.  A  tuft  of  grass 
was  occasionally  seen,  and  now  and  then  some  brilliant 
flower  that  had  ventured  to  u  waste  its  sweetness  on 
the  desert  air." 


rioacho  of  the  Tucson  desert,  from  the  South. 


The  mud  holes  here  were  filled  with  water,  but  so 
turbid  that  we  could  not  taste  it.  We  had  enough, 
however,  in  our  canteens  and  kegs  for  drinking  pur- 
poses.    There  was  quite  a  thicket  of  mezquit  here,  and 


SANTA    CRUZ.  291 

an  excellent  place  for  a  camp.  The  animals  found  a 
tolerable  supply  of  food  in  the  tufts  of  grass,  and  mez- 
quit  beans. 

At  5  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  we  started  again, 
although  we  had  had  but  little  rest.  I  would  have 
remained  till  morning,  but  our  water  was  nearly  out. 
The  road  had  by  this  time  become  quite  dry,  and  we 
rolled  on  at  a  steady  gait  of  three  miles  an  hour.  Soon 
after  leaving,  the  sky  became  overcast,  and  we  feared 
a  repetition  of  the  storm  ;  but  it  did  not  occur,  and, 
although  we  had  considerable  difficulty  in  keeping 
our  course,  we  were  enabled  to  continue  our  journey 
through  the  entire  night. 

July  15th.  At  5  o'clock  this  morning,  being  in  ad- 
vance of  the  train,  we  reached  some  mud  holes  contain- 
ing a  little  water,  which  our  thirsty  animals  drank  with 
eagerness.  During  the  night,  many  who  were  mount- 
ed on  mules  were  so  much  fatigued  as  to  be  unable  to 
retain  their  seats  in  their  saddles ;  so  dismounting,  and 
tying  their  animals  to  the  bushes,  or  to  their  bodies, 
they  lay  down  on  the  desert,  and  refreshed  themselves 
with  a  couple  of  hours  sleep.  At  seven,  the  wagons 
with  the  rest  of  the  party  came  up ;  and,  although 
but  eight  miles  from  Tucson,  such  was  our  fatigue 
after  two  long  nights'  ride,  that  we  determined  to 
remain  here  to-day.  Much  to  my  regret,  no  tents 
were  pitched ;  for  a  heavy  shower  came  up  in  the 
night,  which  wet  most  of  the  party  to  the  skin.  I  was 
so  fortunate  as  to  make  my  bed  beneath  a  wagon ; 
where,  protected  by  an  India  rubber  blanket,  I  passed 
a  comfortable  night,  and  scarcely  knew  of  the  rain  that 
was  falling  around  me  until  morning. 


292        .  CASAS    GRANDES    TO 

July  16th.  We  started  with  a  heavy  road,  and  made 
but  slow  progress.  The  wagons  got  mired  several  times 
in  crossing  arroyos,  one  of  them  so  deeply  that  it  be- 
came necessary  to  unload  it  before  it  could  be  released ; 
while  another,  in  passing  a  deep  gully,  plunged  so 
suddenly  down,  that  the  tongue  was  snapped  off. 

We  reached  Tucson  at  ten  o'clock,  a.  m.  As  we 
passed  the  garrison,  a  body  of  Mexican  soldiers  were 
entering,  who  had  just  arrived  from  the  south  on  a 
campaign  against  the  Apaches.  Among  the  officers 
standing  at  the  gate  I  recognised  Captain  Barragan, 
who  was  in  command  at  Santa  Cruz  when  we  reached 
that  place  in  October  last.  Hearing  from  him  that 
General  Blanco  was  within,  I  left  the  train  and  accom- 
panied the  Captain  to  pay  my  respects  to  him. 

General  Blanco  informed  me  that  the  depredations 
of  the  Apaches  had  lately  been  more  frequent  than 
ever.  Many  animals  had  been  stolen  in  the  immedi- 
ate vicinity  of  Tucson,  Tubac,  and  Santa  Cruz;  and 
many  Mexicans  had  lost  their  lives.  The  troops  had  had 
some  skirmishes  with  the  Indians,  in  which  Coletto 
Amarillo,  one  of  the  chiefs  who  so  frequently  visited 
us  at  the  Copper  Mines,  was  killed.  The  General  fur- 
thermore told  me  that  when  on  his  march  he  fell  upon 
a  large  Indian  trail,  and  noticed  among  the  footprints 
several  made  by  new  American  shoes,  which  he  readily 
distinguished  from  the  Mexican  shoes  by  their  larger 
size  and  heels.  He  believed  that  there  were  Ameri- 
cans among  them,  or  that  they  had  murdered  and 
robbed  some  party  of  emigrants.  In  October,  when 
the  weather  should  be  cooler,  and  the  rainy  season 
past,  it  was  his  intention  to  make  a  campaign  against 


SANTA    CRUZ.  .       293 

the  Apaches  on  the  Gila,  and  thence  go  to  the  Mogo- 
llon  Mountains,  near  the  Copper  Mines.  After  half  an 
hour  spent  with  the  General,  I  rode  a  mile  from  the 
town,  and  there  found  my  party  encamped  on  the 
banks  of  the  Santa  Cruz  River,  where  there  was  an 
abundance  of  grass. 

Near  our  camp  we  found  Mr.  Coons,  an  American, 
on  his  way  to  San  Francisco,  with  14,000  sheep.  For 
the  protection  of  this  large  flock,  he  had  sixty  persons, 
forty-five  of  whom  were  Americans,  and  fifteen  Mexi- 
cans. He  quieted  our  anxiety  as  to  grass  and  water, 
having  found  an  abundance  of  both  on  his  route. 
There  had  been  much  rain,  and  the  grass  was  in  conse- 
quence in  fine  condition.  He  had  met  many  Indians 
near  the  Guadalupe  Pass,  but  would  not  allow  them  to 
enter  his  camp.  When  near  Janos,  a  party  of  Apaches 
rushed  among  them  during  the  day,  and  succeeded  in 
running  off  fourteen  mules  and  horses.  Mr.  Coons 
was  entirely  unprepared  for  the  attack,  particularly  as 
the  rascals  approached  him  from-  the  town  where  they 
had  been.  Before  he  could  get  a  party  mounted,  the 
robbers  had  got  a  long  start  of  them,  which  rendered 
pursuit  in  vain.  This  loss  so  disabled  Mr.  C,  that  he 
was  compelled  to  return  to  the  city  of  Chihuahua,  pur- 
chase more  animals,  and  strengthen  his  party  ;  which 
detained  him  six  weeks.  His  party  was  now  well 
armed,  and  he  felt  himself  strong  enough  to  cope  with 
any  roving  band  that  might  attempt  to  interrupt  him. 

General  Blanco  with  his  staff,  and  several  other 
officers  from  Tucson,  escorted  by  a  troop  of  lancers, 
called  on  me  in  the  afternoon.  These  lancers  were 
well  dressed  and  equipped,   and   made  a  handsome 


294  CASAS    GRANDES    TO 

appearance.  I  was  by  no  means  well  prepared  for 
the  visit ;  for  the  wagon  which  contained  my  tent  and 
baggage,  being  the  one  which  had  met  with  the  acci- 
dent before  mentioned,  had  not  yet  reached  camp :  I 
was  therefore  obliged  to  receive  him  in  another  and 
very  small  tent,  not  large  enough  for  one  half  the 
officers  who  accompanied  him.  It  began  to  rain  too  at 
the  time,  which  added  to  my  dilemma.  However, 
there  were  other  tents  pitched,  in  which  these  gentle- 
men took  refuge.  General  Blanco  again  spoke  of  our 
common  enemy,  the  Apaches,  and  of  operations  against 
them.  He  recommended  that  the  American  troops 
should  attack  them  north  of  the  Gila,  while  the  Mexi- 
cans should  receive  them  as  they  came  south  for 
refuge.  I  told  him  that  my  views  agreed  with  those 
he  had  expressed,  and  that  I  had  suggested  a  simi- 
lar plan  of  operation  to  the  United  States  government 
in  a  recent  dispatch  sent  from  California. 

The  General  tendered  me  the  use  of  his  black- 
smith's shop,  and  any  other  facilities  I  required  to 
repair  my  broken  wagons ;  of  which  I  was  very  glad  to 
avail  myself,  although  we  found  it  difficult  to  obtain 
a  piece  of  wood  for  a  new  tongue.  My  little  wagon  also 
wanted  repairs,  and  some  of  the  animals  required 
shoeing.  There  was,  therefore,  no  alternative  but  to 
remain  here  a  day  or  two.  I  would  have  regretted 
this  delay  more,  had.  not  the  grass  been  so  good  that 
I  believed  the  mules  would  be  benefited  by  it.  In 
the  evening  the  rain  set  in  hard,  and  continued  during 
the  night.  But  we  were  now  in  good  tents,  with 
water,  grass,  and  wood  around  us,  so  that  we  had  no 
cause  for  complaint. 


SANTA    CRUZ.  295 

July  17th.  Sent  the  wagons  up  to  the  town  ;  but 
only  one  man  was  found  who  professed  to  be  a  black- 
smith, and  could  work  upon  them.  Sent  four  of  my 
men  up  to  assist ;  but  altogether  they  made  little  pro- 
gress, for  the  want  of  tools. 

Tucson  is  the  most  northern  town  in  Mexico,  and 
a  very  old  place.  It  is  found  on  the  oldest  maps,  and 
is  referred  to  by  the  early  missionaries.  It  has  always 
been,  and  is  to  this  day,  a  presidio  or  garrison  ;  but  for 
which  the  place  could  not  be  sustained.  In  its  best 
days  it  boasted  a  population  of  a  thousand  souls,  now 
diminished  to  about  one  third  that  number.  It  stands 
on  the  plateau  adjoining  the  fertile  valley  watered  by 
the  Santa  Cruz  River,  a  small  stream  which  rises  ten 
miles  north-east  of  the  town  of  Santa  Cruz,  whence  it 
flows  south  to  that  place.  It  then  takes  a  westerly 
direction  for  about  ten  miles,  after  which  it  flows 
northward  through  Tubac  and  Tucson,  and  soon  be- 
comes lost  in  the  desert.  The  lands  near  Tucson  are 
very  rich,  and  were  once  extensively  cultivated ;  but 
the  encroachments  of  the  Apaches  compelled  the  peo- 
ple to  abandon  their  ranchos  and  seek  safety  within 
the  town.  The  miserable  population,  confined  to  such 
narrow  limits,  barely  gains  a  subsistence,  and  could 
not  exist  a  year  but  for  the  protection  from  the 
troops.  More  than  once  the  town  has  been  invested 
by  from  one  to  two  thousand  Indians,  and  attempts 
made  to  take  it,  but  thus  far  without  success.  These 
Apaches  have  become  reduced  quite  as  much  as  the 
Mexicans  ;  so  that  two  hundred  warriors  are  about  the 
largest  force  they  can  now  collect. 

In  addition  to  the  river  alluded  to,  there  are  some 


296  CASAS    GRANDES    TO 

springs  near  the  base  of  a  hill  a  mile  to  the  west  of  the 
town,  which  furnish  a  copious  supply  of  water.  Near 
these  is  a  hamlet,  and  a  large  hacienda,  which  in 
former  times  must  have  been  very  rich.  It  is  now  in 
a  decayed  state,  and  but  a  small  portion  of  its  fine 
lands  are  cultivated.  This  hacienda  is  seen  in  the  fore- 
ground of  the  annexed  sketch  of  Tucson. 

Wheat,  maize,  peas,  beans,  and  lentils  are  raised 
in  perfection  ;  while  among  the  fruits  may  be  named, 
apples,  pears,  peaches,  and  grapes.  The  only  vege- 
tables we  saw  were  onions,  pumpkins,  and  beans  ;  but 
in  such  a  fertile  valley  all  kinds  will  of  course  do 
well. 

The  houses  of  Tucson  are  all  of  adobe,  and  the 
majority  are  in  a  state  of  ruin.  No  attention  seems  to 
be  given  to  repair ;  but  as  soon  as  a  dwelling  becomes 
uninhabitable,  it  is  deserted,  the  miserable  tenants 
creeping  into  some  other  hovel  where  they  may  eke 
out  their  existence.  We  found  three  hundred  soldiers 
■in  the  place,  although  the  average  number  for  some 
years  past  has  not  exceeded  twenty. 

The  bottom-lands  are  here  about  a  mile  in  width. 
Through  them  run  irrigating  canals  in  every  direction, 
the  lines  of  which  are  marked  by  rows  of  cotton- 
woods  and  willows,  presenting  an  agreeable  land- 
scape. 

I  ascended  a  rocky  hill  above  the  hacienda  men- 
tioned, about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  our  camp,  and 
had  a  fine  view  of  the  valley  and  surrounding  country. 
This  hill  was  covered  with  cacti  of  every  variety, 
among  which  the  petahaya  was  most  prominent.  The 
fouquiera,   yucca,   and   agave,   were  also   luxuriating 


SANTA   CRUZ.  297 

among  the  rocks ;  for  scarcely  a  particle  of  soil  could 
be  seen.  Below  was  the  valley,  its  fields  and  acequias 
defined  by  the  long  lines  of  shrubbery  and  trees.  The 
town  is  seen  on  the  border  of  the  plateau,  where  the 
desert  begins,  and  stretches  off  .to  the  east,  to  a  high 
range  of  mountains  about  fifteen  miles  distant.  In  these 
mountains  is  a  singular  cliff  of  rocks  resembling  a  huge 
castle.  Like  other  mountain  ranges,  these  take  a 
south-easterly  direction  and  extend  nearly  to  the  San 
Pedro.  Directly  south  lies  the  valley  of  Santa  Cruz, 
presenting  to  the  eye  an  agreeable  contrast  to  the  bar- 
ren mountains  and  the  long  line  of  desert  on  either 
side. 

The  two  men  left  on  the  desert  to  hunt  up  the 
missing  animals  arrived  to-day.  They  went  back  to 
the  Pimo  villages,  and  found  the  pack-mules  following 
the  emigrants  that  we  had  met. 

July  lSt7i.  I  went  out  this  morning  and  completed 
my  sketch  of  the  valley  and  town  from  the  hill  visited 
yesterday.  The  men  were  still  at  work  on  the  wagons, 
to  be  completed  by  evening.  I  bought  some  sheep 
here  at  three  dollars  ahead,  as  our  live  stock  was 
getting  low. 

In  the  afternoon  I  called  to  take  leave  of  General 
Blanco,  and  at  the  same  time  examine  a  remarkable 
meteorite,  which  is  used  for  an  anvil  in  the  blacksmith's 
shop.  This  mass  resembles  native  iron,  and  weighs 
about  six  hundred  pounds.  Its  greatest  length  is  five 
feet.  Its  exterior  is  quite  smooth,  while  the  lower  part 
which  projects  from  the  larger  leg  is  very  jagged  and 
rough.  It  was  found  about  twenty  miles  distant 
towards  Tubac,  and  about  eight  miles  from  the  road, 


298  CASAS    GRANDES   TO 

where  we  were  told  are  many  larger  masses.  The 
annexed  drawing  gives  the  appearance  of  this  singular 
mass.  There  is  another  larger  mass  within  the  garrison 
grounds,  of  which  I  did  not  take  a  sketch.  With  much 
labor  Dr.  Webb  broke  off  a  fragment  of  this  meteorite 
for  the  purpose  of  analysis. 

Nearly  all  our  Mexican  arrieros  got  drunk  to-day, 
and  caused  much  disturbance  in  the  town.  I  would 
have  discharged  them,  but  could  find  none  to  take 
their  places. 

July  YStli.  We  were  off  this  morning  before  the 
sun  had  risen,  and  soon  entered  a  thickly  wooded  val- 
ley of  mezquit.  A  ride  of  nine  miles  brought  us  to 
the  mission  of  San  Xavier  del  Bac  ;  truly  a  miserable 
place,  consisting  of  from  eighty  to  one  hundred  huts, 
or  wigwams,  made  of  mud  or  straw,  the  sole  occupants 
of  which  are  Pimo  Indians,  though  generally  called 
Papagos.  In  the  midst  of  these  hovels  stands  the 
largest  and  most  beautiful  church  in  the  State  of 
Sonora.  It  is  built  of  brick  on  the  summit  of  a  low 
hill,  and  has  two  towers  and  a  dome.  In  a  square, 
around  and  directly  connected  with  the  church,  are 
some  adobe  houses,  Avhich  were  occupied  when  the 
Mission  was  in  a  flourishing  state.  All  save  one  are  now 
tenantless,  and  this,  which  adjoins  the  church,  is  occu- 
pied by  the  only  Mexican  family  in  the  place.  The 
train  passed  directly  through,  while  a  few  of  the  gen- 
tlemen and  myself  drew  up  at  the  church  door  to 
examine  its  interior. 

This  church  has  more  pretensions  to  architectural 
beauty  than  any  I  saw  in  the  country,  although  its 
general  character  is  the  same.     It  is  elaborately  orna-r 


METEORITE    AT   THE    HACIENDA    DE   CONCEPCION,    SHOWING    OPPOSITE   SIDES. 


MKTEORITE   AT   TITCSON. p.  2S 


SANTA    CRUZ.  299 

mented  inside  and  out,  and  contains  many  decorations 
new  in  architecture,  partaking  neither  of  the  Greek, 
Roman,  nor  Gothic  orders.  Along  the  eaves  is  a  row 
of  queer  looking  creatures,  the  like  of  which  cannot 
probably  be  found,  even  in  this  country  of  strange 
animals.  The  interior  is  gaudily  painted ;  and  from 
the  profusion  of  gilding,  one  might  suppose  the  Mis- 
sion to  have  possessed  a  gold  placer.  Around  the 
altar,  and  in  the  niches,  are  many  wooden  statues, 
from  the  size  of  a  foot  to  that  of  life.  The  poor  Indian 
doubtless  believed  them  all  to  be  saints,  and  made  his 
offerings  accordingly,  although  about  one  half  are 
statues  of  old  Spanish  cavaliers  and  figures  of  Chinese 
mandarins.  There  are  besides  angels  and  archangels, 
or  figures  intended  to  represent  celestial  beings  with 
wings,  five  or  six  feet  high,  springing  from  the  walls. 
This  church  was  built  towards  the  close  of  the  last  cen- 
tury from  the  produce  of  the  Mission  lands,  and  is 
throughout  in  a  good  state  of  preservation.  It  appears 
that  there  was  a  previous  structure  here,  erected  by 
Father  Kino  as  early  as  1700.* 

What  a  marked  difference  there  is  in  Spanish  and 
English  colonization !  Here  the  zealous  Missionary 
preceded  all  others,  planting  the  cross  along  with  the 
banner  of  his  country.  Then  commenced  the  work  of 
baptizing  ;  and  as  soon  as  a  sufficient  number  of  con- 
verts had  been  made,  a  fertile  valley  was  chosen,  and 
a  church  erected  with  buildings  to  accommodate  some 
hundreds.    Next  came  the  colonists,  whose  main  efforts 


*  Alegre,  Hist,  de  la  Comp.  de  Jesus  en    Nueva  Espana. — Tom.  iii. 
p.  119. 


300  CASAS    GRANDES    TO 

were  to  support  the  Mission  and  its  priests.  The 
Anglo-Saxon  pioneer  entered  the  wilderness  with  his 
axe,  his  plough,  and  his  rifle  ;  and  after  he  had  erected 
his  own  dwelling,  the  mill  and  blacksmith's  shop  rose 
up.  Lands  were  brought  into  cultivation,  the  mecha- 
nic arts  flourished ;  and  when  the  colony  became  large 
enough  and  rich  enough  to  support  a  pastor,  a  church 
was  built.  For  the  results  of  the  two  modes  of  coloni- 
zation, compare  Texas,  New  Mexico,  California,  So- 
nora,  and  Chihuahua,  before  the  three  first  became 
annexed  to  the  United  States,  and  the  States  of  Ohio, 
Indiana,  Illinois,  and  Michigan.  The  latter  had  attain- 
ed more  wealth,  more  population  and  importance,  and 
had  done  quite  as  much  towards  promoting  Christianity 
in  the  first  ten  years  after  their  settlement,  as  the 
former  States  had  in  two  centuries. 

Near  by  is  a  fertile  valley,  a  very  small  portion  of 
which  is  now  tilled :  although  from  appearances,  it  was 
all  formerly  irrigated  and  under  cultivation.  I  tried 
in  vain  to  purchase  vegetables.  A  more  thoroughly 
lazy  set  of  people,  I  never  saw.  The  Pimo  and  Coco- 
Maricopa  Indians  of  the  Gila,  are  infinitely  superior  to 
them.  Whether  a  proximity  to  the  church  and  the 
worthless  half-civilized  Mexicans  has  reduced  them  to 
this  state  of  indolence  and  poverty,  I  know  not ;  but 
if  so,  they  would  better  have  remained  in  their  native 
valleys,  and  never  seen  the  faces  of  white  men. 

Leaving  the  village,  we  rode  on  a  mile  further,  and 
stopped  in  a  fine  grove  of  large  mezquit  trees  near  the 
river,  where  there  was  plenty  of  grass. 

We  remained  here  until  3  o'clock,  p.  m.,  when  we 
resumed   our    journey   along   the    valley   as   before, 


SANTA    CRUZ.  301 

through,  a  forest  of  mezquit  trees,  but  had  not  pro- 
ceeded more  than  an  hour  before  it  began  to  rain  in 
torrents,  the  wind  blowing  directly  in  our  faces.  Be- 
lieving the  shower  would  soon  pass  over,  I  turned  my 
wagon  round  and  stopped.  Those  on  horseback  drew 
up  under  trees  ;  but  there  was  little  shelter  from  them, 
so  violently  did  the  rain  pour  down.  After  an  hour's 
delay,  we  pushed  on.  The  road  was  now  exceedingly 
muddy,  the  ravines  and  gullies  were  filled  with  water, 
and  our  progress  was  very  slow.  After  journeying 
eight  miles,  making  seventeen  in  all  since  morning, 
and  being  much  in  advance  of  the  train,  I  deemed  it 
prudent  to  stop.  The  wagons  would  not  probably  get 
in  before  night,  after  which,  it  would  be  unsafe  to  tra- 
vel, owing  to  the  washing  of  the  road  by  the  rains ; 
for  we  had  in  many  places  to  avoid  it,  and  force  our 
way  through  the  woods. 

The  clouds  indicated  more  rain ;  so  I  set  to  work 
and  had  a  good  fire  in  readiness  for  my  cook  when  he 
should  arrive.  Those  who  were  with  me  followed  my 
example,  and  we  soon  had  several  large  fires  blazing, 
and  a  good  stock  of  wood  in. 

As  soon  as  the  train  got  in,  all  hands  set  to  work  to 
pitch  the  tents,  and  take  the  necessary  precautions  to 
keep  them  in  their  places  before  the  storm  should  be 
upon  us.  Guys  were  fixed  to  all  the  tents,  which  were 
further  supported  by  being  attached  to  the  wagons ; 
for  the  ground  was  so  soft  that  the  pins  would  not 
hold.  Trenches  were  dug  around  each  one,  to  keep 
it  dry  as  possible ;  and  we  were  quite  ready  for  it, 
when  the  rain  again  began  to  fall.  After  a  hearty 
supper,  we  retired  to  rest;  but  it  was  only  to  be  routed 


302  CASAS    GRA.NDES    TO 

out  again,  for  the  storm  soon  increased  in  violence, 
and  every  moment  we  expected  our  frail  coverings 
would  be  torn  to  shreds  or  blown  down.  And,  in 
fact,  notwithstanding  our  efforts  to  make  them  more 
secure,  one  of  the  tents  was  hurled  from  its  fastenings 
and  blown  more  than  a  hundred  yards  before  it  was 
arrested. 

July  20th.  The  rain  having  continued  the  whole 
night,  we  were  much  delayed  in  getting  off  this  morn- 
ing. The  whole  country  was  drenched  with  water, 
and  the  road  almost  impassable  for  our  heavily -loaded 
wagons.  After  a  hard  journey  of  eighteen  miles,  we 
stopped  at  the  banks  of  the  river ;  and  strange  as  it 
may  appear,  notwithstanding  all  the  rain  that  had 
fallen,  the  river,  such  is  the  uncertainty  of  the  streams 
in  this  country,  was  quite  dry.  Fortunately,  in  some 
cavities  in  the  river's  bed  we  found  water  enough  for 
our  present  wants. 

Our  march  was  a  straggling  one  to-day,  as  some  of  the 
teams  could  not  keep  up.  My  baggage  wagon  in  par- 
ticular, which  also  contained  my  tent  and  cooking 
utensils,  did  not  get  in  until  after  dark.  One  of  the 
mules  broke  down  to-day,  and  was  taken  out  of  the 
team.  Others  showed  signs  of  great  exhaustion,  from 
the  heaviness  of  the  road  and  the  long  march. 

July  21st.  It  having  rained  most  of  the  night,  and 
every  thing  being  wet,  we  were  unable  to  leave  before 
nine  o'clock.  After  journeying  over  a  muddy  road 
for  nine  miles,  we  reached  Tubac,  another  presidio  or 
garrison,  consisting  of  a  collection  of  dilapidated  build- 
ings and  huts,  about'  half  of  which  were  tenantless,  and 
an  equally  ruinous  church.     Captain  Gomez,  who  com- 


SANTA   CRUZ.  303 

manded  at  Fronteras,  at  the  time  of  my  visit  there 
with  Colonel  Craig  in  May,  1851,  was  in  command 
here,  and  came  out  to  meet  us  as  we  passed  through 
the  plaza. 

To  our  infinite  astonishment  and  regret,  we  learned 
that  Senorita  Inez  Gonzales,  the  Mexican  girl  whom 
we  had  liberated  from  captivity,  and  restored  to  her 
parents  at  Santa  Cruz  in  September,  was  living  at  this 
place  with  the  officer  just  named.  Captain  G.  himself, 
although  acquainted  with  all  the  circumstances  of  her 
restoration,  did  not  mention  her  name  to  me ;  but 
having  been  informed  of  the  fact  from  others,  I  asked 
him  if  she  was  at  his  quarters.  He  replied  that  she 
was,  but  was  quite  ill,  and  furthermore  that  she  was 
about  to  return  with  her  mother  to  Santa  Cruz.  On 
telling  him  that  I  must  see  her,  he  invited  me  into  his 
house,  whither  I  was  accompanied  by  several  gentle- 
men of  the  Commission.  The  poor  girl  seemed  very 
glad  to  see  us.  She  was  not  ill,  but  evidently  felt 
under  some  restraint,  as  the  Captain  remained  dur- 
ing the  interview.  She  seemed  very  sad  and  un-  ■ 
happy ;  and  when  asked  if  she  would  accompany 
us  back  to  the  States,  as  we  had  before  invited 
her,  she  knew  not  what  to  say,  and,  fearing  to  give 
offence  to  her  new  captor,  looked  to  him  for  a  reply. 
The  interview  was  a  very  unsatisfactory  one,  and  we 
were  all  quite  reluctant  to  leave  her  in  such  a  position ; 
but  Captain  Gomez  assured  us  she  would  return  home 
with  her  mother,  who  was  then  in  Tubac.  The  next 
day  we  accordingly  took  leave,  expecting  that  the 
party  she  accompanied  would  overtake  us. 

In  a  book  of  travels  in  a  strange  country,  one  is 


304  CASAS    GRANDES   TO 

expected  to  describe  every  town  he  visits ;  but  as  for 
this  God- forsaken  place,  when  I  have  said  that  it  con- 
tains a  few  dilapidated  buildings,  and  an  old  church, 
with  a  miserable  population,  I  have  said  about  all.  It 
was  established  as  a  presidio  almost  a  century  and  a 
half  ago,  and  usually  maintained  a  population  of  four 
hundred  souls.  It  was  abandoned  a  year  before  our 
arrival,  but  had  since  been  repopulated,  and  might 
have  comprised  at  the  time  of  our  visit  a  hundred 
souls.  The  bottom-lands  near  it,  along  the  Santa  Cruz 
River,  are  quite  rich,  and  can  be  made  to  produce  the 
same  grain,  fruit,  and  vegetables  as  at  Tucson.  At  the 
rancho  of  Calabasa,  in  the  same  district,  is  a  gold 
mine  which  was  once  productive,  but  the  fear  of  the 
Apaches  led  to  its  abandonment. 

As  an  example  of  the  uncertainty  of  crops  from 
artificial  irrigation  in  this  country,  I  will  mention  a 
circumstance  which  occurred  at  Tubac. 

The  preceding  fall,  after  the  place  had  been  again 
occupied,  a  party  of  Mormons  in  passing  through  on 
their  way  to  California  was  induced  to  stop  there  by 
the  representations  of  the  Comandante.  He  offered 
them  lands  in  the  rich  valley,  where  acequias  were 
already  dug,  if  they  would  remain  and  cultivate  it ; 
assuring  them  that  they  would  find  a  ready  market 
for  all  the  corn,  wheat,  and  vegetables  they  could 
raise,  from  the  troops  and  from  passing  emigrants. 
The  offer  was  so  good,  and  the  prospects  so  flattering, 
that  they  consented  to  remain.  They  therefore  set  to 
work,  and  ploughed  and  sowed  their  lands,  in  which  they 
expended  all  their  means,  anticipating  an  abundant 
harvest.     But  the  spring  and  summer  came  without 


SANTA    CRUZ.  305 

rain :  the  river  dried  up  ;  their  fields  could  not  be 
irrigated ;  and  their  labor,  time,  and  money  were  lost. 
They  abandoned  the  place,  and,  although  reduced  to 
the  greatest  extremities,  succeeded  in  reaching  Santa 
Isabel,  in  California,  where  we  fell  in  with  them. 

We  had  got  but  a  mile  from  Tubac,  when  one  of 
the  wagons  broke  down  and  became  a  total  wreck. 
We  were  travelling  on  level  ground  at  the  time,  and 
the  accident  was  wholly  unexpected.  On  examina- 
tion, it  was  found  that  the  rim  and  sjSokes  of  one  of 
the  wheels  had  become  loose,  and  giving  way  simul- 
taneously, the  wheel  was  crushed.  This  let  the  axle- 
tree  down  with  such  force  as  to  break  off  the  end.  A 
new  fore-wheel  and  axle-tree  were  now  necessary,  to- 
gether with  some  blacksmith's  work,  without  which 
the  wagon  would  be  useless.  I  accordingly  sent  to 
Captain  Gomez,  to  learn  if  he  could  render  us  any  aid ; 
but  to  my  regret  he  sent  me  word  that  there  was  not  a 
mechanic  in  the  town,  nor  tools  of  any  description. 
As  there  was  no  prospect  of  moving  further  until  some 
change  was  made  in  our  transportation,  and  perhaps 
some  articles  left,  I  gave  orders  to  pitch  the  tents  and 
turn  out  the  mules,  there  being  plenty  of  grass  and 
wood  near,  with  the  Santa  Cruz  River,  now  full  of 
water,  within  a  hundred  yards  of  us. 

In  the  midst  of  our  dilemma,  and  while  we  were 
pondering  what  to  do,  a  train  of  some  twelve  or  fifteen 
emigrant  wagons  hove  in  sight,  and  in  a  few  minutes 
reached  our  camp.  It  was  a  pleasant  event  to  meet  a 
party  from  home  once  more ;  although  they  had  no 
news  to  tell  us,  as  they  had  left  their  homes  in  Arkan- 
sas in  May,  and  had  now  been  nearly  three  months  on 

VOL.  II. — 20 


306  CAS AS    GR ANDES   TO 

their  journey.  The  party  consisted  of  forty  persons, 
including  men  and  women.  Their  wagons  were  all 
drawn  by  oxen,  six  of  which  were  attached  to  each. 
As  before,  the  chief  inquiries  were  about  the  state  of 
the  road,  the  grass  and  water,  and  lastly  the  Indians. 
We  learnt  from  them  that  there  had  been  abundant 
rains  on  their  route,  and  that  the  grass  was  excellent, 
and  water  abundant.  This  was  cheering  news  to  us, 
&nd  better  than  we  could  give  in  return. 

On  conversing  with  the  leader  of  the  party,  I  found 
him  disposed  to  sell  one  of  his  wagons ;  and  after  some 
parleying  we  agreed  upon  the  terms,  which  were  two 
hundred  dollars.  The  bargain  was  no  sooner  made 
than  the  wagon  was  empted  of  its  contents,  consisting 
of  baggage  and  old  furniture,  and  was  taken  posses- 
sion of  by  us.  It  was  a  large,  strong,  and  well  made 
wagon,  and  bore  the  name  of  "ark,"  painted  upon  its 
side  in  large  letters.  It  required  some  changes  to 
adapt  it  to  mules,  which  we  at  once  set  about  making. 
In  the  mean  time  Mr.  Leroux  went  to  the  town  to  try 
and  sell  the  broken  wagon,  which  only  lacked  an  axle 
and  wheel  to  be  as  good  as  ever.  But  the  people 
knew  that  we  must  leave  it  behind  us,  and  they  de- 
clined to  take  it  at  any  price.  We  accordingly  stripped 
it  of  its  tongue,  coupling-pole,  hounds,  iron  bolts,  and 
nuts,  broke  up  one  of  the  wheels  for  tent-pins,  and 
abandoned  the  remainder. 

July  TLd.  We  did  not  get  the  "  ark''  ready  until 
noon,  when  we  resumed  our  journey.  The  weather 
was  now  so  moderate  that  we  could  travel  during  the 
day,  which  was  a  great  relief  to  us.  The  road  was 
:good  during  this  day's  journey,  and  the  new  wheel 


SANTA  CRUZ.  307 

behaved  very  well.  The  valley  continued  about  half 
a  mile  wide,  thickly  covered  with  mezquit  trees  of 
a  large  size.  The  bottom-lands  resembled  meadows, 
being  covered  with  luxuriant  grass,  and  but  few  trees. 
The  immediate  banks  of  the  river,  which  is  here  as 
diminutive  as  near  Tucson,  are  lined  with  cotton- 
wood  trees  of  a  gigantic  size,  resembling  our  largest 
elms.  In  some  places  there  are  large  groves  of  these 
trees,  rendering  this  part  of  the  valley  the  most  pic- 
turesque and  beautiful  we  had  seen.  At  four  o'clock, 
we  reached  one  of  these  groves  on  the  river's  bank, 
where  we  encamped. 

A  mile  before  reaching  camp,  we  passed  the 
ruins  of  a  large  rancho  known  as  Calabasa ;  for  every 
large  rancho  or  hacienda  has  its  name  and  place  on  the 
map.  Even  after  the  establishment  has  been  aban- 
doned, and  its  walls  have  crumbled  to  the  ground,  the 
name  remains.  This  custom  is  prevalent  throughout 
northern  Mexico.  Along  the  valley  of  the  Rio  Grande 
and  in  New  Mexico  are  a  host  of  names  on  the  map 
applied  to  ranchos,  and  sometimes  to  places  where 
neither  villages  nor  ranchos  now  exist.  The  same 
may  be  said  of  Sonora  and  Chihuahua,  and  where 
there  were  no  settlements  locations  were  given.  A 
stranger  on  looking  at  one  of  these  maps  would  ima- 
gine the  country  thickly  settled,  whereas  there  might 
not  be  a  village,  rancho,  or  even  a  single  inhabitant, 
where  he  is  treated  to  a  long  list  of  names,  including 
half  the  saints  in  the  calendar,  all  the  apostles,  and  the 
Holy  Lady  of  Guadalupe  into  the  bargain. 

This  Calabasa,  I  was  told  by  Leroux,  was  a  thriv- 
ing establishment  when  he  visited  it  twenty  years  ago. 


308  CASAS    GRANDES   TO 

A  large  tract  of  land  was  then  under  cultivation,  and 
herds  of  cattle  were  reared  on  the  adjacent  hills.  But 
the  stream  did  not  furnish  a  sufficient  quantity  of  water 
to  irrigate  it,  without  cutting  off  entirely  the  towns  of 
Tubac  and  Tucson;  and  consequently  it  was  aban- 
doned. This  is  the  difficulty  with  these  small  water- 
courses ;  for  having  few  or  no  tributaries  to  keep  up 
the  supply,  as  our  northern  streams  have,  and  fre- 
quently running  a  course  of  several  hundred  miles 
before  they  terminate,  their  water  cannot  be  drawn 
off  without  destroying  the  crops  below  them,  and  even 
depriving  the  people  and  animals  of  water  to  drink. 

I  ascended  one  of  the  low  hills  here,  about  two 
hundred  feet  in  height,  which  approached  within  one 
hundred  and  fifty  yards  of  the  river.  This  range 
crosses  the  stream,  and  runs  far  to  the  south  on  the 
western  side.  From  these  hills  the  plateau  extends 
some  ten  or  fiften  miles  on  both  sides,  when  it  strikes 
the  mountain  ranges.  On  the  east  is  the  mountain 
called  Santa  Rita,  the  highest  within  a  hundred  miles  : 
in  fact  it  is  higher  than  any  we  had  passed  since  leav- 
ing the  Gila;  and  on  its  opposite  side,  where  I  was  in 
September  last,  there  is  none  of  so  great  an  altitude 
for  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles.  From  the  point 
where  I  stood,  I  could  see  the  mountain  at  the  base 
of  which  my  party  was  lost  last  year  in  trying  to  reach 
Santa  Cruz.  This  place  was  directly  east  of  us,  about 
twelve  or  fifteen  miles  distant. 

During  our  journey  to-day,  some  five  or  six  miles 
back,  I  noticed  the  ruins  of  Tumacacori.  Its  beauti- 
ful and  picturesque  church  showed  finely  among  the 
thick  grove  of  trees  by  which  it  is   inclosed.     The 


SANTA   CRUZ.  309 

church  is  a  mile  from  the  road ;  and  supposing  that 
we  should  pass  it,  I  made  no  inquiries,  but  kept  on, 
until  I  got  too  far  to  return.  It  seems  that  there  was 
a  path  leading  to  it,  which  Mr.  Pratt  and  some  of  the 
horsemen  took,  but  which  I  did  not  observe.  Mr.  P. 
took  a  sketch  of  it.  Tumacacori  was  formerly  a  mis- 
sion of  note.  It  was  connected  with  the  presidio  of 
Tubac,  and  had  been  lately  abandoned  in  consequence 
of  the  incursions  of  the  Apaches. 

Passed  to-day  two  parties  of  emigrants  on  their  way 
to  California.  They  each  had  from  twelve  to  fifteen 
wagons,  all  drawn  by  oxen,  and  were  from  the  State 
of  Arkansas.  Numerous  questions  were  asked,  as  on 
former  occasions,  about  grass,  water,  and  the  Indians. 
We  learnt  from  these  people  that  there  were  many 
parties  of  emigrants  behind,  and  that  we  should  pro- 
bably fall  in  with  them  every  day.  The  emigrants 
from  Arkansas  and  Texas  all  take  the  southern  route, 
by  way  of  El  Paso ;  while  those  from  the  more  northern 
States  go  by  way  of  Independence  and  the  Great  Salt 
Lake. 

A  party  of  Mexican  soldiers  from  Tucson  overtook 
and  passed  us  after  we  had  encamped,  carrying  in  a 
palanquin  their  Colonel,  who  was  ill  with  a  fever.  As 
there  was  no  medical  attendant  at  the  place,  they  were 
taking  him  to  Arispe. 

Soon  after,  a  second  party  of  soldiers  stopped  and 
encamped  near  us,  probably  for  the  sake  of  security 
against  the  Apaches  ;  for  they  feel  perfectly  safe  when 
under  the  wing  of  a  party  of  well-armed  Americans. 
This  valley  is  a  favorite  haunt  of  these  freebooters ; 
and  although  we  saw  none,  there  is  no  doubt  but  they 


310  CASAS    GR ANDES   TO 

both  saw  and  followed  us.  They  keep  to  the  hills  near 
by,  where  they  can  overlook  the  road,  and  are  sure  to 
pounce  upon  any  small  and  unprotected  party  of  tra- 
vellers ;  for  not  a  week  passes  without  depredations 
and  murders. 

July  2  3d  The  valley  to-day  was  more  contracted, 
owing  to  the  proximity  of  the  hills,  which  in  many 
cases  reached  the  stream,  compelling  us  to  cross  them. 
The  country  grew  more  picturesque  and  diversified, 
exhibiting  alternate  valleys  and  gentle  hills.  In  the 
former  were  groups  of  large  walnut-trees,  whose  deep 
green  foliage  presented  a  striking  contrast  with  the 
lighter  and  yellowish  hue  of  the  cotton-woods,  and  the 
brighter  green  of  the  willows.  The  intermediate 
spaces  between  the  hills  and  the  stream  exhibited  a 
luxuriant  growth  of  grass.  But  it  must  be  remem- 
bered that  the  enchanting  aspect  which  every  thing 
now  wore  in  this  valley  does  not  continue.  It  was 
the  rainy  season,  when  vegetation  presents  its  most 
attractive  garb.  In  a  few  weeks  the  daily  showers 
would  cease,  and  the  parching  sun  would  dry  up  every 
thing  but  the  cacti,  which  do  not  seem  to  be  bene- 
fited by  rain,  and  the  large  trees  of  the  valley,  which 
find  moisture  enough  in  the  earth  to  sustain  them  until 
the  rainy  season  again  comes  round.  The  grass  then 
withers  and  dies,  and  the  stream  furnishes  barely 
water  enough  to  supply  the  immediate  wants  of  the 
people. 

Passed  a  party  of  emigrants  with  nine  wagons, 
each  drawn  by  ten  oxen.  The  men  were  hardy  and 
good-looking,  being  just  such  as  are  wanted  in  Califor- 
nia.    This   train,  as  well  as  the  others  we  had  met, 


SANTA    CRUZ.  311 

had  more  oxen  than  were  required  to  draw  the 
wagons ;  but  thfs  owners  were  taking  them  to  market 
as  beef  cattle,  and  found  it  much  easier  to  yoke  them 
to;  their  wagons  than  to  drive  them  loose.  Some  of 
these  wagons  drawn  by  five  yoke  of  cattle  did  not 
contain  more  than  five  hundred  pounds  weight,  while 
the  capacity  of  the  team  would  suffice  for  five  or  six 
thousand  pounds. 

At  three  o'clock,  we  encamped  in  a  fine  grove  of 
trees  near  the  river,  having  travelled  twenty  miles.  A 
heavy  rain  set  in  just  before  we  stopped,  attended 
with  thunder  and  lightning. 

July  lith.  Got  an  early  start  this  morning.  The 
valley  grew  still  more  contracted ;  in  fact  for  miles 
there  cannot  be  said  to  be  any  valley,  the  stream  sim- 
ply winding  its  way  among  the  hills.  Eight  miles 
brought  us  to  the  old  rancho  of  San  Lazaro,  where  we 
found  an  encampment  of  fifty  or  sixty  emigrants  from 
Arkansas,  bound  for  the  land  of  gold. 

Before  these  people  knew  who  we  were,  they  ex- 
pressed much  surprise  at  seeing  a  large  and  well-or- 
ganized party  going  eastward ;  some  exclaiming,  when 
they  saw  we  were  Americans,  "Holloa,  strangers, 
haven't  you  mistaken  the  road — you're  going  the 
wrong  way — this  is  the  way  to  Californy!"  Similar 
expressions  were  made  by  almost  every  party  we  met ; 
but  when  they  found  we  had  been  to  California,  and 
could  give  them  some  information  about  it,  there  was 
no  end  to  their  inquiries.  All  seemed  to  have  their 
thoughts  upon  gold ;  for  they  invariably  asked  whe- 
ther the  yield  continued  as  great  as  at  first,  what  we 
thought  of  its  holding  out,  etc.,  etc. 


312  CASAS    GRANDES    TO 

Several  of  this  party  were  sick,  particularly  women 
and  children.  On  hearing  this,  I  stopped  to  give  Dr. 
Webb  an  opportunity  to  visit  and  prescribe  for  them. 
The  Doctor  had  done  the  same  for  other  parties  which 
we  found  were  unprovided  with  medicines,  or  any  of 
the  comforts  required  in  their  condition.  The  con- 
stant rains  they  had  been  exposed  to,  with  no  protec- 
tion but  their  wagons,-  had  caused  much  sickness 
among  them ;  and  it  was  pitiful  to  see  these  poor  ema- 
ciated and  suffering  creatures  lying  beneath  the  trees, 
resting  a  day  or  two,  until  they  could  recover  strength 
enough  to  proceed. 

In  my  former  journey  through  Sonora,  we  stopped 
at  San  Lazaro,  a  large  deserted  hacienda,  with  ex- 
tensive orchards  and  fertile  grounds  around  it.  Leav- 
ing this,  we  kept  along  up  the  stream,  over  a  rough 
road,  for  nine  miles,  and  reached  Santa  Cruz  at  eleven 
o'clock.      Travelled  distance  to-day,  seventeen  miles. 

I  sent  the  train  and  party  a  mile  beyond  the  vil- 
lage, to  encamp  where  there  was  plenty  of  grass,  and 
where  the  men  would  be  away  from  the  contaminations 
of  a  low  Mexican  population,  miserable,  filthy,  and 
poor  as  this  was. 

I  called  on  our  old  friend,  Padre  Bernardino  Pa- 
checo,  and  took  breakfast  with  him.  He  had  much  to 
relate  to  us  that  had  transpired  since  our  last  visit. 
The  Apaches,  he  told  us,  had  made  several  attacks 
on  the  people  within  half  a  mile  of  the  town,  and  had 
carried  off  many  of  their  mules  and  cattle,  and  mur- 
dered five  of  the  inhabitants.  The  last  attack  was 
made  two  weeks  before  our  arrival,  when  they  were 
pursued  by  a  party  of  soldiers,  in  which  a  Polish  officer 


SANTA    CRUZ.  313 

in  the  Mexican  service  was  shot  by  a  rifle  ball  in  his 
arm,  from  which  wound  he  was  then  suffering  severe- 
ly. We  also  learned  that  the  three  men  who  joined 
us  at  Santa  Isabel,  California,  and  who  left  us  on  the 
desert  at  the  time  Colonel  Craig  was  killed,  had 
reached  here  about  the  time  of  the  affray  with  the 
Indians.  They  took  part  in  it,  and  one  of  them  re- 
ceived a  wound. 

After  a  couple  of  hours  spent  in  the  town,  I  rode 
forward  to  our  camp,  where  the  tents  and  wagons  had 
been  arranged  in  a  square,  for  the  better  protection  of 
the  men  and  animals  in  case  of  an  attack  from  the 
Indians,  who,  we  were  told,  were  constantly  prowling 
about  the  neighborhood,  and  watching  an  opportunity 
to  surprise  any  party  whom  they  thought  unprepared, 
or  to  run  off  any  animals  not  sufficiently  guarded. 


314  SANTA    CRUZ   TO 


CHAPTER  XXXIY. 

SANTA  CRUZ  TO  THE  PRESIDIO  OF  JANOS. 

Shoeing  mules  and  repairing  wagons  at  Santa  Cruz — Standing  guard — 
Sad  fate  of  Inez  Gonzales — Sickness  of  the  town — Boldness  of  the  Apa- 
ches and  their  constant  inroads — "Wretched  state  of  the  people — Leave 
Santa  Cruz — Country  assumes  a  new  aspect — Eio  San  Pedro — Enter 
the  mountains — Agua  Prieta — Prepare  for  a  fight — False  alarm — Meet 
Col.  Garcia  with  Mexican  troops — Enter  Guadalupe  Pass — "Wagon  upset 
— Description  of  the  country — A  better  route  suggested — Take  the 
Janos  road — More  emigrants,  and  their  encounter  with  a  bear — Two 
human  bodies  found — Open  country — Eeach  Janos. 

July  25th.  At  Santa  Cruz.  Since  leaving  Fort  Yuma, 
we  had  had  no  opportunity  to  complete  the  repairs  on 
the  wagons,  some  of  which  were  much  injured  and  had 
been  temporarily  patched  up  with  raw  hide  or  other- 
wise. Besides  the  iron  work  to  be  done  on  these, 
many  of  the  mules  required  shoeing.  It  was  necessary, 
therefore,  that  this  work  should  be  done  here,  as  we 
should  have  no  other  opportunity  until  we  reached  the 
frontier  towns  of  Janos  or  Carrelitos  in  the  State  of 
Chihuahua,  still  nearly  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles 
distant.  The  Guadalupe  Pass,  which  we  had  twice 
been  through,  and  with  whose  difficulties  we  were 
well  acquainted,  was  yet  before  us,  besides  some  very 
rocky  mountain  ridges.     I  therefore  deemed  it  advisa- 


THE    PRESIDIO    OF    JANOS.  315 

ble  to  shoe  the  fore  feet  of  all  the  team  mules,  leaving 
the  pack  and  riding  mules,  with  few  exceptions,  to  go 
as  they  were.  It  would  have  been  well  to  shoe  them 
all ;  but  the  difficulties  in  the  way  of  getting  any 
thing  done  compelled  me  to  dispense  with  such  work 
as  was  not  absolutely  necessary. 

There  was  a  blacksmith's  shop  in  the  village,  a 
bellows,  and  an  anvil,  but  very  indifferent  tools.  Then 
there  was  no  charcoal,  and  no  shoes  or  nails.  The  first 
step,  therefore,  was  to  send  three  or  four  men  with 
pack -mules  to  the  mountains  for  wood,  and  several 
others  to  guard  them,  and  prevent  a  surprise  by  the 
Apaches.  This  obtained,  we  had  to  burn  it  into  char- 
coal ;  and  then  three  of  our  most  ingenious  men  were 
dispatched  to  the  blacksmith's  shop,  to  assist  in  forg- 
ing the  shoes  and  nails,  and  in  shoeing  the  animals. 

I  took  my  turn  last  night,  for  the  second  time,  in 
that  most  disagreeable  of  all  our  duties,  standing  guard. 
The  arrangements  which  we  made  before  starting  from 
the  Pimo  villages,  where  our  escort  left  us,  were,  that 
two  of  the  men  should  stand  guard  for  two  hours, 
commencing  at  8  o'clock,  and  that  this  guard  should  be 
relieved  every  two  hours  until  the  Camp  was  called  in 
the  morning,  and  the  mules  turned  out  to  feed.  But 
I  was  unwilling  to  trust  to  all  the  men,  fearing  that  due 
diligence  would  not  be  observed.  The  officers  there- 
fore agreed,  without  exception,  to  take  their  turn ; 
one  to  stand  every  night  till  12  o'clock,  and  another 
from  that  hour  till  the  morning.  This  was  an  arduous 
duty  ;  but  our  safety  absolutely  required  it.  To  rise 
before  day  and  travel  until  three  or  four  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon,  and  then  stand  guard  half  the  night,  was  a 


316  SANTA   CRUZ   TO 

duty  that  we  all  felt  severely,  and  each  dreaded  the 
night  when  his  turn  came.  Last  night  was  a  very  bad 
one,  in  fact,  the  worst  we  had  experienced  during  our 
journey  (the  march  across  the  Tucson  desert  always 
excepted),  as  it  was  exceedingly  dark,  and  the  rain 
came  down  in  torrents.  I  kept  a  light  burning  in  my 
tent  the  whole  night,  and  made  my  rounds  with  a  lan- 
tern. The  strict  watch  kept  by  us  during  the  march, 
no  doubt  saved  us  from  robbery ;  and,  if  there  had 
been  nothing  to  fear  from  the  Indians,  it  was  a  safe- 
guard against  the  Mexicans,  who  are  as  great  thieves 
as  the  Apaches.  We  had  suffered  much  from  theft  in 
our  last  visit  to  Santa  Cruz,  and  took  good  care  that 
this  pilfering  should  not  be  repeated. 

In  the  afternoon  I  called  on  Padre  Pacheco  with 
Dr.  Webb,  to  make  inquiries  about  Inez  Gonzales.  The 
result  was  very  unsatisfactory.  He  manifested  an  in- 
terest in  the  welfare  of  the  poor  child,  but  said  that  he 
had  no  control  over  her  or  her  family,  and  that  his  in- 
fluence or  exertions  would  avail  nothing  against  the 
plans  or  the  doings  of  the  military  officers.  Their 
power  was  supreme,  particularly  in  an  outpost  like 
this.  From  all  the  information  I  could  gather  from 
the  Padre,  it  was  evident  that  unfair  means  had  been 
resorted  to  by  Captain  Gomez ;  first,  in  getting  her 
away  from  her  home  under  some  pretence,  and  secondly, 
in  depriving  her  of  her  liberty,  and  preventing  her 
return  with  her  mother  to  Santa  Cruz.  I  have  not 
before  observed  that  the  mother  overtook  us  the  day 
after  leaving  Tubac,  and  accompanied  our  train  to  her 
now  desolate  home. 

Believing  that  Governor  Cubillas  of  Sonora,  a  gen- 


THE    PRESIDIO    OF    JAN  OS.  317 

tleman  of  high  character  and  fine  feelings,  with  whom 
I  became  acquainted  at  Ures,  would  interest  himself 
for  his  young  countrywoman,  I  addressed  him  a  letter 
at  length,  requesting  his  interference  on  her  behalf. 

Dr.  Webb  was  called  upon  to-day  to  visit  many 
sick  families — also  the  Polish  officer  who  had  been 
wounded  in  the  fight  with  the  Apaches,  and  Captain 
Murphy,  the  officer  in  command  at  this  place.  The 
town  appeared  to  be  very  sickly,  fevers  being  the  pre- 
vailing form  of  disease.  Of  the  troops  here,  which 
numbered  a  hundred  men,  thirty  were  disabled  by 
illness.  The  prevalence  of  fevers  arises  from  the  prox- 
imity of  a  large  marsh  between  here  and  San  Lazaro. 

In  walking  into  town,  I  met  parties  of  the  inhabit- 
ants promenading.  The  women  were  neatly  dressed, 
mostly  in  white,  with  dark  rebosos  over  their  heads  ; 
while  the  men  who  accompanied  them  were  armed 
with  muskets  or  lances,  without  which  they  never  ven- 
ture beyond  the  walls.  Even  at  the  distance  of  our 
camp,  which  was  within  a  mile  of  the  town,  our  visitors 
were  invariably  armed.  So  with  those  immediately 
under  the  walls  tending  cattle,  or  in  the  fields  plough- 
ing, all  had  their  fire-arms  at  hand.  Such  is  the  state 
of  things  in  this  place.  Of  course,  agriculture  is  neg- 
lected, and  the  people,  being  confined  to  that  portion 
of  the  valley  near  the  town,  are  able  to  raise  barely 
enough  for  their  own  subsistence. 

On  one  occasion  last  winter,  a  party  of  Apaches 
actually  entered  the  town  during  the  day,  and  drove 
off  a  number  of  mules.  These  robbers  were  within 
gun-shot  of  the  garrison,  from  which  they  were  per- 
ceived by  a  sentinel.     Yet  such  was  the  terror  they 


318  SANTA   CRUZ    TO 

inspired,  that  no  attempts  were  made,  either  by  the 
military  or  the  inhabitants,  to  repel  them  or  rescue  the 
animals.  Outside  the  walls  were  a  number  of  cattle. 
These  the  robbers  did  not  think  proper  to  take,  as  they 
could  not  keep  up  with  the  mules.  They  therefore 
lanced  them  where  they  stood;  and  their  bleached  bones 
still  remain  under  the  walls,  within  a  stone's  throw  of 
the  dwellings,  as  testimonials  of  Mexican  cowardice. 

I  cannot  conceive  what  object  there  is  in  support- 
ing this  miserable  population  of  less  than  two  hundred 
souls,  in  an  outpost  where  they  are  liable  to  the  con- 
stant attacks  and  depredations  of  savages.  The  adja- 
cent valley  is  not  occupied,  although  one  of  the  finest 
in  the  State.  Better  would  it  be  for  the  government 
to  take  the  whole  population,  not  only  of  Santa  Cruz, 
but  also  of  Tubac  and  Tucson,  remove  them  to  the 
central  parts  of  the  State,  and  provide  them  with 
other  land  of  equal  value.  As  there  are  tracts  equally 
good  which  are  at  present  unoccupied,  the  govern- 
ment would  be  savers  by  this  arrangement.  The  ex- 
pense of  maintaining  a  battalion  of  five  hundred  troops 
in  this  quarter  for  two  years,  is  greater  than  would  be 
the  cost  of  removing  the  whole  population  in  question. 
If  this  is  not  practicable,  then  the  government  should 
encourage  emigration  to  these  valleys,  and  enable  the 
people  to  protect  themselves.  It  is  quite  possible,  and 
I  think  it  probable,  that  the  town  of  Santa  Cruz  will  be 
eventually  abandoned  by  the  present  miserable  remains 
of  its  inhabitants ;  they  will  be  compelled  to  this  step 
to  save  themselves  from  starvation,  or  from  being 
finally  cut  off  by  their  more  brave  and  warlike  enemies. 

July  26^.     This  day  our  teamsters  and  arrieros 


THE   PRESIDIO    OF   JANOS.  319 

took  advantage  of  our  delay  here,  to  get  drunk,  and 
make  a  serious  disturbance  in  the  village.  The  author- 
ities preferred  a  complaint  against  Jesus  Lopez,  a 
Mexican  in  the  employ  of  the  Commission,  for  ill  treat- 
ment of  a  respectable  woman,  into  whose  house  he 
unceremoniously  entered  and  then  beat  her  severely. 
They  asked  if  I  would  punish  him,  or  would  allow 
them  to  do  so.  I  sent  word,  in  reply,  that  while  we 
were  in  Mexico,  we  were  amenable  to  its  laws- — that 
this  man  knew  them,  and  if  he  had  transgressed  them, 
he  must  suffer  the  consequences.  I  afterwards  heard 
that  he  was  fined  and  imprisoned.  He  was  the  same 
man  who  killed  the  Apache  at  the  Copper  Mines,  and 
had  given  me  trouble  at  every  settlement  where  we 
had  stopped.  I  was  therefore  glad  to  get  rid  of  him, 
and  found  no  difficulty  in  filling  his  place.  In  fact,  had 
I  permitted  them,  half  the  population  would  have 
availed  themselves  of  the  opportunity  that  presented, 
to  get  away,  it  mattered  not  where  to. 

One  of  Lieut.  Whipple 's  teamsters  also  got  drunk 
here,  drew  his  pistol  on  the  Padre,  and  abused  several 
others.  This  man  was  likewise  imprisoned,  but  was 
liberated  at  the  Lieutenant's  request.  To  keep  the 
men  in  camp  was  impossible.  They  would  creep  out 
at  night ;  and  if  sent  to  the  village  on  an  errand,  they 
would  get  drunk  and  kick  up  a  row.  Yet  some  of 
these  very  men  were  the  best  and  most  reliable  in  my 
employ,  when  on  the  march,  and  away  from  the  con- 
taminations of  a  low  Mexiqan  town. 

The  shoeing  progressed  slowly,  it  taking  longer  to 
make  a  nail  than  an  American  blacksmith  would  require 
to  shoe  an  animal. 


320  SANTA    CRUZ   TO 

Padre  Pacheco  and  another  gentleman  dined  with 
me  to-day.  They  came  armed  with  swords  and  pistols  ; 
and  I  afterwards  perceived  that  a  deputation  from  the 
village,  a  portion  of  the  good  pastor's  flock,  fearful 
that  he  might  be  harmed,  had  followed  him  with  their 
muskets,  and  waited  outside  my  tent  until  he  should 
return.  The  Padre  brought  me  a  bottle  of  wine,  and 
another  of  excellent  vinegar,  which  was  very  accept- 
able, together  with  a  few  vegetables ;  in  return  for 
which,  we  gave  him  a  few  articles  that  he  could  not 
obtain  here. 

Dr.  Webb  was  engaged  the  whole  day  in  gratui- 
tously attending  upon  the  sick.  In  the  afternoon,  a 
heavy  rain  set  in. 

July  21th.  A  large  party  of  emigrants  from  Arkan- 
sas, via  El  Paso,  arrived  just  before  night,  and  encamp- 
ed near  us.  They  had  twenty  wagons,  each  drawn  by 
five  yoke  of  oxen.  Soon  after  their  arrival,  they  applied 
to  me  for  flour.  I  told  them  I  had  barely  sufficient  to 
take  us  to  El  Paso,  and  directed  them  to  apply  to  a  mill 
in  the  town  where  it  was  for  sale.  I  heard  afterwards 
that  they  made  a  demand  on  the  Padre  for  provisions ; 
and  that  they  treated  him  rudely,  sitting  down  without 
ceremony  in  the  little  piazza  at  his  door,  where  they 
commenced  playing  cards  with  each  other,  and  annoyed 
him  exceedingly  by  their  boisterous  manner  and  inso- 
lence. 

July  2Sth.  Our  repairs  and  shoeing  being  completed, 
we  resumed  our  journey  ea^ly  this  morning.  Many  of 
the  inhabitants  earnestly  begged  to  be  employed  or  to 
be  permitted  to  accompany  us,  offering  to  aid  us  in  any 
way  in  their  power,  without  compensation.     Feeling 


THE    PRESIDIO    OF   JANOS.  321 

pity  for  the  poor  creatures,  I  told  several  that  they 
might  accompany  the  train,  if  they  would  furnish  their 
own  provisions  and  transportation.  Four  of  them  fol- 
lowed us  on  foot ;  and  I  afterwards  found  that  the 
Mexican  arrieros,  and  the  cooks,  kept  them  at  work 
when  in  camp  in  bringing  wood  and  water,  as  well  as 
in  herding  the  mules,  and  gave  them  their  food  for  so 
doing. 

Hearing  from  the  emigrants  who  arrived  last  even- 
ing, that  the  road  taken  by  them  from  the  San  Pedro 
river  was  very  bad  for  loaded  wagons,  I  determined 
to  avoid  it  by  following  a  path  little  known,  which  was 
some  ten  miles  further.  Instead,  therefore,  of  passing 
directly  over  the  hills  on  leaving  the  valley,  we  kept 
on  three  miles  to  the  termination  of  these  hills,  and 
then  took  an  easterly,  though  very  tortuous  course, 
keeping  most  of  the  way  in  valleys,  and  avoiding  the 
mountains  altogether.  As  we  passed  out  of  the  valley, 
I  observed  a  long  train  of  wagons  winding  over  the 
hills  on  the  other  road,  accompanied  by  many  horse- 
men. This  was  an  emigrating  party,  which  we  had 
been  told  we  should  meet ;  but  we  were  not  near 
enough  to  speak  with  them. 

After  winding  through  these  valleys  for  four  miles, 
we  ascended  to  the  plateau,  to  which  we  kept  for  six 
or  eight  miles  over  a  smooth  gravelly  plain,  without  a 
tree  or  a  bush.  The  valleys  below  were  studded  with 
small  oaks,  and  covered  with  luxuriant  grass ;  in  fact, 
I  was  told  at  Santa  Cruz,  that  in  former  years  large 
herds  of  cattle  were  raised  here.  The  country  seems 
admirably  adapted  for  the  purpose,  and  in  other  hands, 
or  when  the  Apache  robbers  are  exterminated,  will 

VOL.  II. 21 


322  SANTA    CRUZ    TO 

again  become  a  grazing1  country.  Not  a  head  was  now 
to  be  seen ;  nor  is  there  another  settlement,  a  single 
habitation,  or  a  spot  of  cultivated  ground  between 
Santa  Cruz  and  Janos  in  the  direction  we  were  travel- 
ling. At  two  o'clock  the  rain  began  to  fall  in  torrents ; 
and  soon  after,  seeing  a  small  basin  of  water  near  a 
grove  of  large  walnut  trees,  we  stopped  and  encamped, 
having  travelled  fifteen  miles. 

This  was  the  first  day,  since  leaving  the  valleys  of 
California,  that  we  had  met  with  oak  groves  and  broad 
pastures.  The  whole  country  here  assumed  a  new 
aspect,  resembling  the  hills  and  valleys  of  Vermont  or 
New  Hampshire,  rather  than  Mexico.  Involuntarily 
we  looked  at  the  turn  of  every  hill,  as  we  wound 
through  the  valleys,  to  meet  with  farm  houses,  culti- 
vated fields,  herds  of  cattle,  and  an  agricultural  popu- 
lation ;  but  all  was  silent  as  the  grave.  An  occasional 
wolf  sneaked  across  our  path,  or  a  herd  of  antelope 
bounded  over  the  plain,  reminding  us  that  we  were  far 
from  all  human  habitations. 

July  29th.  The  road  or  path  we  travelled  yester- 
day was  very  faint,  and  could  no  longer  be  traced. 
Our  only  course,  therefore,  was  to  follow  the  valley, 
which  we  knew  must  lead  to  the  San  Pedro.  After 
keeping  along  it  for  three  or  four  miles,  Leroux  set  off 
over  the  hills,  to  see  if  he  could  find  any  trail.  He  at 
length  found  one,  which  he  recommended  us  to  take  ; 
as  following  the  valley  might  lead  us  to  some  canon, 
and  thus  involve  us  in  difficulties.  We  therefore  alter- 
ed our  course  from  east  to  south,  which  we  kept  for 
four  miles,  and  then  entered  the  old  road.  Near  this, 
we  met  two  suspicious  looking  characters  with  guns, 


THE    PRESIDIO    OF    JANOS.  323 

an  unusual  event  in  these  regions.  We  first  discovered 
them  at  a  distance,  and  on  applying  our  spy-glasses, 
were  still  more  puzzled,  as  they  resembled  Americans. 
On  coming  up,  they  proved  to  belong  to  a  party  of 
emigrants  ahead,  which  they  had  left  some  hours  before 
in  search  of  deer  or  other  game.  They  seemed  as 
much  surprised  as  ourselves  at  the  meeting,  and  had 
many  questions  to  ask.  Their  party  was  short  of  pro- 
visions, about  which  they  felt  more  anxiety  than  about 
the  state  of  the  road  or  the  grass. 

After  striking  the  road,  our  course  was  again  due 
east  through  a  fine  valley  watered  by  a  small  stream  ; 
the  western  tributary  or  source  of  the  San  Pedro.  We 
followed  this  valley  for  about  six  miles,  and  met  a  train 
of  twenty  or  twenty-five  ox -teams,  with  emigrants  for 
California.  We  stopped  a  few  minutes  to  exchange 
news  with  them,  as  well  as  to  ask  sundry  questions 
about  the  state  of  the  road,  grass,  water,  and  Indians ; 
the  result  of  which  was  more  satisfactory  to  us  than  to 
them. 

On  the  south  side*  of  the  valley  we  were  traversing, 
were  bold  rocky  cliffs,  about  a  hundred  feet  high ; 
while  on  the  opposite  side,  it  was  bounded  by  low  hills 
of  gravel.  The  valley  was  covered  with  grass,  but  not 
a  tree  or  shrub  was  visible.  We  crossed  the  stream 
over  a  rocky  ledge,  where  there  was  but  a  few  inches 
of  water.  Shortly  before  reaching  it,  we  passed  on 
our  right  the  ruins  of  a  village,  which  appeared  to 
have  been  long  deserted.  Amid  these  ruins,  on  the 
summit  of  a  hill,  there  seemed  to  have  been  a  fortifi- 
cation. We  encamped  directly  by  the  crossing  near 
the  base  of  a  hill,  where  there  were  traces  of  previous 


324  SANTA    CRUZ    TO 

encampments.  We  estimated  the  distance  travelled 
to-day  at  fourteen  miles,  making  altogether,  by  the 
route  we  had  come,  twenty-nine  miles  from  Santa 
Cruz ;  while  the  usually  travelled  road  does  not  exceed 
eighteen.  Yet  I  would  advise  all  travellers- with 
wagons  to  turn  to  the  right  after  crossing  the  San  Pe- 
dro, and  take  our  route,  thereby  avoiding  one  of  the 
worst  mountain  passes  in  the  whole  distance  to  Califor- 
nia. With  pack-mules,  the  shorter  route  should  of 
course  have  the  preference. 

July  30th.  Passing  round  the  base  of  the  hill  near 
our  camp,  we  ascended  the  plateau,  and  then  pursued 
a  course  due  east,  over  a  plain  as  level  as  a  floor,  and 
without  a  tree  or  shrub,  covered  with  short  grass  that 
had  sprung  up  since  the  rains.  Five  miles  further,  we 
again  descended  into  a  valley  or  bottom,  through 
which  ran  a  small  stream,  where  we  met  another  party 
of  emigrants.  After  keeping  the  bottom  for  five  miles, 
we  reached  a  swampy  place,  caused  by  a  recent  accu- 
mulation of  waters  from  the  heavy  rains.  In  the  midst 
of  this  .-was  a  stream,  or  rather,  I  think,  a  gully,  filled 
with  water,  which  was  running  very  rapidly.  It  was 
from  two  to  three  feet  deep,  and  full  of  deeper  holes, 
so  that  even  the  horsemen  met  with  some  difficulty  in 
crossing.  Fearing  that  we  should  break  the  tongues 
of  our  wagons  in  plunging  down  so  abrupt  and  short  a 
bank,  the  picks  and  spades  were  got  out  and  both 
banks  cut  down ;  we  then  all  got  over  in  safety. 

Crossing  this  boggy  plain,  our  course  continued 
eastward,  through  a  bottom,  for  about  six  miles,  the 
plateau  bounding  the  valley  on  both  sides.  In  the 
afternoon  we  began  to  ascend  gradually  through  the 


THE    PRESIDIO    OF    JANOS.  325 

same  valley,  and  at  half-past  three  encamped  near  a 
stream,  where  the  water  merely  stood  in  holes.  It 
was  very  good,  though,  from  appearance,  not  perma- 
nent. Near  us  was  a  large  cotton-wood  tree,  the  only 
one  to  be  seen ;  so  that  it  was  with  difficulty  we  could 
find  scraps  of  wood  enough  to  cook  our  dinner. 

From  our  camp  we  could  see  the  mountain  near 
Santa  Cruz  bearing  due  west.  The  rain  set  in  before 
night,  and  continued  several  hours ;  and  as  we  were  in 
a  very  exposed  situation,  it  was  necessary  to  put  extra 
fastenings  to  the  tents.  Distance  travelled  to-day,  fif- 
teen miles. 

July  ZYst.  Every  thing  was  drenched  with  rain, 
which  prevented  an  early  start.  We  still  kept  due 
east,  through  an  open  defile  in  a  mountain  range, 
which  ran  north  and  south,  with  an  easy  and  gradual 
ascent.  On  both  sides  were  conical  hills  from  three 
to  four  hundred  feet  in  height,  detached  from  the 
adjacent  mountains,  and  destitute  of  trees  and  shrub- 
bery. In  fact,  scarcely  a  tree  or  bush  had  been  seen 
since  we  left  the  vicinity  of  Santa  Cruz.  As  the  coun- 
try continued  bare  to  day,  the  men  picked  up  every 
fragment  of  wood  or  brush  we  passed,  and  threw  it  into 
the  wagons.  It  would  be  prudent  for  all  parties  tra- 
velling this  country  to  provide  themselves  with  wood 
whenever  an  opportunity  offers,  and  always  keep 
on  hand  a  supply  for  three  days.  We  were  told  by 
all  the  emigrants  we  had  passed,  that  their  greatest 
difficulty  had  been  to  procure  fuel ;  and  they  cautioned 
us  to  secure  it  when  we  could,  and  not  wait  until  we 
encamped. 

At  two  o'clock  the  rain  began  to  fall ;  but  as  there 


326  SANTA    CRUZ    TO 

was  no  water  to  be  seen,  we  were  reluctantly  compel- 
led to  keep  on  until  near  night,  when  we  reached  a 
stream,  called  by  Leroux  "  Ash  Creek,"  where  we  en- 
camped. He  said  it  was  the  same  place  where  Colonel 
Cooke  stopped  with  his  battalion  in  1846,  and  from 
which  several  parties  were  sent  out  in  search  of  water, 
as  it  was  then  dry.  The  stream  is  so  called  from  the 
ash  trees  which  grew  near  it,  but  which  have  now 
nearly  disappeared.  It  is  the  toughest  and  best  wood 
for  repairing  wagons ;  and  passing  trains  have  stopped 
here  to  cut  new  tongues,  and  make  other  repairs.  Dis- 
tance travelled,  twenty  miles. 

August  1st.  Our  general  course  was  still  east, 
through  defiles  in  the  mountain's  ridge  we  were  then 
crossing,  for  about  four  miles,  when  we  emerged  into 
an  open  plain  from  twenty-five  to  thirty  miles  across. 
Keeping  the  same  direction,  slightly  descending  for 
nine  miles,  through  a  level  plain  covered  with  mezquit 
chapporal,  we  reached  Agua  Prieta,  or  the  "Black 
Water  Creek"  of  Colonel  Cooke.  My  readers  will 
recognise  this  as  the  spot  were  I  encamped  at  the 
time  of  my  visit  to  Fronteras  in  May,  1851,  when  I 
was  accompanied  by  Colonel  Craig  and  a  small  party. 
It  was  then  dry ;  but  now  it  was  filled  with  a  dark 
muddy  water,  whence  it  derives  its  name.  This,  like 
many  other  small  streams  we  had  lately  passed,  we 
now  know  is  not  permanent.  After  heavy  rains,  it 
receives  the  washings  of  the  broad  plains,  which  rise 
gradually  on  either  side  for  many  miles. 

As  the  next  water  we  expected  to  find  was  at 
San  Bernardino,  eighteen  miles  distant,  I  thought  it 
best   to  go    no   further,  although  it  was  but  twelve 


THE    PRESIDIO    OF    JANOS.  327 

o'clock,  and  we  had  come  not  over  thirteen  miles. 
But  as  there  was  a  bright  sun,  we  could  not  do  better 
than  devote  the  remainder  of  the  day  to  drying  our 
tents,  blankets,  saddles,  and  every  thing  that  had  been 
carried  on  mules.  The  packs  were  therefore  over- 
hauled, and  their  contents,  as  well  as  the  bedding, 
spread  out  to  dry.  The  road  to-day  had  been  excel- 
lent, as  it  had  for  the  most  part  since  leaving  Santa 
Cruz. 

Towards  evening,  an  alarm  was  given  by  the 
Mexican  arrieros  that  the  Apaches  were  upon  us,  and 
after  our  mules,  then  a  mile  off.  All  flew  to  arms ; 
and  in  two  minutes  every  animal  about  the  camp  was 
saddled,  mounted,  and  off  in  pursuit,  or  rather  to  the 
aid  of  our  caballada,  which  we  could  see  approaching 
at  full  speed,  followed  by  the  herdsmen  and  arrieros, 
yelling  and  screaming  at  the  top  of  their  voices  to 
keep  up  the  stampede.  The  mules  were  evidently  as 
much  frightened  as  the  Mexicans ;  and  such  a  state  of 
commotion  we  had  not  beheld  since  we  left  California. 
Far  across  the  plain  we  could  see  the  supposed  enemy 
approaching  on  horseback,  making  directly  for  the 
camp  at  full  speed.  Having  got  my  rifle  ready  and 
cocked,  I  drew  out  my  telescope  to  ascertain  the 
number  of  the  enemy,  now  about  a  mile  off.  To  my 
great  relief,  I  perceived  that  several  were  clad  in  dark 
coats,  and  that  all  wore  hats,  some  of  them  black. 
This  showed  that  they  were  neither  Apaches  nor  Mexi- 
cans ;  for  the  former  do  not  wear  hats  at  all,  and  the 
latter  at  this  season  wear  white  calico  shirts,  with 
straw  hats.  In  a  few  minutes  the  supposed  enemies 
were  with  us,  and  proved  to  be  a  party  of  American 


328  SANTA    CRUZ    TO 

emigrants  in  advance  of  a  train  of  wagons,  which  our 
people  did  not  see,  or  they  would  have  caused  no 
alarm.  Perceiving  the  stampede  they  had  caused,  and 
hearing  the  yelling  of  the  arrieros,  they  had  hastened 
forward  to  quiet  our  fears. 

This  party  consisted  of  thirty-five  persons,  men, 
women,  and  children,  with  mule-wagons  and  horses, 
from  Arkansas  and  Texas.  Their  wagons  had  turned 
off  to  the  left  to  a  spring,  where  there  was  better  water 
than  in  the  stream  two  miles  below  us.  After  spending 
an  hour  in  giving  us  some  interesting  news  from  our 
friends  at  El  Paso  and  on  the  Rio  Grande  below  that 
place,  they  took  leave  of  us  and  rejoined  their  party. 
They  had  seen  a  party  of  forty  or  more  Apaches  two 
days  before  near  the  Guadalupe  Pass. 

August  2d.  We  moved  off  at  seven ;  the  morning 
clear  and  pleasant,  and  with  the  satisfaction  of  having 
dry  tents  and  clothing  once  more ;  for  we  had  escaped 
the  rain  last  night,  probably  from  being  so  far  from 
the  mountains.  Our  course  was  still  east,  across  the 
plain,  to  a  high  conical  mountain  capped  with  a  rocky 
bluff.  The  road  was  excellent  until  we  reached  the 
base  of  this  mountain,  when  it  became  hilly,  though 
not  bad.  After  winding  among  these  hills  for  three 
or  four  miles,  we  again  emerged  into  a  broad  plain,  in 
the  middle  of  which  stood  the  ruined  hacienda  of  San 
Bernardino.  We  now  descended  again  very  gradually 
over  a  plain  filled  with  mezquit  chapporal,  and  six  or 
seven  miles  further  brought  us  to  the  hacienda.  Dis- 
tance travelled,  eighteen  miles. 

Just  as  we  were  entering  this  plain,  we  met  Colo- 
nel Garcia,  with  a  detachment  of  two  hundred  Mexi- 


THE    PRESIDIO    OF    JANOS.  329 

can  troops  from  Tucson,  on  a  campaign  against  the 
Apaches.  A  more  miserable  set  of  men  I  never  met, 
certainly  none  calling  themselves  soldiers.  Some  of 
them  were  destitute  of  shirts,  others  of  pantaloons,  and 
some  had  neither  coats  nor  hats.  Some  wore  over- 
coats, without  a  rag  of  clothing  beneath.  They  had 
seen  no  Indians,  as  might  be  expected,  although  forty 
were  observed  here  the  day  before.  In  all  probability 
the  wily  enemy  had  perceived  them,  and  would  follow 
them,  in  the  hope  of  stealing  some  of  their  animals, 
and  piercing  some  of  them  with  a  lance  or  an  arrow. 

These  campaigns  against  the  Indians  are  utterly  use- 
less, nor  can  they  be  attended  with  success.  During  the 
last  two  years  that  the'Mexicans  have  been  operating 
against  them  on  this  frontier,  not  fifty  have  been  killed. 
The  Indians  are  too  cunning  to  risk  an  open  fight, 
even  with  such  antagonists.  Their  mode  of  warfare  is 
by  stratagem,  and  they  must  be  encountered  with 
their  own  weapons. 

August  3d.  We  kept  on  our  easterly  course  to- 
wards the  Guadalupe  Mountains.  Met  a  train  of  ox- 
teams  with  emigrants  from  Arkansas,  and  soon  after 
entered  the  famous  canon,  where  there  was  an  abun- 
dance of  water  and  grass.  In  passing  a  small  ravine, 
one  of  the  wagons  upset,  discharging  its  contents  upon 
a  poor  Mexican  who  happened  to  be  seated  inside, 
because  too  ill  to  sit  upon  his  mule.  Dr.  Webb  was 
sent  for,  but  found  the  man  not  seriously  injured. 
Fortunately  the  wagon  was  not  broken ;  so  that  after 
a  little  delay  all  was  made  right  again,  and  the  train 
continued  through  the  defile  until  three  o'clock,  when 
we   stopped   and  pitched   our  tents   where  the  road 


330  SANTA    CRUZ    TO 

takes  a  sudden  turn,  and  leads  over  the  mountains, 
through  the  much-dreaded  Guadalupe  Pass.  I  noticed 
near  this  spot  traces  of  a  large  encampment,  which  Le- 
roux  said  was  one  of  Colonel  Cooke's  in  1846. 

August  4dh.  We  commenced  the  ascent  of  the 
mountain  immediately  after  leaving  camp  ;  and  the 
animals  being  fresh,  we  reached  the  summit  of  the 
first  hills  with  ease.  I  took  my  rifle  and  set  off  on 
foot,  keeping  near  the  train,  as  it  would  have  been 
imprudent  for  the  party  to  scatter  in  such  a  place. 
The  descent  of  the  first  hill  was  difficult,  being  full  of 
short  turns,  rocky  and  very  steep.  About  half  way 
down,  we  took  the  mules  out  of  my  wagon,  and  let  it 
down  by  hand,  the  driver  takirfg  the  pole,  while  four 
of  us  held  it  back  until  it  reached  the  bottom.  The 
baggage  and  subsistence  wagons  were  got  down  in 
safety  by  attaching  ropes  behind  and  to  one  side,  to 
which  ten  or  a  dozen  men  held  on,  thus  preventing 
them  from  upsetting  or  making  a  too  sudden  descent. 
The  only  vehicle  that  met  with  an  accident  was  that 
containing  Lieutenant  Whipple's  valuable  instruments. 
Although  more  pains  were  taken  with  it  than  with  any 
other,  it  was. upset,  and  its  contents  thrown  out,  but 
happily  without  any  damage  either  to  the  instruments 
or  the  wagon. 

The  worst  is  a  chalky  hill,  near  the  last  in  the  pass. 
It  is  exceedingly  smooth  and  steep,  with  short  and 
very  abrupt  turns,  so  as  to  render  it  impossible  to 
double  a  team,  or  even  hitch  six  mules  together  to 
advantage.  To  ascend  this  place  with  loaded  wagons, 
is  impossible.  I  sent  Leroux  off  in  the  morning  in 
advance  with  the  pack-mules,  directing  him  to  pass  all 


THE    PRESIDIO    OF    JANOS.  331 

the  hills,  then  discharge  his  loads,  and  return  and  meet 
me  at  the  base  of  the  chalky  hill  mentioned.  I  found 
him  there  on  my  arrival ;  and  we  set  to  work  at  once 
to  discharge  the  wagons.  This  being  done,  the  con- 
tents were  put  upon  the  backs  of  the  mules,  which 
were  sent  ahead  again  to  deposit  their  loads.  We  then 
took  hold  of  the  wagons  ;  and  by  alternately  pushing 
them  and  chocking  the  wheels,  the  mules  got  them  up 
this  formidable  ascent  with  comparative  ease.  While 
this  was  going  on  I  took  a  sketch  of  the  pass,  which 
will  convey  a  better  idea  than  a  written  description. 
It  will  be  found  in  the  first  volume. 

On  the  summit  of  the  hill  we  met  a  train  of  wagons 
with  forty  persons  bound  for  California.  They  were  a 
substantial  hardy  looking  set  of  people,  and  had  been 
four  months  on  their  journey  from  Arkansas. 

A  magnificent  view  of  the  country  in  every  direc- 
tion is  obtained  from  this  spot.  On  looking  back  the- 
way  we  had  come,  the  whole  pass  with  its  defiles  and 
mountains,  its  forests  of  oaks  and  pines,  its  deep  gorges 
and  grassy  valleys,  lay  before  us ;  while  in  the  very 
centre,  protruded  a  huge  pile  of  rocks  of  a  light  green 
and  whitish  color,  presenting  a  pleasing  contrast  with 
the  rich  hue  of  the  foliage  around.  Some  of  the  hills 
were  covered  with  grass,  and  others  were  dotted  with 
clumps  of  cedars,  although  small  live  and  post  oaks 
predominated.  Beyond  the  pass  could  be  seen  the  high 
conical  mountain  beyond  San  Bernardino ;  and  in  the 
dim  distance,  an  elevated  chain  near  the  San  Pedro 
River,  at  the  base  of  which  we  passed.  The  perspec- 
tive of  these  receding  mountains,  the  furthest  more  than 
a  hundred  miles  distant,  was  exceedingly  beautiful. 


332  SANTA    CRUZ    TO 

Before  one  o'clock  we  had  passed  all  the  hills; 
when  the  wagons  were  reloaded,  the  rnules  packed, 
and  we  continued  our  journey.  I  here  turned  off  and 
took  the  old  Janos  road,  believing  it  to  furnish  a  shorter 
route  to  El  Paso  than  that  by  the  Copper  Mines,  which 
we  took  in  our  journey  into  Sonora  last  year;  besides 
I  was  desirous  of  varying  my  course,  and  examining 
the  country  further  south.  This  road  has  been  travel- 
led for  nearly  two  centuries,  or  since  the  first  settle- 
ment of  the  country.  It  is  the  only  route  practicable 
for  wagons  between  Chihuahua  and  Sonora,  and  was 
only  made  so  by  Colonel  Cooke.  Nor  is  there  any 
other  for  pack -mules,  except  one  a  short  distance  to 
the  south  leading  from  Correlitos  to  Babispe.  Further 
south  the  great  Sierra  Madre  is  impassable  for  more 
than  five  hundred  miles. 

When  Colonel  Cooke  set  out  from  Santa  Fe  for 
California,  he  came  down  the  Rio  Grande  to  the  pre^ 
sent  ford  at  San  Diego,  and  thence  to  Ojo  de  Vaca.  His 
most  direct  course  would  then  have  been  west  across 
the  unexplored  region  lying  between  that  place  and 
the  San  Pedro  ;  but  as  his  guide,  Leroux,  knew  noth- 
ing of  that  country,  he  deemed  it  prudent,  when  so 
many  lives  were  dependent  on  him,  to  follow  a  route 
with  which  he  was  acquainted.  Accordingly  he  led 
them  in  a  south-westerly  course  to  the  Guadalupe  Pass, 
through  which  he  knew  there  was  a  trail  from  Janos. 
In  reaching  this  he  had  to  pass  over  a  district  of  fifty- 
two  miles  to  Las  Playas  without  water,  in  which  his 
men  suffered  severely  from  thirst ;  and  on  reaching  the 
pass,  he  was  obliged  to  cut  a  road  for  his  wagons,  as 
wheeled  vehicles   had   never   before  gone  that  way. 


THE    PRESIDIO    OF   JANOS.  333 

Emigrating  parties,  arid  all  others,  are  much  indebted  to 
this  gallant  officer  for  opening  this  road,  which  otherwise 
would  have  remained  in  its  ancient  condition  to  the 
present  day.  But  with  all  the  labor  that  has  been  or 
may  hereafter  be  bestowed  upon  it,  it  can  never  be- 
come the  great  thoroughfare  for  emigrants  to  California. 
The  mountain  pass  must  always  remain  an  impedi- 
ment. The  long  tract  from  Ojo  de  Vaca  to  the 
Playas  without  water,  is  another;  and  the  Guadalupe 
Pass  presents  the  same  difficulty  in  the  dry  season.  A 
fourth  objection  is  the  distance,  which  is  fully  a  hun- 
dred miles  greater  than  a  course  nearly  west  from  Ojo 
de  Vaca,  coming  out  near  Tucson. 

The  latter  route  was  taken  by  the  Commission 
last  year,  and  the  longest  stretch  without  water  was 
less  than  forty  miles.  Our  government  should  send 
out  a  party  to  make  explorations  within  our  line  of 
boundary ;  when,  I  doubt  not,  a  route  would  be  dis- 
covered which  would  shorten  the  distance  at  least  one 
hundred  and  fifty  miles,  besides  furnishing  wood,  water, 
and  grass  in  abundance.  It  is  desirable,  too,  that  we 
should  have  a  road  as  far  as  possible  within  our  own  ter- 
ritory, and  not  pass,  as  at  present,  the  whole  distance 
from  El  Paso  to  the  Colorado  through  that  of  Mexico. 

The  summit  which  we  had  now  attained,  by  a  tortu- 
ous ascent  of  from  ten  to  fifteen  hundred  feet  in  fifteen 
miles,  is  the  level  of  the  great  central  plateau.  A  broad 
plain  here  opens  to  the  view  eastward  and  southward, 
extending  far  and  wide,  with  short  detached  ridges  of 
mountains,  running  generally  from  north-west  to  south- 
east. Our  course  was  south-east,  to  a  range  of  moun- 
tains whose  direction  is  east  and  west,  fifteen  miles  dis- 


334  SANTA    CRUZ    TO 

tant.  This  great  plain  is  lost  in  the  horizon  at  the 
north-east,  there  being  no  mountains  in  sight ;  in  a 
south-westerly  direction,  the  Guadalupe  range  is  seen 
some  fifty  miles  distant,  verging  eastward,  until  it 
unites  with  the  great  chain  of  the  Cordilleras. 

Our  course  lay  towards  a  portion  of  the  mountains 
where  I  presumed  the  pass  to  be.  The  plain  was  per- 
fectly level  and  the  road  excellent,  without  a  stone,  a 
tree,  or  a  bush.  When  we  had  reached  its  centre, 
where  there  was  a  slight  depression,  we  found  that  the 
drainage  of  the  adjacent  slopes  had  made  it  so  miry  as 
to  be  impassable  by  the  direct  road.  We  therefore 
diverged  to  the  right,  keeping  on  higher  ground,  and 
got  safely  across.  At  3  o'clock  it  commenced  raining, 
with  the  wind  from  the  south-west,  when  we  would 
gladly  have  stopped ;  but  there  was  neither  wood  nor 
water  at  hand.  We  were,  therefore,  obliged  to  keep 
on  another  hour,  when  a  spring  with  a  small  pool  of 
water  was  discovered  at  the  base  of  a  plateau  or  terrace 
which  extended  about  three  miles  from  the  mountains. 
Here  we  encamped.  Estimated  distance  travelled, 
eighteen  miles,  including  the  Guadalupe  Pass.  Grass 
was  abundant  around  us,  and  some  oaks  half  a  mile  dis- 
tant furnished  us  with  fuel. 

August  5th.  We  kept  along  the  terrace  for  three 
miles,  and  then  entered  a  defile  which  led  directly 
across  the  lower  portion  of  the  mountains.  This  defile 
was  at  first  of  easy  ascent,  through  groves  of  small  oaks 
and  cedars,  and  over  a  carpet  of  rich  verdure.  From 
this  the  road  led  directly  up  a  hill,  which,  though  not 
steep,  was  a  very  hard  one  for  the  animals,  being 
wholly  composed  of  loose  and  rolling  stones.   The  poor 


THE    PRESIDIO    OF    JANOS.  335 

creatures  had  a  severe  tug  of  it;  and  although  I 
ascended  slowly  on  foot,  I  reached  the  summit  nearly 
an  hour  before  all  the  wagons  got  up. 

Here  we  found  a  party  of  from  forty  to  fifty  emi- 
grants with  ten  ox  teams.  While  waiting  for  our  wagons 
to  come  up,  we  seated  ourselves  beneath  the  trees,  and 
entered  into  conversation  with  these  people,  who  were 
quite  an  intelligent  party,  both  of  men  and  women. 
The  usual  inquiries  were  made  of  us  about  the  road 
and  the  prospects  in  California.  The  women  were  very 
inquisitive,  chiefly  as  to  the  difficulties  they  had  yet  tc, 
encounter.  They  had  already  been  five  months  on 
their  journey  from  Arkansas,  and  had  lost  several  of 
their  party  by  death ;  and  one  of  the  men  had  had  a 
narrow  escape  from  a  large  brown  bear  but  an  hour 
before,  on  the  hill  we  were  now  about  to  descend.  The 
skin  of  the  animal  lay  before  us,  bearing  authentic  tes- 
timony to  his  immense  size. 

It  seems  that  as  three  of  the  men  were  scouring  the 
adjoining  woods,  one  of  them  discovered  this  bear, 
and  discharged  his  rifle  at  him.  The  bear  limped  off 
into  an  adjacent  thicket ;  the  man  followed ;  and  as  he 
approached  the  animal's  place  of  concealment,  the  infu- 
riated creature  sprang  from  the  thicket  and  seized 
him.  He  was  of  course  thrown,  when  a  hard  struggle 
took  place  for  the  mastery.  The  bear  bit  him  severe- 
ly in  the  leg ;  while  the  man,  after  a  violent  effort,  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  his  knife  from  its  sheath,  and  plunged 
it  into  the  animal's  body.  The  struggle  took  place  on 
the  brow  of  a  steep  hill,  and  near  the  brink  of  a  preci- 
pice some  twenty  feet  in  height.  Over  this  they  both 
fell  together,  the  bear,  fortunately,  being  underneath, 


336  SANTA    CRUZ    TO 

and  striking  on  his  back.  This  saved  the  man  from 
injury,  and  released  him  from  his  antagonist's  embrace. 
Lacerated  as  he  was,  he  arose  and  prepared  to  act  on 
the  defensive,  expecting  the  bear  would  again  give 
battle  ;  but  the  latter,  not  feeling  very  comfortable 
from  his  wounds  and  his  fall,  stood  quietly  gazing  at 
the  man,  for  some  moments,  and  then  leisurely  turned 
around  and  walked  away.  The  man  was  not  so  badly 
injured  as  to  prevent  his  walking  ;  and,  as  soon  as  the 
bear  was  out  of  sight,  he  called  to  his  companions,  and 
pointed  out  the  direction  taken  by  the  animal.  Follow- 
ing the  track,  they  soon  discovered  him,  and  dispatch- 
ed him  with  a  couple  of  well-directed  shots. 

We  now  descended  the  opposite  slope  of  the  moun- 
tain, which,  though  long  and  tedious,  was  not  precipi- 
tous. Reaching  the  base  in  safety,  we  stopped  on  the 
banks  of  a  beautiful  little  stream,  which  had  its  source 
in  the  mountain.  Here  it  was  thought  advisable  to 
water  the  animals  and  make  a  noon  halt,  as  it  was  un- 
certain whether  we  should  find  water  again  for  many 
miles.  After  a  delay  of  three  hours,  which  afforded 
us  an  opportunity  to  dine,  we  resumed  our  journey, 
keeping  near  the  stream  for  three  miles,  and  then  strik- 
ing off  into  a  very  broad  and  level  plain  from  twenty- 
five  to  thirtv  miles  across,  on  which  not  a  tree  or  a 
bush  was  to  be  seen.  Low  gravelly  hills  of  a  conical 
form  rose  from  the  plain  on  our  left  from  fifty  to  two 
hundred  feet  in  height,  covered  with  grass,  but  desti- 
tute of  trees.  On  our  right,  about  four  miles  distant, 
rose  a  high  and  isolated  mountain  with  bold  rocky 
sides.  Opposite  this  we  stopped  at  nine  o'  clock  and 
encamped  without  water,  having  travelled  twenty  miles. 


THE    PRESIDIO    OF    JANOS.  337 

August  Qth.  We  continued  our  journey  across  the 
plain  in  a  direction  east  south-east.  With  the  excep- 
tion of  a  little  rise  of  ten  feet,  to  reach  a  gravelly  pla- 
teau, the  whole  plain  had  been  a  perfect  level  since  we 
entered  it  the  day  before.  It  was  entirely  open  on  the 
west,  being  limited  in  the  far  distance  by  the  Guada- 
lupe Mountains,  while  on  the  east  none  were  seen. 

This  great  plain,  from  its  position  and  extent,  I 
think  unites  with  that  we  crossed  on  Cooke's  road,  at 
the  dry  lake  or  "  La  Playa  ;"  for  when  there,  I  noticed 
that  the  plain  stretched  far  to  the  south-west,  unlimited 
by  the  mountains. 

Our  attention  was  arrested  to-day  by  the  sight  of 
the  remains  of  two  human  bodies,  but  whether  of 
Mexicans  or  Americans  we  could  not  determine.  What 
was  left  of  their  clothing  consisted  of  white  shirts  and 
narrow  white  cotton  drawers.  The  latter  article  is 
not  worn  by  Mexicans,  which  led  us  to  suppose  the 
murdered  men  might  have  been  our  countrymen. 

In  the  afternoon  we  crossed  a  fine  clear  stream, 
thirty  to  forty  feet  wide  and  about  two  deep,  occasion- 
ally expanding  into  ponds  twice  that  depth,  and  en- 
camped on  the  opposite  bank  where  there  was  excel- 
lent grass.  This  stream  is  a  branch  of  the  river  which 
passes  Janos  and  Correlitos,  the  latter  being  known 
both  as  the  San  Miguel  and  as  the  Casas  Grandes  River. 
Like  other  streams  in  Mexico,  it  takes  the  names  of 
the  several  towns  it  passes.  In  it  we  caught  a  sufficient 
number  of  trout  to  give  us  all  a  meal.  We  also  col- 
lected specimens  of  unios,  which  abound  here.  About 
a  mile  to  the  east,  several  large  adobe  houses  were 
seen  belonging  to  an  estate  which  had  recently  been 


338     SANTA  CRUZ  TO  THE  PEESIDIO  OF  JANOS. 

abandoned  in  consequence  of  the  depredations  of  the 
Indians.     Distance  travelled,  twenty  miles. 

August  *Ith.  We  resumed  our  journey,  keeping 
along  a  terrace  of  gravel  about  ten  feet  above  the 
plain.  The  road  continued  excellent,  as  it  had  been 
since  leaving  the  Guadalupe  Pass.  In  eight  miles  we 
passed  around  the  southern  extremity  of  a  hill,  from 
which  a  gentle  descent  of  a  mile  brought  us  to  the  old 
Presidio  of  Janos,  the  extreme  outpost  of  the  State  of 
Chihuahua. 


JANOS   TO    COKRELITOS,    ETC.  339 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

JANOS  TO  CORRELITOS,  AND  VISIT  TO  CASAS  GRANDES. 

Janos.  an  old  military  post— Its  decline — Aid  a  party  of  American  emi- 
grants— A  Thomsonian  doctor — Difficulty  in  fording  the  Casas  Grandes 
Kiver — Arrival  at  Oorrelitos — Smelting  works — Unhealthiness  of  the 
people — Barranca  Oolorada — Visit  to  the  town  of  Oasas  Grandes — Ex- 
tensive ruins — Kesemblance  to  those  on  the  Gila — Fertile  valley — The 
river  and  its  tributaries — Modern  town — Eeturn  to  Oorrelitos. 

It  is  so  rare  an  event  for  trains  or  travellers  to  enter 
Janos  from  the  west,  that  our  approach  created  quite 
a  sensation  among  its  quiet  people.  We  stopped  in 
the  main  street  as  we  passed  along,  and  were  at  once 
accosted  by  some  Americans,  who  advised  us  to  en- 
camp near  the  river  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  town  ; 
which  we  did,  and  found  good  grass  near. 

Janos  is  one  of  the  seven  presidios  or  military  posts, 
a  line  of  which  was  formed  along  the  frontier  as  earty 
as  1718.  The  others  were  Galeana,  Carrizal,  Norte, 
Coyome,  San  Eleazario,  and  San  Carlos.  These  posts 
were  of  great  service  in  subduing  the  Indians  and  pro- 
tecting the  inhabitants,  and  were  connected  with  a 
greater  chain  which  extended  from  San  Antonio  in 
Texas  to  San  Francisco  in  California.  A  direct  and 
constant  communication  was  kept  up  between  these 


340  JANOS   TO    CORRELITOS, 

posts  until  the  period  of  the  subversion  of  the  Spanish 
rule.  They  have  since  been  retained  and  occupied  for 
the  same  purpose  as  before,  but  have  dwindled  from 
respectable  garrisons  of  well  disciplined  soldiers,  to  a 
mere  handful  of  raw  militia,  as  undisciplined  as  they 
are  wanting  in  bravery. 

In  the  year  1826,  the  force  in  Janos  consisted  of 
six  commissioned,  and  ninety  non-commissioned  officers 
and  privates,  and  was  supported  at  an  annual  cost  of 
$26,894.  It  now  numbers  twenty  soldiers ;  but  this 
force  is  augmented  from  time  to  time  by  larger  bodies 
of  troops,  when  sent  on  campaigns  against  the  Indians.* 
Like  every  other  frontier  town  which  we  had  visited, 
whether  in  this  State  or  in  Sonora,  its  population  is 
diminishing,  and  its  houses  falling  to  decay,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  inroads  of  the  universal  enemy,  the 
Apaches.  The  present  population  is  but  three  hun- 
dred, and  even  these  dare  not  venture  far  beyond  the 
town,  but  lounge  out  a  miserable  existence  beneath 
the  shade  of  the  adobe  walls,  changing  their  position 
as  the  shadows  change.  The  streets  have  a  desolate 
and  forsaken  appearance.  No  one  seemed  to  be  at 
work ;  and  such  as  were  not  squatting  under  the  walls 
were  engaged  in  gambling.  The  presidio  buildings 
occupied  by  the  military,  are  in  a  state  of  ruin. 

Before  going  to  camp,  I  rode  to  the  quarters  of  the 
commanding  officer,  Colonel  Medina,  who  had  extend- 
ed many  civilities  to  Colonel  Craig  and  a  surveying 
party  of  the  Commission  under  Mr.  John  Bull,  the 
preceding  year,  while  reconnoitering  the  country  be- 

*  Escudero.     Noticias  Estadisticas  de  Chihuahua. — p.  56. 


, 


ill 


jpffll 


m 


[liilllllllll 


■■'V- 


iii  iii 


11 


AND   VISIT   TO    CAS  AS    GR  ANDES.  341 

tween  El  Paso  and  the  Copper  Mines.  The  Colonel, 
however,  was  taking  his  siesta,  and  I  had  not  the 
pleasure  of  seeing  him. 

We  found  here  seven  Americans,  who  had  left  one 
of  the  emigrating  parties  a  few  days  previous,  in  the 
belief  that  they  could  reach  California  by  an  easier  route 
and  at  less  expense  than  by  keeping  with  the  rest. 
Their  plan  was  to  go  to  Ures,  Hermosillo,  and  Guay- 
mas,  where  they  intended  to  take  a  vessel  for  San 
Francisco.  On  my  representing  to  them  all  the  diffi- 
culties that  would  attend  a  journey  that  way,  and  the 
delay  they  would  be  likely  to  meet  with  at  Guaymas, 
where  there  might  be  no  vessel  leaving  for  a  month, 
they  became  convinced  of  their  error,  and  determined 
to  leave  the  same  evening,  and  endeavor  to  overtake 
their  friends.  This  they  could  easily  do,  as  they  were 
on  horseback,  while  the  party  they  wished  to  rejoin 
were  travelling  with  ox-teams.  But  they  were  in  trou- 
ble about  their  animals.  Two  of  them,  having  strayed 
away,  had  been  recovered  by  the  Mexicans ;  who 
refused  to  deliver  them  up,  on  the  ground  that  they 
belonged  to  the  party  which  had  left.  I  accordingly 
addressed  a  note  to  Colonel  Medina,  stating  such  facts 
as  to  satisfy  him  of  the  ownership  of  the  animals; 
whereupon  he  complied  with  my  request,  and  ordered 
the  men  who  held  them  to  deliver  them  up  forthwith. 

We  found  an  American  "  herb,"  or  "  Thomsonian  " 
doctor,  as  they  call  themselves,  here.  He  had  come 
thus  far  with  some  of  the  emigrating  parties  for  Cali- 
fornia ;  but  finding  no  physician  either  in  Janos  or  in 
the  adjoining  town  of  Correlitos,  he  had  left  his  party 
and  commenced  practice  on  the  spot.     He  said  he  had 


342  JANOS   TO    CORRELITOS, 

in  two  weeks  cleared  three  hundred  dollars.  He  made 
his  bargains  beforehand,  as  he  told  us,  and  had  just  un- 
dertaken the  case  of  a  man  who  was  to  pay  him  $150 
if  he  gave  him  relief,  and  $300  if  he  effected  a  cure. 
He  seemed  quite  sanguine  of  getting  the  latter  sum. 

August  8.  A  horse  died  last  night  from  the  bite 
of  a  rattlesnake  received  three  days  before.  We  start- 
ed this  morning,  pursuing  a  course  south-east  by  east 
across  an  open  and  level  plain  about  12  miles  in  width, 
and  of  a  desert-like  character,  which  it  assumes  imme- 
diately after  leaving  the  river.  In  one  instance,  I 
noticed  a  patch  of  grama  grass  half  a  mile  in  width, 
extending  across  the  plain  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach. 
This  desert,  or  plateau,  is  but  little  elevated  above  the 
bottom  lands  of  the  river,  and  is  composed  of  a 
fine  gravel.  The  bottom  lands  along  the  San  Miguel 
are  fertile,  and  yield  abundant  crops  of  wheat,  corn, 
and  the  usual  products  of  the  country ;  although,  at 
present,  much  of  this  fine  soil  has  been  suffered  to  run 
waste,  on  account  of  the  hazard  of  cultivating  it. 
There  was  formerly  much  stock  raised  here ;  but  so 
completely  have  the  Indians  got  possession  of  the 
vicinity,  that  there  are  not  horses  and  cattle  enough 
left  to  cultivate  the  soil. 

The  road  continued  excellent,  and  the  train  made 
good  progress.  On  our  left  I  noticed  the  course  of 
the  river  winding  across  the  plain,  marked  by  a  long 
line  of  cotton-woods.  Crossing  this  plain,  we  passed 
around  the  base  of  some  gravelly  hills,  and  then  con- 
tinued in  a  more  easterly  direction  over  a  similar  pla- 
teau for  ten  miles,  which  brought  us  to  Correlitos,  a 
town  standing  on  the  eastern  bank  of  the  San  Miguel, 
or  Casas  Grandes  River,  as  it  is  called  here. 


AND   VISIT    TO    CASAS    GRANDES.  343 

On  arriving  at  the  river,  I  found,  greatly  to  my 
surprise,  a  large  and  rapid  stream,  much  swollen  by 
the  late  rains,  and  about  100  yards  in  width.  At  first 
we  hesitated  whether  to  cross  the  stream  at  once,  or 
wait  till  the  following  morning ;  as  the  people  said  the 
water  would  then  be  several  inches  lower,  provided 
there  was  no  more  rain.  We  concluded,  however,  to 
attempt  it  as  it  was ;  which  was  fortunate  for  us. 
After  some  search,  a  fordable  place  was  found ;  and 
notwithstanding  the  strength  of  the  current,  we  suc- 
ceeded with  care  in  getting  every  thing  over  in  safety. 
As  a  general  rule,  it  is  best  always  to  cross  a  stream 
immediately,  so  as  to  encamp  on  the  opposite  side ;  for 
should  there  be  a  fall  of  rain,  or  an  overflow  of  the 
river  from  other  causes,  it  might  be  found  impassable 
in  the  morning,  and  perhaps  continue  so  for  several 
days.  Four  mules  which  had  been  driven  along  sev- 
eral days  with  sore  backs  and  otherwise  disabled,  being 
unfit  to  go  further,  were  abandoned  here. 

August  dt7i.  As  a  supply  of  fresh  meat  and  vege- 
tables was  wanted,  I  determined  to  remain  here  a  few 
hours,  and  after  breakfast  walked  to  the  town,  about 
a  quarter  of  a  mile  distant,  to  see  what  could  be  had  ; 
for  we  were  yet  160  miles  from  El  Paso,  and  could 
procure  nothing  after  leaving  this  place.  I  had  sent 
to  the  town  immediately  on  our  arrival  last  evening, 
to  engage  some  cattle  or  sheep,  and  was  told  that  they 
would  be  in  the  corral  this  morning  for  selection  ;  but 
when  I  called,  they  were  still  several  miles  off.  Some 
men  were  sent  after  them ;  and.  in  the  mean  time,  I 
went  to  examine  some  large  furnaces,  where  the  silver 
is  extracted  from  the  ore  taken  from  a  mine  in  the 
vicinitv. 


344  JANOS    TO    CORRELITOS, 

Although  these  smelting  works  are  a  very  indifferent 
and  primitive  affair,  yet  they  are  said  to  produce  a  large 
amount  of  silver,  and  to  yield  to  their  owner,  Senor  Zu- 
loaga,  a  handsome  income.  The  ore  is  taken  from  a 
mountain  eighteen  miles  distant,  and  brought  hither  in 
carts  to  be  smelted.  The  oivner*  was  absent ;  but  the 
superintendent  was  very  polite  to  us,  taking  us  through 
the  establishment  and  pointing  out  the  several  processes 
used  in  extracting  the  metal,  as  well  as  explaining  to 
us  the  various  qualities  of  ore. 

One  of  the  greatest  difficulties  which  attend  the 
smelting  here  is  the  scarcity  of  firewood.  As  there 
are  no  forests  near,  the  roots  of  mezquit  bushes  are 
almost  exclusively  used.  These  roots,  it  is  true,  afford 
excellent  fuel ;  but  they  are  obtained  with  much  labor, 
and  the  supply  must  sooner  or  later  cease,  as  no  more 
is  produced. 

Correlitos  is  a  mud-built  modern  town,  containing 
about  four  hundred  inhabitants,  who  depend  wholly 
upon  the  mine  and  smelting  works  for  their  living. 
There  is  some  fine  bottom  land  near  ;  but  little  of  it  is 
cultivated.  At  the  time  of  my  visit,  the  streets  were 
filled  with  mud  holes,  half  full  of  putrid  water,  in  which 
swine  were  wallowing;  and  the  people  looked  sickly 
as  well  as  filthy,  caused  by  the  strong  fumes  of  arsenic 
which  proceed  from  the  furnaces  and  are  disseminated 
through  the  town.  These  fumes  were  so  powerful, 
that  when  the  wind  blew  towards  our  camp,  half  a 
mile  distant,  they  were  quite  offensive.  The  super- 
intendent gave  me  some  fine  specimens  of  ore,  as  well 
as  of  the  product  in  its  various  stages  as  it  undergoes 
reduction. 


AND    VISIT   TO    CAS  AS    GRANDES.  345 

The  Apaches,  I  was  informed,  had  been  very  bold 
here  of  late.  Three  weeks  before  our  arrival  a  band 
of  twenty-six  had  ventured  within  two  miles  of  the 
town,  where  they  surprised  a  party  herding  mules  and 
cattle.  They  killed  three  men,  and  drove  the  animals 
off.  These  Indians  had  also,  within  the  same  period, 
run  off  a  large  portion  of  the  stock  of  Mr.  Flotte,  an 
American  living  at  Barranca  Colorada  four  miles  distant. 
No  attempt  at  pursuit  and  recapture  had  been  made. 

At  11  o'clock  the  beeves  had  not  come  in,  nor  the 
promised  vegetables ;  and  as  it  would  require  an  hour 
or  two  after  the  cattle  arrived  to  kill  one  and  distribute 
the  meat,  making  it  too  late  to  leave  to-day,  I  directed 
the  mules,  which  were  already  hitched  up  and  ready 
to  move,  to  be  unharnessed  and  turned  out  to  feed. 
To  make  the  most  of  my  time,  I  determined  to  visit 
Casas  Grandes,  a  town  twenty  miles  to  the  south  of 
us,  where  there  were  said  to  be  extensive  ruins  of  an 
aboriginal  race.  Hastily  putting  our  blankets,  fire- 
arms, and  some  provisions  into  my  wagon,  Dr.  Webb 
and  myself,  accompanied  by  a  Mexican  servant,  set  out 
on  our  excursion. 

I  had  long  known  of  the  existence  of  these  ruins, 
which  are  spoken  of  by  various  writers  on  Mexico,  and 
had  made  frequent  inquiries  about  them,  daring  the 
winter  I  spent  in  El  Paso,  of  old  residents  there  and 
of  persons  from  the  city  of  Chihuahua,  without  getting 
any  satisfactory  account  of  them.  All  said  there  were 
some  old  adobe  buildings  there  in  ruins ;  but  whether 
they  belonged  to  the  present  or  to  an  earlier  race  of 
Indians,  they  knew  not.  At  any  rate,  all  agreed  that 
they  were  not  worth  visiting. 


346  JANOS    TO    CORRELITOS, 

On  reaching  Correlitos,  I  made  the  same  inquiries, 
but  with  no  better  results.  When  I  had  come  to  the 
conclusion  that  the  ruins,  of  which  so  much  had  been 
said,  must  have  crumbled  away  and  disappeared,  a 
Mexican  who  had  heard  of  my  inquiries,  and  who  felt 
some  interest  in  the  antiquities  of  his  country,  called 
upon  me,  and  advised  me  by  all  means  to  visit  the 
place,  now  that  I  was  within  so  short  a  distance  of  it, 
assuring  me  that  there  was  much  there  to  repay  my 
curiosity. 

Following  the  river  up  in  a  course  nearly  south, 
we  reached  the  village  of  Barranca  Colorada,  four 
miles  distant,  where  I  stopped  to  call  on  Mr.  Lewis 
Flotte,  an  American  gentleman  long  resident  there, 
and  the  owner  of  a  silver  mine  which  is  situated  in  the 
same  mountain  with  that  of  Mr.  Zuloaga,  whose  smelt- 
ing works  I  visited  at  Correlitos.  Mr.  Flotte  had 
gone  to  Chihuahua;  but  his  mayor-domo  received  us 
politely,  and  showed  us  through  his  works,  which  are 
more  extensive  and  better  arranged  than  those  at 
Correlitos.  He  had  six  furnaces,  four  of  which  were 
in  full  blast,  while  the  hearths  were  being  replaced 
on  the  others  preparatory  to  their  being  lighted  again. 
The  machinery  which  kept  the  bellows  in  motion  was 
propelled  by  mules.  The  superintendent  took  us 
through  the  establishment,  describing  the  various 
processes,  and  gave  us  a  set  of  specimens  of  the  ores. 
We  learnt  here,  as  we  did  at  Correlitos,  that  Mr.  Flotte 
had  been  badly  treated  by  the  owner  of  the  other 
mine,  and  that  he  was  about  to  sell  out  his  estate  in 
consequence. 

On  my  expressing  a  desire  to  visit  this  mine,  which 


AND    VISIT   TO    CASAS    GRANDES.  347 

we  should  pass  on  our  way  to  El  Paso,  the  superinten- 
dent gave  me  a  note  to  the  mayor-domo  at  the  mine, 
after  which  we  resumed  our  journey. 

Following  the  river,  which  we  crossed  near  Bar- 
ranca, we  kept  down  the  valley  about  sixteen  miles, 
when  we  came  to  a  beautiful  grove  of  large  cotton- 
wood  trees,  extending  from  the  river  across  the  bottom 
to  the  very  bank  or  edge  of  the  plateau,  which  here 
rises  from  twenty  to  twenty-five  feet  above  the  valley. 
Passing  this  grove,  we  suddenly  emerged  into  a  broad 
and  luxuriant  valley  or  bottom,  extending  as  far  as  the 
eye  could  reach  towards  the  south.  From  the  pla- 
teau, we  could  trace  the  course  of  the  stream  by  the 
deep  green  foliage  of  the  long  line  of  cotton-woods 
which  grow  on  its  banks. 

From  the  point  where  I  stood  I  noticed,  about  a 
mile  distant,  the  ruins  of  a  large  building  on  the  verge 
of  the  plateau,  near  which  the  road  passed.  As  we 
approached,  several  others  of  lesser  dimensions  were 
seen,  both  on  the  plateau  and  in  the  bottom  near  its 
base.  It  required  but  a  glance  at  these  buildings  to 
show  what  they  were,  the  first  being  a  church,  with  its 
entire  walls  standing,  together  with  a  portion  of  its 
tower.  Remains  of  tombs  were  also  visible ;  but  from 
the  decayed  and  weather-worn  appearance  of  the  walls, 
the  church  had  long  been  abandoned.  The  ruins  near 
were  those  of  haciendas  and  ranchos,  some  of  them 
quite  extensive ;  from  which  I  inferred  that  the  town 
was  originally  here,  though  it  now  stands  two  miles 
beyond. 

As  we  entered  the  town,  which  bears  on  account  of 
these  ruins  the  name  of   Casas  Grandes,  we  attracted 


348 


JANOS    TO    CORRELITOS, 


much  attention  from  its  quiet  and  retired  inhabitants, 
who,  in  this  remote  and  secluded  spot,  are  seldom  dis- 
turbed by  visitors,  save  those  who  come  on  some  errand 
connected  with  the  church.  Casas  Grandes  is  not  a 
place  of  business,  nor  is  it  on  any  great  thoroughfare, 


Ruins  at  Casas  Grandes,  Chihuahua. 


which  would  enable  its  citizens  to  derive  advantage 
from  passing  travellers.  Its  whole  dependence  is  upon 
the  rich  and  luxuriant  valley,  which  is  here  about  two 


Euins  at  Casas  Grandes,  Chihuahua. 


miles  wide,  and  which  among  Mexicans  would  be 
said  to  be  in  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  This  is  speak- 
ing comparatively ;  for  what  in  Mexico  is  considered 


AND    VISIT    TO    CASAS    GRANDES.  349 

superior  cultivation,  would  be  thought  very  slovenly 
tillage  in  the  United  States. 

I  had  letters  of  introduction  to  two  gentlemen 
living  here,  which  I  sent  on  in  advance  by  my  Mexi- 
can servant,  that  he  might  find  the  persons  to  whom 
they  were  addressed,  and  then  return  and  meet  me. 
Unfortunately,  both  the  gentlemen  were  absent.  The 
man,  however,  had  shown  the  letters  to  another  gentle- 
man, who  had  read  them,  and  who  requested  that  we 
should  stop  at  his  house. 

We  accordingly  drove  up  to  a  respectable  looking 
adobe  house,  where  we  were  met  by  well-dressed  per- 
sons, and  received  with  .much  politeness.  Being  con- 
ducted into  the  house,  we  were  scarcely  seated  before 
the  room  was  pretty  well  filled  with  visitors,  to  see  who 
the  strangers  were.  I  made  myself  and  companion 
known,  as  well  as  the  object  of  our  visit;  viz.,  to  see 
the  ruins  near  by,  or  as  they  called  them  the  '■  Casas  de 
Montezuma."  Our  host  soon  began  to  make  prepara- 
tions for  dinner ;  but  as  it  was  then  five  o'clock,  and 
but  little  time  remained  before  dark,  I  requested  him 
to  defer  the  meal  until  evening,  that  we  might  make 
the  most  of  our  time  in  examining  the  ruins  while  day- 
light lasted. 

This  being  arranged,  Dr.  Webb  and  myself  set  off 
for  the  ruins,  accompanied  by  our  host  and  three  or 
four  others.  Being  but  half  a  mile  from  the  village, 
they  were  soon  reached,  when,  after  a  hasty  walk  among 
them,  I  seated  myself  on  a  small  knoll,  or  mound,  and 
occupied  myself  while  there  remained  any  light  in 
making  a  sketch.  The  Doctor,  in  the  mean  time,  was 
engaged  in  searching  among  them  for  relics.     We  re- 


350  JANOS   TO    CORRELITOS, 

turned  while  we  could  see  to  find  our  way  back  through 
the  thick  mezquit  chapporal,  and  partook  of  an  excel- 
lent supper  with  such  appetites  as  people  might  be  sup- 
posed to  have  who  had  not  eaten  since  sunrise.  The 
evening  was  spent  in  questioning  our  friend  about  the 
ruins,  and  in  selecting  some  fragments  of  pottery  from 
a  peck  or  more  which  the  boys  who  had  accompanied 
us  had  picked  up,  I  having  set  them  to  work  for  the 
purpose. 

The  ruins  of  Casas  Grandes,  or  Great  Houses,  face 
the  cardinal  points,  and  consist  of  fallen  and  erect  walls, 
the  latter  varying  in  height  from  five  to  thirty  feet,  and 
often  projecting  above  the  heaps  of  others  which  have 
fallen  and  crumbled  away.  If  the  height  were  esti- 
mated from  their  foundations,  it  would  be  much  greater, 
particularly  of  those  in  the  central  parts  of  the  build- 
ing, where  the  fallen  walls  and  rubbish  form  a  mound 
twenty  feet  above  the  ground.  If,  therefore,  the  high- 
est walls  now  standing  have  their  foundation  on  the 
lowest  level,  they  have  a  height  of  from  forty  to  fifty 
feet ;  and  as  these  ruins  have  stood  exposed  to  the 
elements  for  more  than  three  centuries,  they  must 
originally  have  been  much  higher.  Indeed  the  thick- 
ness of  the  walls,  some  of  which  are  five  feet  at  their 
base,  would  indicate  that  they  must  have  been  much 
higher  than  they  now  appear. 

From  a  close  examination  of  what  remains  of  the 
building  or  buildings,  I  came  to  the  conclusion  that  the 
outer  portions  were  the  lowest,  and  not  above  one 
story  in  height,  while  the  central  ones  were  from  three 
to  six  stories.  Hence  the  large  heaps  of  ruined  walls 
and  rubbish  in  the  centre,  and  in  consequence  the  bet- 


AND    VISIT    TO    CASAS    GRANDES.  351 

ter  preservation  and  support  of  that  portion  of  the  edi- 
fice. By  far  the  larger  portions  which  have  fallen  are 
the  exterior  walls.  This  arises  from  the  moisture  of 
the  earth  and  the  greater  exposure  to  rains.  The  cen- 
tral parts  are  in  a  measure  protected  by  the  accumula- 
tion of  rubbish,  and  by  the  greater  thickness  of  their 
walls. 

I  should  observe  that  every  portion  of  this  edifice 
is  built  of  adobe,  or  mud,  and  that  nowhere,  as  far  as 
I  could  trace  the  foundations,  could  I  discover  any 
walls  of  stone.  The  point  in  which  it  differs  from  the 
work  of  the  Spaniards  or  modern  Mexicans,  is  in  the 
mode  of  constructing  the  walls.  The  latter  employ 
regularly  made  brick,  from  fourteen  to  sixteen  inches 
in  length,  about  twelve  in  width,  and  three  or  four  in 
thickness,  often  mixed  with  chopped  straw  and  gravel, 
and  baked  in  the  sun — a  mode  adopted  ages  ago  by  the 
primitive  inhabitants  of  Egypt,  Assyria,  and  other 
Oriental  countries,  and  practised  by  them  at  the  pre- 
sent day.  But  the  buildings  of  which  I  now  speak 
are  built  with  large  blocks  of  mud,  or  what  the  Mexi- 
cans call  tapia,  about  twenty-two  inches  in  thickness, 
and  three  feet  or  more  in  length.  In  fact,  the  length 
of  these  blocks  seemed  to  vary,  and  their  precise 
dimensions  could  not  be  traced ;  which  induced  me  to 
believe  that  some  kind  of  a  case'  or  box  was  used,  into 
which  the  mud  was  placed,  and  as  it  dried,  these  cases 
were  moved  along.  It  is  true,  they  may  have  been 
first  made  in  moulds  or  cases,  and,  after  being  dried, 
placed  on  the  walls ;  but  the  irregularity  and  want  of 
uniformity  in  these  layers  as  to  their  length,  leads  me 
to  believe  they  were  made  on  the  walls  themselves. 


352  JANOS    TO    CORRELITOS, 

The  mud  is  filled  with  coarse  gravel  from  the  plateau, 
which  gives  greater  hardness  to  the  material.  In  this 
respect  I  consider  it  superior  to  the  modern  adobe, 
which  is  oftener  made  without  an}7-  gravel  or  straw, 
although  in  the  better  class  of  buildings,  I  have  seen 
both  used. 

In  the  town  of  El  Paso  there  are  some  old  division 
walls  from  three  to  four  feet  high,  connected  with  the 
earliest  buildings  in  the  place,  that  are  built  of  large 
blocks  of  adobe,  well  filled  with  gravel,  of  a  similar 
character  with  those  in  the  ■'  Casas  Grandes ;"  but  in  no 
buildings  of  the  Mexicans  have  I  seen  them  used.  I 
have  also  seen  modern  fences  made  in  the  same  man- 
ner of  the  common  mud  taken  from  the  fields. 

All  adobe  walls,  whether  of  buildings  or  mere  fences, 
decay  first  at  their  base,  from  the  moisture  ;  which 
causes  them  to  fall  over.  Such  is  the  case  with  the 
modern  as  well  as  the  ancient  buildings.  When  pros- 
trate, the  water  easily  permeates  them  ;  in  a  few  years 
they  crumble  in  pieces,  and  are  reduced  to  the  original 
mud  and  gravel  from  which  they  were  made. 

The  outer  walls  of  the  Casas  Grandes  are  only  to 
be  traced  by  long  lines  of  rounded  heaps  parallel  to, 
or  at  right  angles  with,  the  walls  now  standing ;  while 
here  and  there  a  corner  of  the  original  wall  may  be 
seen,  or  where  it  was  intersected  by  a  transverse  wall 
which  tended  to  support  the  other  and  bind  them  to- 
gether. These  corners  often  retain  their  erect  posi- 
tions long  after  the  other  portions  have  fallen.  So 
with  the  higher  and  more  massive  walls  of  the  interior, 
which  are  five  feet  in  thickness  at  their  base  :  the  sides 
or  longer  walls  have  fallen,  while  the  corners,  with  a 


AND   VISIT   TO    CAS  AS    GRANDES.  353 

few  feet  on  either  side,  still  tower  far  above  the  other 
parts,  resembling  at  a  distance  the  isolated  columns  of 
a  ruined  temple.  In  so  ruinous  a  state  are  these 
buildings,  that  it  is  extremely  difficult  to  trace  their 
original  form.  In  approaching  them  one  first  meets 
with  the  low  walls  or  embankment,  which  any  where 
else  would  be  taken  for  a  work  of  nature ;  but  the 
transverse  heaps  connecting  them  with  the  standing 
walls  at  once  show  them  to  have  been  similar,  though 
of  less  height.  A  closer  inspection  brings  to  view  a 
portion  of  a  corner  which  has  not  fallen.  As  the  vis- 
itor approaches  the  interior,  where  the  edifice  is  in 
a  better  state  of  preservation,  he  becomes  confused 
among  the  erect  and  fallen  portions ;  for  the  longer 
sides  are  mostly  prostrated,  while  the  shorter  ones,  and 
those  forming  angles,  are  standing."  In  this  dilemma 
I  found  it  best  to  take  a  stand  upon  the  highest  point, 
which  is  a  mound  in  the  very  centre  of  the  erect 
walls,  as  well  as  the  centre  of  the  edifice.  From  this 
point,  after  having  examined  and  traced  the  exterior 
portion,  one  may  form  a  tolerably  correct  idea  as  to  the 
arrangement  of  the  edifice.  It  was  not  until  I  had  walked 
several  times  around  it  and  traced  its  inner  apartments, 
that  I  could  satisfy  myself  of  its  actual  outline. 

At  first  I  believed  that  there  were  three  separate 
buildings,  even  when  I  took  my  sketch,  as  there  were 
three  large  heaps,  apparently  unconnected,  each  having 
portions  of  erect  walls,  But  on  closer  examination,  I 
found  that  they  had  been  connected  by  a  low  range  of 
buildings,  which  may  have  been  merely  courts,  as  they 
were  of  but  one  story.  On  the  supposition,  there- 
fore, that  all  were  connected  either  by  low  buildings  or 

vol.  ii. — 23 


354  JANOS   TO    COERELITOS, 

corridors,  the  entire  edifice  must  have  extended  from 
north  to  south  at  least  800  feet,  and  from  east  to  west 
about  250.  On  the  south  side  a  regular  and  continuous 
wall  can  be  traced,  while  the  eastern  and  western  fronts 
are  extremely  irregular,  with  projecting  walls.  There 
appears  to  have  been  several  courts  within  the  inclo- 
sure,  of  greater  or  less  dimensions. 

The  general  character  of  this  extensive  range  of 
buildings  is  the  same  as  that  of  the  Casas  Grandes,  near 
the  Pimo  villages,  on  the  Gila,  and  they  are  unquestion- 
ably the  work  of  the  same  people.  The  material,  too, 
is  the  same  as  that  of  the  ruins  on  the  Salinas.  Like 
the  edifice  on  the  Gila,  it  is  built  with  huge  blocks  of 
mud,  laid  up  in  the  same  manner,  though,  from  some 
cause,  probably  the  lesser  tenacity  of  the  adobe,  the 
walls  are  in  a  greater  state  of  decay.  In  no  other  way 
can  this  decay  be  accounted  for,  unless  a  greater  an- 
tiquity is  allowed  for  these  than  for  the  Gila  edifice, 
which  would  be  contrary  to  all  preconceived  opinions 
of  them.  The  ruinous  state  of  these  buildings  may  also 
be  attributed  to  the  more  frequent  rains  to  which  they 
are  exposed  than  those  on  the  Gila. 

The  walls  of  the  present  building  are  much  decay- 
ed ;  in  fact  one  half  of  their  thickness  is  washed  away, 
and  it  is  only  by  digging  below  the  surface  that  their 
original  thickness  can  be  seen.  In  the  Gila  edifice,  the 
inner  surface  of  the  walls  is  as  perfect  as  though  the 
mason  had  but  yesterday  passed  his  trowel  over  them, 
and  the  exterior' ones  are  but  little  injured.  In  these 
ruins,  on  the  contrary,  no  portion  of  the  surface  is 
visible.  I  sought  for  this,  in  order  to  ascertain  if  they 
had  been  plastered  inside  or  out ;  but  it  could  only  be 


AND   VISIT   TO    CASAS   GRANDES.  355 

decided  by  digging  to  the  foundation,  which  I  had 
not  time  to  do.  Several  portions  of  the  walls  within 
the  area,  and  in  particular  one  midway  between  the 
most  southwardly  building  and  the  one  to  the  north, 
had  fronts  precisely  like  that  on  the  Gila ;  their  doors 
were  similarly  placed,  and  receded  towards  the  top, 
and  the  same  circular  openings  were  seen  in  the  upper 
partition  walls.  So  much  of  the  walls  had  washed 
away,  that  I  could  not  trace  the  cavities  where  the 
beams  were  inserted,  and  hence  was  unable,  as  in  the 
Gila  edifice,  to  ascertain  the  number  of  stories,  or  how 
the  beams  were  laid.  Not  a  fragment  of  the  wood 
forming  the  beams  or  lintels  could  be  discerned.  Many 
doorways  remained;  but  the  lintels  being  gone,  the 
tops  had  crumbled  away  or  fallen. 

Although  these  ruins  are  alluded  to  by  many  of 
the  earlier  as  well  as  the  recent  writers  on  Mexico,  I 
have  been  unable  to  find  in  any  author  an  accurate  or 
full  description  of  them.  I  have  been  particularly  de- 
sirous to  see  some  early  account,  that  I  might  know 
their  appearance  when  first  seen  by  the  Spanish  colo- 
nists, who  traversed  this  country  anterior  to  the  year 
1600.  Ribas,  one  of  the  earliest  writers  on  the  abori- 
ginal tribes,  who  has  given  the  most  minute  details  of 
the  labors  of  the  first  missionaries,  and  the  conversion 
of  the  several  tribes  of  Central  and  Northern  Mexico, 
says  nothing  of  these  remains,  although  he  describes 
the  nation  that  occupied  the  country  where  they  are 
found,  their  manners,  customs,  religion,  etc.  I  find, 
however,  in  Clavigero*  a  brief  account,   which  that 

*  History  of  Mexico.     8vo.  ed.  vol.  i.  p.  151. 


356  JANOS   TO    CORRELITOS, 

laborious  investigator  doubtless  had  authority  for. 
He  repeats  the  old  story  that  this  edifice,  "agreeably 
to  the  universal  tradition  of  these  people,  was  Jbuilt  by 
the  Mexicans  in  their  peregrination."  That  it  con- 
sisted of  "  three  floors  with  a  terrace  above  them,  and 
without  any  entrance  to  the  under  floor.  The  door 
for  entrance  to  the  building  is  on  the  second  floor,  so 
that  a  scaling  ladder  is  necessary."  This  would  show 
that  at  some  period  since  the  settlement  of  the  country 
its  floors  remained. 

The  other  details  in  Clavigero  are  incorrect,  and 
unquestionably  refer  to  another  edifice,  which  was  built 
of  stone,  was  roofed,  and  "  surrounded  by  a  wall  seven 
feet  thick."  He  also  calls  it  a  "fortress,"  which  term 
cannot  be  applied  to  this  structure.  I  am  of  opinion 
that  our  author  either  mistook  the  sense  of  the  writer 
he  obtained  his  information  from,  or  has  blended  the 
descriptions  of  two  different  buildings. 

Garcia  Conde  also  states*  that  this  edifice  is  known 
to  have  had  "three  stories  and  a  roof,  with  stairs  out- 
side probably  of  wood,"  and  that  the  same  kind  of 
structures  are  found  at  the  present  time  among  the  pu- 
eblos of  the  independent  Moquis,"  north  of  the  Gila. 
He  also  repeats  the  story  of  the  Aztec  emigration,  and 
that  this  was  the  third  stopping-place  of  that  people 
on  their  way  from  the  North  to  the  valley  of  Mexico. 

There  is  a  class  of  apartments  in  this  edifice,  the 
object  of  which  I  am  unable  to  conjecture,  unless  they 
were  intended  as  depositories  for  maize,  beans,  and 
other  agricultural  products,  or  in  other  words,  a  gra- 

*  Ensayo  Estadistico  sobre  el  Estado  de  Chihuahua,  fol.  p.  74. 


AND   VISIT   TO    CASAS    GRANDES.  357 

nary.  These  apartments,  which  are  arranged  along 
one  of  the  main  walls,  are  twenty  feet  in  length,  by 
ten  in  breadth,  connected  by  doorways  with  a  small 


CffiTH 


Part  of  Ground  Plan  of  the  Casas  Grandes,  Chihuahua. 

inclosure,  or  pen,  in  one  corner  between  three  and  four 
feet  high.  Beside  these,  there  are  many  other  exceed- 
ingly narrow  apartments,  too  contracted  for  dwelling- 
places  or  sleeping-rooms,  with  connecting  doorways, 
and  into  which  the  light  was  admitted  by  circular 
apertures  in  the  upper  part  of  the  walls.  The  number 
and  extent  of  these  long  and  narrow  apartments,  with- 
out windows,  led  me  to  believe  they  were  used  for 
granaries.  There  were  also  large  halls  ;  and  some  in- 
closures  within  the  walls  are  so  extensive,  that  they 
could  never  have  been  covered  with  a  roof,  but  must 
have  been  open  courts.  The  lesser  ranges  of  buildings, 
which  surrounded  the  principal  one,  may  have  been 
occupied  by  the  people  at  large,  whose  property  was 
deposited  within  the  great  building  for  safe  keeping. 
Although  there  is  less  order  in  the  tout  ensemble  of 
this  great  collection  of  buildings  than  in  those  at  the 
north ;  the  number  of  small  apartments,  the  several 
stages  or  stories,  the  courts  within,  and  some  of  the 
minor  details,  resemble  in  many  respects  the  large 
edifices  of  the  semi-civilized  or  Pueblo  Indians  of  New 
Mexico. 

The  position  of  these  buildings  differs  from  that 
of  those  near  the  Gila  and  the  Salinas.  The  latter 
were  built  upon  the  plateau  or  table,  just  above  the 


358  JANOS   TO    CORRELITOS. 

bottom  land  which  their  occupants  had  cultivated. 
The  former  stand  on  the  declivity,  with  portions 
extending  both  on  the  plateau  and  on  the  bottom.  The 
bank  here  is  about  twenty  feet  in  height.  Why  so 
built  I  cannot  imagine,  unless  excavations  were  made 
in  the  bank  for  store  rooms.  Wherever  these  old 
structures  are  found,  they  show  much  sagacity  on  the 
part  of  their  builders,  who  must  have  had  some  object 
in  view  in  adopting  the  plan  just  mentioned.  As  a 
general  custom  at  the  present  day,  among  the  Mex- 
icans, their  villages  and  ranchos  are  built  upon  the 
plateau  above  the  valley,  or  cultivated  bottom,  and  on 
spots  where  there  is  no  vegetation,  except  such  plants 
as  are  peculiar  to  the  deserts.  Not  a  blade  of  grass 
can  flourish  there.  I  supposed  this  to  be  for  two  rea- 
sons :  first,  that  the  valleys  are  sometimes  overflowed, 
and  in  rainy  seasons  are  extremely  wet  and  damp  ; 
while  on  the  gravelly  plateau,  which  is  hard  and 
smooth,  it  is  always  dry.  The  second  reason  is,  that 
being  elevated,  the  people  have  a  good  view  of  their 
cultivated  grounds,  can  trace  their  cattle  and  herds 
with  ease,  and  discover  the  approach  of  an  enemy. 

On  the  western  or  upper  side,  some  sixty  to 
eighty  yards  from  the  building,  are  three  mounds  of 
loose  stones,  about  fifteen  feet  high,  no  doubt  the 
burial  places  of  the  chiefs  or  great  men.  I  would 
have  opened  these,  but  had  not  the  time  or  facilities 
for  so  doing.  If  these  were  burial  places,  and  there 
are  no  indications  of  places  of  sepulture  elsewhere, 
some  valuable  relics  might  be  found  beneath  them. 

I  made  particular  inquiry  of  my  Mexican  friends, 
who  were  familiar  with  every  spot  of  ground  in  this 


AND    VISIT    TO    CASAS    GRANDES. 


359 


vicinity,  whether  they  had  ever  discovered  the  Campo 
Santo,  or  burial  ground,  of  the  builders  of  these  edifi- 
ces ;  but  they  all  declared  they  had  found  none. 

West  of  these,  about  two  hundred  feet  distant  on 
the  plateau,  are  the  remains  of  a  building,  the  dimen- 
sions of  which  I  did  not  take,  but  think  it  about  150 
feet  square.  But  small  portions  of  its  walls  remain — 
enough,  however,  to  show  the  nature  of  the  building, 
which  could  not  have  been  more  than  one  story  high. 
It  was  divided  into  a  number  of  compartments,  of 
equal  dimensions,  except  the  corner  ones,  and  resem- 
bled some  of  the  low  buildings  connected  with  the 
large  edifice  adjacent. 

The  following  is  an  outline  of  the  ground  plan  as 
indicated  by  the  lines  of  the  walls. 


iiiiiii. 


iTTTTTTT 


Ground  Plan  of  one  of  the  Casas  Grandes,  Chihuahua. 

The  plain  for  some  distance  south,  I  was  told,  was 
covered  with  traces  of  old  buildings ;  but  they  were 
mere  heaps,  without  a  distinct  form  to  show  the  nature 
of  the  original  structure.  In  the  valley  they  are  also 
found. 

Garcia  Conde  also  mentions*  a  second  class  of 


Ensayo  Estadistico  sobre  el  Estado  de  Chihuahua,  p.  15. 


360  JANOS   TO    CORRELITOS, 

ruins,  which  are  very  numerous  along  the  margin  of 
the  Casas  Grandes  and  Janos  rivers,  for  a  length  of 
twenty  leagues  and  a  breadth  often.  At  a  short  dis- 
tance, he  says,  they  uniformly  have  the  appearance 
of  small  hills  or  mounds,  and  in  all  that  have  been 
excavated,  there  have  been  found  jars  (cantaros), 
pitchers,  ollas,*  etc.,  of  pottery,  painted  with  white, 
blue,  and  scarlet  colors ;  corn  grinders  (metates),  and 
stone  axes,  but  no  instrument  of  iron. 

The  builders  of  this  edifice,  and  the  occupants  of 
the  rich  valley  in  the  vicinity,  showed  much  sagacity 
in  their  choice  of  so  fine  a  region  for  agricultural 
purposes.  There  is  none  equal  to  it  from  the  low  lands 
of  Texas,  near  San  Antonio,  to  the  fertile  valleys  of 
California,  near  Los  Angeles  ;  and,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  the  Rio  Grande,  there  is  no  river  of  equal  size 
between  those  of  Eastern  Texas  and  the  Colorado  of 
California.  The  water,  too,  is  clear  and  sweet,  unlike 
the  muddy  waters  of  the  Rio  Grande,  the  Pecos,  and 
the  Colorado,  which  are  charged  with  vegetable  mat- 
ter and  earth. 

Many  beautiful  articles  of  pottery  have  from  time 
to  time  been  found  here,  the  texture  of  which  is  much 
superior  to  that  made  at  the  present  day  by  the  Mex- 
icans. This  pottery  has  chiefly  a  white  or  a  red 
ground,  ornamented  with  a  variety  of  angular  figures : 

*  Ollas  (pronounced  oyas)  are  the  most  common  of  all  the  utensils 
of  pottery  used  by  the  Indians  or  present  Mexicans.  They  are  of  various 
capacities,  from  half  a  pint  to  six  gallons.  Suspended  by  a  cord  over 
the  fire  they  are  used  for  cooking  in,  and  are  in  universal  use  for  carrying 
water.  The  household  utensils  of  the  poorer  Mexicans  consist  entirely 
of  an  assortment  of  these  useful  articles. 


FRAGMENT*   OF    ANCIENT    POTTERY    FROM   CASAS   GRANDES,    CHIHUAHUA. 


FRAGMENTS    OF   ANCIENT    POTTERY    FROM    CASAS   GRANDES,    CHIHUAHUA. 


AND   VISIT    TO    CASAS    GRANDES.  361 

those  on  the  white  ground  being  black,  red,  or  brown ; 
and  on  the  darker  material,  black.  I  made  inquiry 
for  any  relics  that  had  been  found,  and  was  successful 
in  obtaining  a  few.  One  of  these  was  a  small  black 
jar;  another  a  vessel  in  the  form  of  a  tortoise,  of  reddish 
pottery ;  and  the  third  a  beautifully  sculptured  stone 
pipe.  Such  relics  are  eagerly  sought  for  by  the  peo- 
ple of  Chihuahua  and  other  large  towns,  and  when 
perfect  command  a  high  price.  I  heard  of  many  such ; 
but  they  were  in  towns  beyond  my  reach.  I  request- 
ed a  friend  to  procure  drawings  of  these  and  forward 
them  to  me,  but  have  not  yet  received  them,  and  the 
only  addition  I  am  able  to  make  to  those  which  I 
obtained,  is  a  drawing  from  one  found  by  Lieut.  Hardy, 
a  copy  of  which  I  give,  rather  to  show  the  style 
of  ornament  than  the  form.*  I  also  saw,  at  the  house 
of  the  gentleman  who  was  so  polite  to  us,  a  fine 
metate  taken  from  the  ruins,  about  two  feet  in  length, 
handsomely  cut  from  a  block  of  dark  stone,  a  drawing 
of  which  I  made.  Similar  ones  are  occasionally 
found  there ;  and  in  my  rambles  I  saw  several  broken 
ones. 

The  whole  valley  and  plain  for  miles  about  these 
ruins  is  strewed  with  fragments  of  pottery.  I  collect- 
ed a  number  of  specimens  exhibiting  various  patterns, 
in  order  to  show  the  taste  of  the  makers  in  ornamental 

*  Hardy's  Travels  in  the  Interior  of  Mexico  in  1825-8.  This 
author  spent  a  couple  of  hours  at  these  ruins,  and  procured  the  jar  re- 
ferred to,  which  he  says  was  in  excellent  preservation.  "  There  were 
also,"  continued  he,  "  good  specimens  of  earthen  images  in  the  Egyp- 
tian style ;  which  are,  to  me  at  least,  so  perfectly  uninteresting,  that  I 
was  at  no  pains  to  procure  any  of  them."  p.  465. 


362  JAN0S   TO    CORRELITOS, 

design,  as  well  as  for  the  purpose  of  comparing  them 
with  the  pottery  found  at  the  Gila  and  the  Salinas. 
They  will  also  serve  for  comparison  with  the  pottery 
of  the  Moquis,  Zufiis,  and  other  Pueblo  Indians,  as 
well  as  with  the  ornaments  made  by  the  present  Pimos 
and  Coco-Maricopas.  When  so  little  remains  of  a 
people,  the  smallest  fragments  of  their  works  of  art 
become  important.  It  is  for  this  reason  I  have  given 
so  many  specimens  of  their  ornaments. 

On  the  summit  of  the  highest  mountain  south-west 
of  the  ruins,  and  about  ten  miles  distant,  there  was 
pointed  out  to  me  an  ancient  fortress  of  stone,  from 
which  the  whole  country  for  a  vast  extent  can  be 
viewed.  It  is  attributed  to  the  same  people  who 
erected  the  "Casas  Grandes,"  and  was  doubtless  in- 
tended as  a  look-out.  This  fortress  can  be  discerned 
with  the  naked  eye,  and  on  looking  at  it  through  my 
spy-glass,  it  showed  quite  distinctly.  I  did  not  visit 
it,  as  it  would  have  required  a  day,  which  time  I  could 
not  spare. 

We  were  told  that  this  building  was  a  stone  for- 
tress of  two  or  three  stories,  with  a  very  solid  founda- 
tion. I  think  that  the  description  of  Clavigero  refers 
both  to  the  adobe  edifices  I  have  described  and  to 
this  fortress,  and  that  the  worthy  historian  was  not 
aware  of  their  being  separate  structures.* 

*  This  edifice  is  constructed  on  the  plan  of  those  of  New  Mexico, 
that  is,  consisting  of  three  floors,  with  a  terrace  above  them,  and  with- 
out any  entrance  to  the  lower  floor.  The  doorway  is  in  the  second 
story,  so  that  a  scaling  ladder  is  necessary ;  and  the  inhabitants  of  New 
Mexico  build  in  this  manner,  in  order  to  be  less  exposed  to  the  attacks 
of  their  enemies.     No  doubt  the  Aztecs  had  the  same  motives  for  raisirjo- 


RELICS   FOUND   AT   CASAS    GRANDES,    CHIHUAHUA. p.   362. 


AND   VISIT   TO    CAS  AS   GR  ANDES.  363 

The  Casas  Grandes  River  rises  about  a  hundred 
miles  N.  W.  from  the  city  of  Chihuahua,  whence  it 
flows  in  a  course  nearly  north  by  the  town  and  ruins 
of  the  same  name,  the  towns  of  Barranca,  Colorada, 
Correlitos,  and  Janos,  and,  after  a  course  of  62^  leagues, 
is  discharged  into  Lake  Guzman.  It  receives  a  tribu- 
tary nine  miles  north  of  Janos ;  a  second  one  at  that 
town,  which  bears  its  name ;  and  a  third  about  ten 
miles  below  the  ruins  called  Temeivaca.  Yet  not- 
withstanding these  tributaries  and  the  large  volume  of 
water,  it  often  dries  up,  and  remains  only  in  pools 
barely  sufficient  for  the  population  and  the  herds  of 
cattle  which  graze  upon  its  banks. 

The  valley  here  is  about  two  miles  in  width, 
covered  with  luxuriant  fields  of  grass,  wheat,  and 
corn.  The  river  passing  through  its  centre  is  marked 
by  a  line  of  gigantic  cotton-woods,  while  in  various 
detached  spots  are  groups  of  the  same.  The  acequias 
which  intersect  the  valley  in  every  direction,  are, 
like  the  river,  lined  with  a  thick  growth  of  shrubbery. 

Beyond  the  valley  rises  the  plateau,  which  has  a 
gradual  ascent  to  a  low  range  of  hills  about  eight 
miles  distant ;  beyond  which,  with  some  miles  of  inter- 

their  edifices  on  this  plan,  as  every  mark  of  a  fortress  is  to  be  observed 
about  it,  being  defended  on  one  side  by  a  lofty  mountain,  and  the  rest 
of  it  being  defended  by  a  wall  about  seven  feet  thick  ;  the  foundations 
are  still  existing.  In  this  fortress  are  stones  as  large  as  a  mill-stone,  to 
be  seen  :  the  beams  of  the  roof  are  of  pine,  and  well  finished.  In  the 
centre  of  this  vast  fabric  is  a  little  mount,  made  on  purpose,  by  what 
appears,  to  keep  guard  on,  and  observe  the  enemy.  There  have  been  some 
ditches  found  in  this  place,  and  a  variety  of  domestic  utensils,  earthen 
pans,  pots,  jars,  and  little  looking-glasses  oiitzli  (obsidian)'. —  Clavige- 
rots  Mexico. 


364  JANOS    TO    CORRELITOS, 

vening  space,  rises  a  lofty  ridge  of  mountains.  I  took 
two  general  views  of  the  ruins,  one  from  the  west, 
seated  on  the  top  of  the  little  mounds  referred  to,  in 
which  the  whole  extent  of  the  buildings  is  shown, 
with  the  valley  and  mountains  beyond.  This  I  have 
shown  in  three  parts,  to  exhibit  them  more  distinctly. 
Two  of  these  are  wood  cuts ;  the  third,  the  small 
lithograph.  The  other  is  taken  from  a  point  near  the 
south-eastern  corner,  showing  portions  of  the  walls 
which  are  not  seen  in  the  first  sketch.  This  view  is 
given  in  the  large  lithograph  facing  the  title-page  of 
this  volume.  As  may  be  seen  in  the  sketches,  low 
mezquit  bushes  have  taken  root  around  the  buildings, 
as  well  among  its  walls  as  in  its  apartments.  On  the 
west,  the  plateau  extends  to  a  range  of  low  mountains, 
about  five  miles  distant,  running  in  a  line  from  north- 
west to  south-east.  The  river  bottom  and  adjacent 
plateau  are  about  fifteen  miles  in  width,  which  is 
about  the  average  width  from  Janos  to  Casas  Grandes. 
Proceeding  south,  these  mountains  appear  to  approach, 
thereby  contracting  the  plateau  and  valley.  The 
latter,  I  was  told,  continues  fertile  far  to  the  south, 
and  is  as  highly  cultivated  as  any  portion  of  the 
country. 

August  10th.  From  our  hospitable  friends  we 
learnt  that  the  town  contained  about  400  inhabitants. 
They  are  strictly  an  agricultural  population,  and  have 
extensive  fields  of  grain  and  orchards  near.  Maize  is 
the  chief  product,  and  is  sent  in  large  quantities  to 
Chihuahua  and  El  Paso,  where  it  finds  a  ready  market. 
The  people  seemed  industrious  and  happy,  and  were 
apparently  in  a  better  condition  than  we  had  found 


AND    VISIT   TO    CASAS    GRANDES.  365 

them  in  the  other  frontier  towns.  They  are  somewhat 
troubled  by  the  Apaches  ;  and  we  noticed  two  crosses 
near  the  ruins,  and  four  on  the  road  to  Correlitos,  the 
evidences  of  their  murderous  propensities. 

We  were  up  by  sunrise,  and  found  a  cup  of  coffee 
ready  for  us ;  after  which  we  again  set  out  for  the 
ruins,  accompanied  by  four  men,  whom  I  had  engaged 
to  dig  among  them. 

We  first  dug  in  a  large  apartment  where  some 
metates  had  been  discovered,  and  which  it  was  believed 
had  been  a  sort  of  kitchen  ;  but  we  found  nothing  but 
broken  pottery,  an  obsidian  arrow-head,  and  some 
small  marine  shells.  Leaving  Dr.  Webb  to  superintend 
these  excavations,  I  set  to  work  to  take  a  ground  plan 
of  the  buildings,  as  far  as  it  was  possible  to  do  so ;  but 
the  Mexicans  who  undertook  to  assist  me  were  far  from 
adepts  in  the  business,  and  caused  me  much  annoy- 
ance. This  was  not  a  little  increased  by  the  troops  of 
men,  women,  and  children,  who  flocked  around  me 
until  it  seemed  that  half  the  population  had  turned  out, 
apparently  with  the  idea  that  we  possessed  some  secret 
information  regarding  buried  treasures  there.  I  was 
unable  to  complete  my  survey  of  the  edifice  and  its 
numerous  walls,  which  it  would  have  required  the 
labor  of  several  men,  for  at  least  two  days,  to  accomplish 
in  a  satisfactory  manner. 

At  11  o'clock,  being  pretty  tired  and  hungry,  we 
returned  to  the  house  of  our  friend  to  breakfast;  after 
which  the  wagon  was  brought  up,  and  we  set  out  on  our 
return  to  Correlitos,  where  we  arrived  at  four  o'clock, 
well  pleased  with  our  excursion. 


366  CORRELITOS 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

CORRELITOS    TO    EL    PASO. 

Leave  Oorrelitos — Visit  the  Silver  Mines  of  Messrs.  Flotte  and  Zuloaga — 
Attempt  of  a  peon  to  escape — Rio  Santa  Maria — Recent  fight  of 
Americans  with  the  Apaches  here — Broad  open  plains — Continued 
rain — The  Salado — The  Medanos,  or  Sand-hills — Painful  night's  march 
— Samalayuca — Arrival  at  El  Paso  del  Norte. 

August  ISth.  We  left  Oorrelitos  at  8  o'clock,  a.m., 
and  took  an  easterly  course  over  a  plain  of  very  gen- 
tle ascent  for  about  fifteen  miles  towards  a  conical 
mountain.  We  then  entered  a  defile,  and  soon  after 
reached  the  base  of  the  mountain,  where  we  found 
water,  and  encamped. 

In  this  conical  mountain  are  the  two  silver  mines 
of  Senor  Zuloaga  and  Mr.  Flotte,  whose  smelting 
works  we  had  visited  at  Oorrelitos  and  Barranca.  As 
soon  as  the  camp  was  arranged,  I  set  off  with  several 
others  to  inspect  them.  The  mines  are  on  the  oppo- 
site sides  of  a  ravine  or  indentation,  which  makes  up 
into  the  mountain,  and  their  entrances  are  not  more  than 
a  hundred  yards  apart.  On  the  hill  sides,  around  and 
above  the  entrances,  are  the  habitations  of  the  work- 
men ;  most  of  them  are  built  of  the  rock  excavated 
in  mining,  and  from  a  little  distance  have  a  most 
singular  appearance. 


TO   EL   PASO.  367 

I  first  went  to  Mr.  Flotte's  mine.  I  presented  my 
letter  of  introduction  to  the  superintendent,  a  native 
Castilian,  and  was  received  by  him  with  the  politeness 
that  characterizes  his  countrymen.  After  sitting  a 
short  time  in  his  house  near  the  entrance,  we  were 
each  provided  with  torches ;  whereupon  we  descended 
the  mine,  following  the  footsteps  of  our  guide,  the  super- 
intendent himself  It  was  quite  muddy,  owing  to  the 
late  rains.  The  shaft  was  between  six  and  seven  feet 
high,  branching  off  in  various  directions.  We  traced 
it  to  its  bottom,  which  was  eighty  varas,  or  about  240 
feet,  from  the  entrance.  The  principal  vein  of  ore  is 
about  five  inches  in  thickness;  there  is  also  another 
of  one  inch.  Both  have  a  dip  of  about  45  degrees. 
The  entire  length  of  the  various  shafts  is  300  varas,  or 
820  feet.  On  returning  to  the  house  of  our  attentive 
guide,  he  presented  us  with  fine  specimens  of  the  ore. 
We  did  not  go  further  than  the  entrance  of  the  other 
mine ;  as  it  was  late,  and  the  mine  did  not  materially 
differ  from  the  one  we  had  examined. 

August  12th.  Our  journey  to-day  was  twenty -five 
miles.  After  leaving  camp,  our  road  wound  for  a  cou- 
ple of  miles  through  the  hills,  and  then  emerged  into 
a  broad  plain,  interspersed  at  intervals  of  two  or  three 
miles  with  conical  hills,  from  one  to  three  hundred 
feet  in  height.  Some  of  these  were  capped  with  a  ridge 
or  mass  of  stone,  of  a  reddish  color,  resembling  a  work  of 
art.  Five  miles  further  brought  us  to  Walnut  Creek, 
a  small  run  of  water,  which  is  dry  except  at  this  sea- 
son, and  even  then  contains  but  little  water.  Half  a 
dozen  walnut  trees  of  a  small  size,  grow  upon  its 
banks,  whence  its  name.      After  crossing  this  rivulet, 


368  COERELITOS 

our  course  was  north-east  without  variation,  over  a 
slightly  undulating  plain,  covered  with  grama  grass. 
A  dark  line  of  trees  now  showed  itself  far  in  the  dis- 
tance, indicating  a  water-course,  which  we  reached  at 
5  o'clock,  and  which  proved  to  be  the  Santa  Maria. 
The  road  had  been  excellent  since  leaving  Correlitos, 
including  the  mountain  defile.  A  heavy  cloud  arose 
as  we  approached  the  stream  ;  and  we  had  barely  got 
our  tents  pitched  and  well  stayed,  before  it  burst  over 
our  heads,  accompanied  by  a  violent  wind. 

When  a  few  miles  from  camp  this  morning,  a  man 
got  up  from  behind  a  bush,  where  he  appeared  to  have 
been  concealed,  and  joined  the  train.  He  proved  to 
be  a  Mexican,  who  wished  to  accompany  us  to  El 
Paso.  Soon  after  two  men  on  horseback  overtook  us, 
and  handed  me  a  note  from  the  superintendent  of  the 
mine,  stating  that  one  of.  his  men  had  run  away,  and 
asking  permission  to  take  him  in  case  he  had  joined 
our  train.  I  could  not,  of  course,  interfere  in  the 
matter,  and  gave  orders  that  the  men  should  not  be 
obstructed  in  arresting  the  runaway.  The  poor  fellow, 
who  was  a  peon,  was  very  reluctant  to  return  ;  but  his 
captors  were  armed  with  sabres  and  rifles,  and  all 
resistance  was  unavailing.  As  we  journeyed  on,  we 
saw  blows  inflicted  on  the  poor  creature,  who  was,  no 
doubt,  destined  to  spend  the  remainder  of  his  days  at 
hard  labor  for  the  benefit  of  his  owner.  Our  Mexican 
arrieros  were  anxious  to  liberate  him  ;  but  as  we  were 
on  Mexican  territory,  with  liberty  to  go  whither  we 
pleased  in  the  performance  of  our  official  duties,  inter- 
ference would  have  been  unjustifiable. 

August  13th.     We  remained  two  hours  longer  than 


TO    EL    PASO.  369 

usual  this  morning,  to  give,  the  mules  a  chance  to  feed. 
Near  us  were  some  walls  of  old  stone  buildings,  where 
a  number  of  stone  arrow-heads,  and  clippings  of  jasper, 
flint,  and  obsidian  were  found,  showing  that  here  had 
been  a  work-shop  of  the  natives. 

A  few  weeks  previous,  a  party  of  four  Americans 
was  here  surprised  and  surrounded  by  a  band  of  some 
15  or  20  Apaches.  The  men  were  armed  with  rifles 
and  pistols,  which  enabled  them  to  keep  the  savages 
at  bay.  Whenever  the  latter  exposed  themselves,  the 
Americans  gave  them  a  shot,  and  killed,  as  they  be- 
lieved, several.  After  being  thus  encompassed  for  three 
days,  protected  in  a  measure  from  the  arrows  of  the 
enemy  by  a  little  wall  which  they  raised,  and  after 
they  had  all  been  wounded,  one  of  their  number  crept 
out  at  night  and  made  his  way  to  Correlitos,  where  he 
applied  for  relief.  It  was  granted  ;  but  they  were 
compelled  to  pay  $500  for  it. 

I  ascended  a  hill  near  our  camp,  from  which  I  could 
trace  the  course  of  the  Santa  Maria,  by  the  line  of 
trees  along  its  .  banks.  A  broad  plain  extended  for 
many  miles  on  either  side  without  a  tree  or  a  shrub. 

Our  course  continued  north-east,  without  change, 

over  the  same  level  plain  we  had  been  traversing,  of 

clay  or  gravel,  with  occasional  patches  of  grass  and  a 

few  mezquit  bushes.     Passed  some  holes  of  rain-water, 

where  we  stopped  to  water  our  animals.    The  hills  and 

mountains,  which  here  and  there  rose  up  from  the  plain, 

were  quite  picturesque,  the  conical  and  pyramidal  forms 

prevailing  with  the  hills ;  while  the  mountains,  which 

Were  from  1500  to  2000  feet  high,  presented  the  most 

fantastic  outlines,  resembling  castles,  domes,  and  min- 
vol.  ii. — 24 


370  CORRELITOS 

arets.  Some  of  these  were  of  a  deep  red,  others  of  a 
yellowish  cast.  There  were  no  continuous  ranges  to 
be  seen ;  but  all  were  isolated,  or  in  groups,  rising 
abruptly  and  extending  but  a  few  miles. 

At  3  o'clock,  the  usual  black  cloud  began  to  rise  at 
the  south,  portending  rain,  which  warned  us  to  make 
our  camp  before  it  reached  us.  We  took  advantage 
of  a  little  patch  of  grass,  where  the  animals  might 
obtain  a  scanty  meal,  and  stopped.  Every  man  with- 
out exception,  at  once  set  to  work ;  and  within  a 
very  short  space  of  time  the  tents  were  pitched, 
trenches  dug,  and  the  camp-fires  made.  Scarcely  was 
this  completed,  when  the  storm  was  upon  us ;  and  but 
for  the  extra  ropes  and  stays  put  to  the  tents,  all 
would  have  been  blown  away.  But  as  it  was,  we  sat 
quietly  within,  listening  to  the  peals  of  thunder,  and 
watching  the  vivid  flashes  of  lightning.  We  needed 
not  to  seek  for  a  stream  or  a  spring,  for  in  a  very  few 
minutes  the  depressions  in  the  plain  around  our  camp 
furnished  an  ample  supply,  both  for  man  and  beast. 
We  made  18  miles  to-day,  over  an  excellent  road. 
The  country  around  is  of  a  most  desolate  character. 

August  14:th.  Six  miles  from  camp  brought  us  to  a 
hill,  on  which  was  a  smooth  rock  covering  about  half 
an  acre,  to  the  right  of  the  road.  In  this  rock  I  count- 
ed twenty-six  artificial  cavities  within  a  few  feet  of 
each  other.  They  were  from  twelve  to  eighteen  inches 
deep,  and  about  six  in  diameter ;  and  had  been  dug 
out  by  the  Indians  for  mortars  in  which  to  pound  their 
maize.  The  place  was  thickly  covered  with  various 
kinds  of  cacti  as  well  as  the  agave  and  yucca.  The 
common  prickly  pear  abounded  with  its  luscious  look- 


TO    EL   PASO.  .  371 

ing"  but  unwholesome  fruit,  of  which  our  men  partook 
with  some  caution.* 

From  the  summit  of  this  rocky  hill,  which  is  about 
three  hundred  feet  high,  we  had  a  fine  view  of  the  vast 
plain  around  us,  stretching  in  every  direction  as  far  as 
the  eye  could  reach,  and  unlimited  by  any  continuous 
range  of  mountains.  Short  isolated  ridges  rose  up  at 
intervals  of  from  ten  to  twenty  miles,  and  between 
them  the  conical  hills  before  referred  to.  Immediate- 
ly below,  about  a  mile  distant,  was  the  Salado,  or  Salt 
Lake,  from  two  to  four  miles  across  ;  although  after 
rains  it  is  doubtless  much  larger.  Some  ten  or  fifteen 
miles  to  the  north-west,  I  noticed  what  appeared  to  be 
another  small  lake,  which  may  have  been  the  Laguna 
de  Santa  Maria.  Although  from  its  whitish  appear- 
ance, it  may  have  been  but  the  salt  bed  of  a  dry  lake.f 
I  took  a  sketch  of  the  country  here,  with  a  curious  cone- 
shaped  hill  in  the  foreground,  on  the  summit  of  which 
is  a  mass  of  rocks  resembling  a  tower.  Similarly  crown- 
ed hills  were  seen  during  the  day's  march. 

We  made  a  noon  halt  at  some  pools  of  fresh  water 
near  the  Salado  ;  as  it  was  my  intention  to  go  as  far  as 
possible  to-day,  so  as  to  shorten  the  march  of  to-mor- 
row, in  which  we  did  not  expect   to  meet  with  any 

*  It  is  said  that  too  much  of  this  fruit  will  cause  fever  and  ague. 
Whether  this  be  true  or  not,  I  cannot  say ;  although  I  do  know,  that 
on  several  occasions,  illness  was  produced  by  a  too  free  use  of  it. 

f  In  my  former  journeys,  we  frequently  saw  these  playas,  or  dry 
lakes ;  and  even  when  within  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  it  was  utterly  impos- 
sible to  say,  whether  they  contained  water  or  not.  On  these  occasions 
the  party  would  be  equally  divided  in  opinion,  nor  could  all  be  satisfied 
until  we  really  touched  them. 


372  CORRELITOS 

water.  We  got  off  again  at  4  o'clock,  but  had  not  gone 
more  than  eight  miles  before  the  heavens  began  to  be 
obscured  by  a  black  cloud,  which  rose  behind  a  lofty 
pinnacled  mountain  on  our  right,  one  of  the  most  singu- 
lar and  picturesque  we  had  seen.  Mr.  Leroux  rode 
ahead  with  others,  to  search  for  a  patch  of  grass,  as  the 
plain  around  us  was  almost  destitute  of  vegetation. 
Fortunately  he  found  a  small  one  where  the  hungry 
animals  might  obtain  a  scanty  feed,  a  short  distance  in 
advance,  where  we  halted.  We  made  but  fifteen  miles 
to-day,  a  short  march ;  but  in  this,  and  many  other 
days'  journeys,  we  were  compelled  to  stop  short  of  our 
intended  places  of  encampment,  in  order  to  get  up  our 
tents  and  arrange  the  camp  before  the  rain  came  on. 
I  stood  guard  this  night,  and  found  it  rather  uncom- 
fortable, as  it  rained  most  of  the  time ;  yet  I  made  my 
hourly  rounds,  stumbling  several  times  over  mules, 
which  I  could  not  see  in  the  darkness. 

August  15th.  Keeping  a  north-easterly  course,  our 
whole  day's  march  was  over  a  broad  plain  with  few 
undulations,  and  no  hills  or  mountains  near;  the  road 
good  as  before.  The  day  was  damp  and  cloudy.  At 
4  o'clock,  p.  m.,  we  stopped,  having  travelled  about 
twenty  miles. 

We  now  approached  the  most  dreaded  portion  of 
our  journey  since  crossing  the  Tucson  desert,  south  of 
the  Gila.  This  was  the  Medanos,  or  Sand-hills.  All 
the  emigrants  we  had  met  spoke  of  these,  and  the 
great  difficulties  that  attended  their  passage.  By 
doubling  their  ox-teams,  that  is,  by  putting  from  12 
to  15  oxen  to  each  wagon,  they  had  succeeded  in 
passing  them.     Two  trips  were  thus  required  for  each 


ft    : 


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lQ'ii'liii:i'';:i 


TO    EL    PASO.  373 

team,  occupying  the  whole  of  two  nights  and  one  clay 
to  accomplish  the  passage,  although  but  six  miles  across. 
Owing  to  the  intense  heat  and  glare  of  the  sun  on  the 
white  sand,  the  crossing  was  never  attempted  except 
at  night.  We  were  now  favored  by  the  rain ;  and  it 
was  thought  best,  notwithstanding  our  day's  march,  to 
make  the  passage  of  the  hills  this  night;  the  weather 
would  be  cooler  and  the  sand  more  compact  from  the 
rain. 

The  place  where  we  stopped  was  about  two  miles 
from  the  sand  hills.  We  accordingly  dined,  and  let 
the  animals  feed,  and  at  7  o'clock,  p.  m.,  resumed  our 
march.  Upon  consultation,  it  was  thought  best  for 
Leroux  to  leave  a  couple  of  hours  in  advance  of  the 
wagons  with  the  train  of  pack-mules,  and  go  as  far  as 
Samalaynca,  a  spring  two  miles  beyond  the  hills,  in 
case  he  could  not  find  water  nearer.  He  was  then  to 
discharge  his  loads  and  return  to  the  wagons,  to  give 
us  such  aid  as  might  be  necessary. 

The  first  three  miles  were  not  very  bad  ;  for  though 
the  sand  was  loose,  it  was  not  deep  ;  still  it  was  a 
steady  pull  up  a  gradual  ascent.  As  we  proceeded, 
the  sand  grew  deeper,  and  the  vegetation  less,  until 
nothing  but  a  few  half-buried  mezquit  bushes  were  to 
be  seen.     An  aromatic  shrub  was  also  noticed  here. 

At  a  great  depth  there  is  probably  some  moisture 
which  sustains  these  plants ;  but  even  with  this,  it  is 
remarkable  how  they  can  survive  in  the  midst  of  such 
an  intense  and  dry  heat,  in  a  spot  where,  for  more  than 
nine  months  in  the  year,  there  is  no  rain.  Every  thing 
around  us  had  a  strange  wintry  aspect,  the  white  sand 
resembling  banks  of  snow,  from  which  the  tops  of  the 


374  CORRELITOS 

bushes  projected.  At  nine  o'clock,  Leroux  returned 
to  us  with  the  pack-mules,  when  we  stopped  and 
unloaded  the  wagons,  to  transfer  their  contents  to  the 
animals'  backs.  It  was  now  raining  fast ;  and  as  the 
mules  had  had  a  tedious  inarch  over  the  sand  hills  and 
back,  Leroux  thought  it  best  to  remain  where  he  was 
until  day-light,  while  we  pushed  forward  with  the 
wagons,  now  almost  empty. 

Slowly  and  with  hard  tugging,  we  again  advanced, 
but  not  noiselessly ;  for  the  incessant  hooting  and  yell- 
ing of  the  teamsters,  accompanied  by  the  cracking  of 
their  huge  whips,  and  not  a  few  of  those  terrible  oaths 
which  they  seem  to  consider  it  their  privilege  to  use, 
made  the  air  resound  in  the  midst  of  the  solitude  that 
reigned  around  us.  At  every  fifty  feet  it  was  neces- 
sary to  stop,  and  let  the  tired  animals  breathe  and  get 
a  moment's  rest ;  then  would  the  air  resound  again 
with  the  screams  of  the  men  and  the  lashing  of  the 
whips ;  then  was  every  shoulder  literally  put  to  the 
wheels  and  the  back  parts  of  the  wagons,  before  they 
could  again  be  started.  But  with  all  this  pulling  and 
pushing,  this  hard  swearing  and  beating,  the  poor 
jaded  animals  often  stalled,  and  could  not,  with  all  the 
aid  the  men  could  give  them,  start  the  wagons  an  inch. 
The  team  was  then  doubled;  and  when  the  twelve  mules 
had  succeeded  in  hauling  the  wagon  up  some  little  rise, 
the  descent  would  prove  a  great  relief,  and  enable 
them  to  get  forward  a  few  rods  unaided. 

The  reader  will  have  an  idea  of  the  sand  here, 
when  I  state  that  the  hub  of  the  fore  wheel  was  only 
the  breadth  of  my  hand  above  its  surface.  This  too, 
was  with  wagons  not  half  filled,  and  at  a  time  when 


TO    EL   PASO.  375 

the  hills  are  easier  to  pass  than  at  any  other,  on  account 
of  the  rain,  which  packs  the  sand,  and  prevents  the 
wheels  from  sinking  as  deep  as  they  would  if  it  was 
entirely  dry. 

In  this  manner  we  pushed  and  pulled,  making  a 
gradual  though  slow  headway,  until  one  o'clock,  when 
the  mules  refused  to  go  further.  The  poor  creatures 
held  their  noses  to  the  ground,  and  patiently  bore  the 
beating  of  their  cruel  drivers.  It  was  all  to  no  pur- 
pose ;  further  they  would  not  go.  In  the  five  hours 
we  had  been  tugging,  we  had  not  made  more  than 
four  miles  through  the  hills,  and  there  were  yet  about 
two  miles  more  before  we  should  get  through.  There 
was  no  alternative  left  but  to  remain  until  morning,  by 
which  time  the  animals  would  get  a  -few  hours'  rest. 
As  my  carratella  (little  wagon)  was  quite  light,  and 
my  mules  in  good  condition,  I  pushed  forward,  going 
myself  on  foot,  and  before  four  o'clock  in  the  morning 
passed  the  hills,  and  reached  the  place  where  Mr. 
Leroux  had  stopped  with  the  packs.  Several  of  the 
wagons  also  managed  to  get  through,  leaving  only 
three  behind. 

This  had  been  one  of  the  most  tedious  nights  of 
our  long  journey.  I  was  on  my  feet  from  7  o'clock 
in  the  evening,  when  we  entered  the  sand-hills,  till 
four  in  the  morning,  making  nine  hours,  in  which  time 
we  advanced  but  eight  miles.  It  rained  the  whole 
night ;  yet  such  was  my  fatigue,  that  several  times, 
when  the  mules  stopped  to  rest,  or  became  stalled,  I 
threw  myself  on  the  wet  sand  and  stole  a  few  moments' 
sleep. 

On  reaching  camp,  I  sent  back  six  mules,  which, 


376  CORRELITOS 

with  those  left  with  the  wagons,  enabled  them  all  to 
get  through  a  few  hours  later.  We  did  not  go  on  to 
the  spring  talked  of,  which  was  two  miles  further,  but 
stopped  at  some  holes  of  rain  water  immediately  at  the 
foot  of  the  hills. 

The  Medanos,  or  Sand-hills,  are  a  peculiar  feature 
in  this  country,  stretching  in  a  line  from  north-west  to 
south-east  for  some  twenty  miles,  as  far  as  I  could 
judge.  Nearly  destitute  of  vegetation,  their  light  yel- 
low or  whitish  appearance  presents  a  strong  contrast 
to  the  deep  brown  of  the  adjacent  mountains,  which 
form  the  background  of  the  landscape.  This  sand  is 
very  light  and  fine,  and  forms  deep  ridges  resembling 
the  large  waves  of  the  ocean.  When  the  wind  blows, 
this  sand  is  set  in  motion,  filling  up  the  former  valleys, 
and  forming  new  drifts  or  hills.  The  road  is  then 
entirely  obliterated  ;  not  a  foot-print  or  wagon  rut 
being  left  to  show  its  direction.  The  whitened  bones 
of  mules  and  cattle  project  here  and  there  from  the 
sand,  with  an  occasional  carcass  which  has  dried  up 
before  the  wolves  discovered  it.  Although  these  hills 
lie  on  the  direct  road  from  El  Paso  to  the  city  of  Chi- 
huahua, which  is  shorter  than  any  other  by  sixty  miles, 
it  is  invariably  avoided  by  trains  or  loaded  wagons. 
These  take  the  river  route,  which  passes  entirely 
beyond  their  furthest  southern  extremity.  Persons  on 
horseback,  pack-mules,  and  light  pleasure  wagons, 
alone  attempt  to  cross  the  hills. 

The  place  is  also  attended  with  danger  on  account 
of  the  Apaches,  who  well  know  the  helpless  condition 
of  animals  passing,  and  take  the  opportunity  to  attack 
parties.     From  Correlitos,  there  is  no  other  to  El  Paso 


TO    EL    PASO.  377 

for  wagons ;  and  a  train  loaded  with  corn  from  the 
Casas  Grandes  valley,  was  attacked  here  a  year  before 
by  these  savages,  and  all  the  mules  driven  off.  The 
distance  travelled  the  last  twenty-four  hours  from 
beyond  the  Salado  was  twenty-eight  miles,  including 
the  passage  of  the  Medanos. 

August  lQth.  All,  both  men  and  animals,  were  so 
much  exhausted  with  fatigue,  that  we  were  compelled 
to  lie  by  to-day.  In  the  afternoon,  we  had  the  usual 
shower. 

August  17th.  Two  miles  brought  us  to  the  spring 
known  d^Samalayuca.  It  is  a  complete  oasis  in  the 
desert,  and  consists  of  a  small  pool  of  water,  in  and 
around  which  are  bushes  and  trees.  It  seems  to  be 
placed  here  by  nature,  for  the  weary  and  thirsty  trav- 
eller, by  whom  the  route  would  else  be  impassable. 
On  the  west  there  is  not  usually  any  water  nearer  than 
the  Salado,  thirty  miles  distant,  which  is  also  the  dis- 
tance of  El  Paso,  the  nearest  point  to  the  north.  East- 
ward is  San  Eleazario,  twenty  miles. 

The  rain  of  yesterday  had  made  the  road  so  heavy, 
that  I  feared  we  should  not  reach  El  Paso  as  I  wished. 
But  a  few  hours'  heat  of  the  sun  so  improved  its  con- 
dition, that  I  determined  to  push  on  in  advance  of  the 
train  ;  and  as  we  were  near  our  journey's  end  for  the 
present,  I  did  not  hesitate  to  force  my  mules  to  their 
utmost.  We  ascended  gradually  from  the  spring  for 
about  ten  miles,  when  we  reached  the  level  plateau, 
which  was  as  smooth  and  barren  as  any  desert  we  had 
seen.  About  ten  miles  from  El  Paso,  the  road  descends 
from  the  highest  table  to  a  lower  terrace,  and  for  five 
miles  continues  over  broken  ground  with  low  hills  and 


378  CORRELITOS 

gullies,  when  it  strikes  the  bottom-land  of  the  Rio 
Grande.  The  sight  of  the  rich  valley  of  this  river, 
with  its  groves  and  forests  of  cotton-wood,  filled  my 
mind  with  the  most  pleasing  emotions.  I  was  again 
approaching  civilization,  at  a  place  too  where  I  had 
passed  an  agreeable  winter,  and  where  I  had  many 
kind  friends.  This  long  journey  from  the  Pacific, 
which  had  occupied  us  for  eighty-one  days,  was  now 
at  an  end,  and  we  should  have  a  little  rest.  Soon  the 
cultivated  fields  and  the  vineyards  opened  before  us, 
and  at  6  o'clock  we  again  entered  the  town  of  El  Paso 
del  Norte.  The  first  familiar  faces  we  met  were  those 
of  Captain  Jimenes  and  some  of  the  other  officers  of  the 
Mexican  Commission.  From  them  we  learned  that 
Lieutenant  Wilkins,  the  commanding  officer  of  the  U.  S. 
troops  at  El  Paso,  and  Mr.  Henry  Jacobs,  the  disburs- 
ing officer  of  the  U.  S.  Commission,  with  a  small  file  of 
troops,  had  been  out  several  miles  to  meet  us,  and  had 
just  returned.  They  had  heard  of  our  approach  by  a 
messenger  whom  I  despatched  two  days  before.  After 
some  delays  in  fording  the  Rio  Grande,  I  reached  my 
old  quarters  at  Magoffinsville,  opposite  the  town,  at  10 
o'clock,  P.  M. 

August  18th.  The  remainder  of  the  party  were 
unable  to  get  through  last  night,  and  came  in  this 
morning. 

Of  this  journey,  now  concluded,  which  embraced 
about  eleven  hundred  miles,  about  one  half  was  per- 
formed while  the  thermometer  ranged  above  100° 
during  the  day,  and  the  other  half  when  there  was 
scarcely  a  day  without  a  heavy  rain.  To  Lieutenant 
Whipple,  the  chief  engineer  and  astronomer  in  charge 


TO    EL    PASO.  379 

of  the  survey  of  the  Gila,  and  his  several  assistants,  the 
government  and  the  country  cannot  award  too  much 
praise  for  its  successful  accomplishment  under  such 
privations,  and  hardships,  together  with  so  many  and 
such  serious  difficulties. 

As  regards  the  health  of  the  party  on  this  journey 
from  California,  it  was  generally  good.  A  few  cases  of 
scurvy  occurred  among  the  escort ;  and  during  the  last 
two  weeks  before  reaching  El  Paso,  many  began  to  be 
afflicted  with  rheumatism,  and  fever  and  ague,  from 
their  constant  exposure  for  thirty-four  days  to  rains. 
There  were  also  some  cases  of  bowel  complaints  from 
time  to  time  ;  but  all  readily  yielded  to  medicine.  One 
most  painful  casualty  it  was  our  lot  to  meet  with,  in 
the  death  of  the  excellent  officer  and  friend  who  com- 
manded our  escort,  Colonel  Lewis  S.  Craig. 


SIXTH  DIVISION. 

EL  PASO  TO  THE  GULF  OF  MEXICO. 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

INCIDENTS   AT    EL    PASO    DEL    NORTE. 

Preparation  for  completing  the  Survey  of  the  Southern  Boundary  of  New 
Mexico — Withdrawal  of  the  military  from  El  Paso — Importance  of  El 
Paso  as  a  military  post — Its  business — Encroachments  of  the  Apaches — 
Depredations  of  the  Comanches — Suggestions  for  a  better  protection  of 
the  frontier — Colonel  Langberg — Visit  to  Fort  Fillmore — The  Mesilla 
valley — Visit  to  the  Organ  Mountains — Silver  mine — Grand  scenery — 
Return — Bracito  and  its  battle-field — Preparations  for  leaving  El  Paso 
— Mail  party  attacked  by  the  Comanches — Decide  to  go  by  way  of 
Chihuahua — Laxity  of  the  Mexican  Custom  House — Departure  of 
Lieutenant  Whipple  and  party  for  the  Gila — Organization  of  parties. 

The  first  step  now  to  be  taken  was  to  close  up  all  the 
business  of  the  Commission,  and  to  prepare  for  joining 
the  surveying  parties  on  the  lower  Rio  Grande.  I  had 
advices  here  from  Major  Emory,  the  principal  Surveyor 
of  the  Commission,  advising  me  of  the  progress  made 
on  that  portion  of  the  line.  Two  parties  had  been 
actively  engaged  in  the  work  ;  and  Major  E.  believed 
the  survey  would  be   completed  as  far  as  Loredo  by 


382  INCIDENTS    AT 

October,  and  the  whole  line  to  the  mouth  of  the  river 
by  the  4th  of  March,  1853,  if  no  unforeseen  obstacle 
was  placed  in  the  way. 

There  yet  remained  to  be  completed  that  portion 
of  the  line  on  the  parallel  of  32°  22'  north  latitude, 
which  was  to  extend  west  three  degrees  from  the  Rio 
Grande,  and  thence  north  to  the  Gila.  Of  this  line 
Lieutenant  Whipple,  while  acting  as  chief  astronomer, 
had  surveyed  and  laid  down  with  great  minuteness 
about  one  half,  and  had  also  determined  and  marked 
its  western  termination.  I  now  directed  the  same 
officer  to  organize  a  party,  and  as  soon  as  the  train  could 
be  got  ready  to  take  the  field  again,  to  resume  and  com- 
plete the  survey  of  the  line  referred  to,  in  the  same 
manner  in  which  he  had  begun  it. 

The  next  step  was  to  prepare  for  the  return  of  my- 
self and  party,  to  rejoin  Major  Emory  at  Eagle  Pass 
(Fort  Duncan).  More  wagons  had  to  be  procured  for 
Lieutenant  Whipple  as  well  as  for  myself;  and  all  those 
that  had  come  through  from  California  required  more 
or  less  repairs.  The  harness,  tents,  and  camp  equi- 
page too  required  a  thorough  overhauling ;  as  the  con- 
tinued wet  weather  and  constant  marching  had  told 
severely  on  every  thing.  I  was  so  fortunate  as  to  find 
mechanics  here,  who  were  at  once  employed  and  set 
to  work.  In  the  mean  time  the  mules  had  to  be 
brought  to  a  condition  fit  to  undertake  as  long  a  jour- 
ney as  that  they  had  just  completed.  They  were, 
therefore,  given  rations  of  corn  and  sent  to  the  moun- 
tain near,  where  there  was  grama  grass  in  abundance. 
But  they  had  become  so  thin,  that  many  weeks  would 
be  necessary,  under  the  best  care,  to  bring  them  up. 


EL    PASO    DEL    NORTE. 


383 


I  was  sorry  to  find  on  my  arrival,  that  the  military 
post,  which  was  here  when  I  left  the  year  before,  had 
been  broken  up  and  the  troops  withdrawn,  with  the 
exception  only  of  a  small  detachment  under  Lieutenant 
Wilkins,  which  was  quartered  at  Mr.  Magoffin's  rancho, 
in  the  same  building  where  I  was.  To  the  regret  of 
all  the  inhabitants,  even  this  small  force  was  withdrawn 
a  few  weeks  after.* 


Military  Post,  El  Paso. 


*  The  town  of  El  Paso  del  Norte,  so  frequently  alluded  to,  is  on  the 
Mexican  side  of  the  river.  On  the  American  side  there  was  no  settle- 
ment until  after  the  war,  and  the  rich  bottoms  were  but  partially  cul- 
tivated or  suffered  to  run  to  waste.  At  present,  there  are  three  settle- 
ments here,  viz.,  Mr,  Coon's  ranch  with  its  adjoining  buildmgs,  which 
was  formerly  the  military  post ;  Mr.  Stevenson's  ranch,  with  another 
croup  of  buildings;  and  MagofBnsville.      This  last  is  now  the  principal 


384  INCIDENTS    AT 

The  Apaches  had  been  more  bold  than  usual  dur- 
ing the  spring  and  summer  of  1852  ;  and  the  whole 
frontier  had  suffered  from  their  inroads.  Many  men 
had  been  killed  within  a  few  miles  of  El  Paso ;  and  at 
the  astronomical  observatory,  at  Frontera,  eight  miles 
distant,  a  man  was  pierced  with  arrows  while  herding 
the  animals  within  a  few  rods  of  the  house.  Mr.  Magof- 
fin's corral  had  been  several  times  entered,  and  his 
mules  stolen  ;  and  many  other  citizens  there  had  been 
sufferers.  On  two  occasions,  while  I  remained  at  Magof- 
finsville,  the  Indians  made  attempts  to  run  off  the 
animals  of  the  Commission,  but  were  frustrated,  by 
being  discovered  in  time  to  prevent  the  stampede. 
No  one  could  venture  alone,  with  safety,  three  miles 
from  the  settlement,  and  when  I  went  to  take  a  ride, 
if  it  was  extended  as  far  as  three  miles,  I  felt  it  neces- 
sary to  be  accompanied  by  several  friends.  Such  was 
the  state  of  the  Mexican  frontier  in  1852. 

As  the  question  has  been  repeatedly  asked,  What  is 
to  be  done  with  the  large  tribes  of  Indians  on  the 
Mexican  frontier  ?  and  as  there  is  still  a  diversity  of 
opinion  on  the  subject,  I  shall  take  the  present  occa- 
sion to  make   a  few  suggestions,  based  upon  what  I 

settlement,  and  represents  the  American  El  Paso.  It  consists  of  a  large 
square,  around  which  are  substantial  adobe  buildings  of  a  bettter  de- 
scription than  usual,  embracing  some  six  or  eight  large  stores  and  ware- 
houses, well  filled  with  merchandise.  This  town  is  admirably  situated, 
and  belongs  wholly  to  James  W.  Magoffin,  Esq.,  an  American,  long 
resident  in  Mexico,  whose  energy  and  public  spirit  will  undoubtedly 
make  it  the  principal  place  on  the  frontier.  Its  position,  as  astronomi- 
cally determined  by  Lt.  Whipple,  is,  Latitude  North,  31°  46'  05"  5. 
Longitude  West  from  Greenwich,  1°  5'  24/x.  Distance  due  South  to 
the  centre  of  the  channel  of  the  Rio  Grande,  2,226  feet. 


EL    PASO    DEL    NORTE.  385 

have  learned  from  personal  observation,  and  my  inter- 
course with  the  Indians. 

It  is  known  that  we  already  have  along  this  fron- 
tier, but  chiefly  in  the  State  of  Texas  and  the  territory 
of  New  Mexico,  a  large  military  force,  embracing  full 
two-thirds  of  the  army,  which  is  supported  at  an  enor- 
mous expense.  Military  posts  have  been  established 
at  various  points  on  the  Rio  Grande,  and  in  the  very 
heart  of  the  Indian  country,  in  Texas,  and  New- 
Mexico.  Yet  two  of  the  largest  and  most  widely 
spread  tribes,  the  Comanches  and  the  Apaches,  are  as 
actively  hostile  to  the  Americans  and  the  Mexicans  as 
they  were  before  the  country  occupied  by  them,  be- 
came a  part  of  the  Union.  At  no  period  have  the 
incursions  been  more  frequent,  or  attended  with  greater 
atrocities,  than  at  the  present  time.  The  Comanches 
pass  across  the  Rio  Grande  into  Mexico,  in  bands  of 
300  or  400,  and  penetrate  the  very  heart  of  Chihuahua ; 
they  have  passed  into  Durango  and  Zacatecas,  and  have 
traversed  Coahuila  and  Nueva  Leon.  The  extent  of  the 
depredations  and  murders  committed  by  them  would  be 
appalling,  if  summed  up.*  Yet  the  system  flourishes 
in  full  vigor,  notwithstanding  the  efforts  made  to  sup- 
press it  on  the.  part  of  the  United  States,  in  compliance 
with  the  solemn  stipulations  of  the  Treaty  with 
Mexico. 

The  depredations  of  the  Apaches  are  less  serious, 
only  because  their  numbers  are  less,  and  they  have  a 
more  thinly  settled  country  for  their  operations.     In 

*  Some  idea  of  the  extent  to  which,  this  predatory  warfare  is  carried 
on,  can  be  formed  from  the  following  report  of  the  amount  of  stock  stolen 
by  the  Indians  in  the  territory  of  ISTew  Mexico,  from  the  1st  of  August, 
vol.  ii. — 25 


386  INCIDENTS   AT 

Mexico  these  are  confined  to  the  northern  portions  of 
the  States  of  Sonora  and  Chihuahua.  These  regions, 
once  inhabited  by  a  peaceful  and  happy  population, 
are  now  deserted,  and  the  fertile  valleys  they  tilled 
are  reverting  to  the  condition  of  a  wilderness. 

The  numbers  of  both  these  tribes  have  been,  in  my 
opinion,  much  overrated.  That  of  the  Comanches, 
from  the  most  reliable  information  I  could  obtain, 
falls  short  of  12,000.  Their  range  is  from  the  Mexican 
States  alluded  to,  to  the  Buffalo  region,  north  and  east  of 
Santa  Fe.  In  the  fall  and  winter  season  their  home  is 
near  the  Rio  Grande,  in  the  Bolson  de  Mapimi,  a  vast 
basin  shut  in  by  high  mountains  at  the  west.  Here 
they  enjoy  uninterrupted  possession  of  a  wide  extent 
of  country,  whence  they  make  their  sallies  into  the 
heart  of  Mexico.  The  Apaches,  whose  number 
does  not  exceed  5000,*  extend  from  the  vicinity  of 
the  Pecos  through   the  States  of  Chihuahua,  Sonora, 

1846,  to  the  1st  of  October,  1850,  as  taken  by  the  Assistant-Marshals 
of  the  United  States : 

Counties.  Sheep.  Mules.  Horses.  Horned  Cattle. 

Santa  Fe  16,260  570  267  894 

Taos  17,080  1,032  1,764  5,600 

Rio  Arriba  43,580  1,960  658  2,382 

San  Miguel  50,000  7,000  3,000  21,000 

Santa  Ana  and)     m  915  Y49  987  1,302 

.Bernardo        \  ' 

Valencia  171,558  376  372  1,463 


Total,     453,293  12,887  7,050  31,581 

*  It  is  no  easy  matter  to  form  a  correct  estimate  of  the  number  of 
Indians  in  a  tribe,  unless  they  are  actually  counted.  This  is  evident 
from  the  varying  reports  of  different  agents  and  travellers.  In  the  tables 
of  the  Indian  population  of  the  United  States,  in.  Mr.  Schoolcraft's  great 


EL   PASO   DEL   NORTE.  387 

and  the  territory  of  New  Mexico,  to  the  confines  of 
the  Colorado  of  the  West.  They  are  less  nomadic 
in  their  habits  than  the  Comanches,  and  have  districts 
in  which  their  families  permanently  reside. 

This  tribe,  from  the  time  they  are  first  mentioned 
by  Father  Kino,  in  the  year  1694,  have  been  a  nation 
of  robbers.  Their  hand  is  against  every  other  tribe, 
and  that  of  all  others  against  them.  It  was  they  who 
drove  out  the  peaceable  people  and  semi-civilized 
tribes  from  the  Gila,  and  destroyed  the  builders  of  the 
ancient  edifices  we  have  spoken  of.  Every  account  we 
have  represents  them  as  a  treacherous  and  blood- 
thirsty people,  living  by  plunder  alone.  They  have 
made  repeated  treaties  with  the  States  of  Sonora  and 
Chihuahua,  only  to  be  broken  on  the  first  favorable 
opportunity ;  and  the  treaties  recently  made  with  the 
United  States  have  been  as  little  regarded. 

I  proposed  to  the  principal  chiefs  that  they  should 
abandon  cattle-stealing,  and  cultivate  the  ground ; 
telling  them  if  they  would  do  so,  the  U.  S.  government 
would  instruct  and  protect  them,  giving  them  blankets 
and  clothing  besides.  The  old  chiefs  said  they  could 
not  adopt  this  new  fashion,  although  the  boys  and 

work,  the  Comanches  are  variously  set  down,  from  the  year  1846  to 
1850,  at  from  12,000  to  20,000.  The  Apaches  embrace  so  many  bands, 
and  are  so  widely  scattered,  that  it  is  extremely  difficult  to  enumerate  them. 
Mr.  Schoolcraft,  from  the  latest  authorities,  puts  the  Apache  bands  in  Texas 
at  3500  in  New  Mexico  at  6000,  and  in  the  unexplored  parts  north  of 
the  Gila  at  2000,  making  altogether  11,500;  which  I  think  too  high- 
It  is  unusual  to  find  200  of  them  together ;  and  throughout  the  States 
of  Sonora  and  Chihuahua,  I  heard  of  the  same  chiefs  that  we  met  and 
with  whom  we  kept  up  so  long  an  intercourse  at  the  Copper  Mines,  and 
who  were,  of  course,  accompanied  by  the  same  bands. 


388  INCIDENTS   AT 

young  men  might  do  so.  They  said  they  would  not 
rob  or  murder  the  Americans,  but  could  not  be  brought 
to  promise  the  same  with  regard  to  the  Mexicans. 

What,  then,  is  absolutely  necessary,  for  the  sake  of 
these  Indians  themselves  as  well  as  of  our  frontier 
population,  is  to  convince  them  of  the  overwhelming 
superiority  of  force  on  our  side ;  and  to  show  them 
that,  if  they  wish  to  escape  utter  extermination,  they 
must  lay  aside  their  predatory  habits,  and  learn  to 
live  by  the  labor  of  their  own  hands. 

To  effect  this,  a  change  should  be  made  in  the 
system  pursued  at  the  frontier  posts.  Soldiers  should 
not  go  into  quarters,  and  then  quietly  remain  devoting 
themselves  to  agriculture.  Better  would  it  be  for  the 
government  to  pay  double  the  price  it  now  does  for 
its  wheat  and  corn,  than  to  employ  the  soldiers  in 
cultivating  it;  for  the  consequence  of  the  present 
system  is,  that  by  their  attending  to  the  fields,  they 
become  unfitted  for  and  neglect  their  proper  duty 
as  soldiers. 

I  would  suggest,  that  with  the  opening  of  the 
spring,  the  soldiers  should  leave  their  quarters,  and  be 
kept  moving  from  one  point  to  another.  Let  them  be 
a  few  days  in  a  mountain  pass,  next  at  some  oasis  in 
the  desert  whither  the  savage  must  resort  to  satisfy  his 
parching  thirst,  and  again  in  some  of  those  beautiful 
valleys  covered  with  luxuriant  grass,  which  are  also 
his  resort  after  his  predatory  excursions,  that  he  may 
recruit  his  animals.  This  active  life  would  be  much 
more  agreeable  and  healthy  for  the  men  than  the 
inactivity  of  a  garrison,  and  would  tend  more  to 
overawe  and  subdue  the  Indians. 


EL   PASO   DEL   NORTE.  389 

A  difficulty  arises  when  the  Indians,  on  being 
pursued,  take  refuge  in  Mexico,  where  our  troops 
cannot  follow  them.  Some  arrangement  should  be 
entered  into  by  which  small  bodies  of  U.  S.  soldiers 
may  be  permitted,  on  such  occasions,  to  enter  Mexican 
territory  within  prescribed  limits.  This  plan  would 
be  agreeable  to  the  Mexican  authorities,  as  they 
informed  me. 

I  have  no  doubt  that  much  might  yet  be  accom- 
plished by  sending  suitable  agents  among  the  Indians ; 
men  who  are  at  heart  philanthropists,  and  who  will  ear- 
nestly engage  in  the  work  of  ameliorating  their  condi- 
tion. Much  good  could  be  done,  too,  by  sending 
mechanics  among  them,  particularly  carpenters  and 
blacksmiths,  also  a  supply  of  implements  of  husbandry. 
Most  of  the  tribes  beyond  the  Rio  Grande  are  more  or 
less  agriculturists;  and  an  attempt  should  be  made  to 
bring  the  wild  Apaches  and  Comanches  into  the  same 
condition.  The  pursuit  most  immediately  adapted  to 
their  nature  and  habits  would  be  the  raising  of  cattle 
and  mules ;  a  business  which  they  could  most  profit- 
ably pursue,  and  which  they  fully  understand  already. 
The  rising  generation  could  be  advanced  a  step 
further,  and  taught  the  first  principles  of  agricul- 
ture. 

A  plan  has  been  proposed  in  California  to  drive 
all  the  tribes  of  that  country  to  New  Mexico.  This  is 
wrong  ;  and  the  project  ought  not,  for  a  moment,  to  be 
entertained.  As  a  writer  on  the  subject  remarks, 
it  would  be  "  turning  New  Mexico  into  an  area  for 
the  mutual  extermination  of  the  Indians,  or  else  driv- 
ing a  portion  of  them  from  their  old  homes  to  join  the 


390  INCIDENTS   AT 

predatory  bands  which  are  now  desolating  that  coun- 
try. The  policy  of  concentration  is  a  pernicious  one, 
and  can  have  but  one  result :  it  will  stimulate  their 
fondness  for  war,  and  render  necessary  an  armed  and 
an  annihilating  protection  to  our  citizens.  Besides 
this,  there  is  but  little  game  in  that  country,  and  the 
arable  lands  could  not  support  such  numbers  as  would 
be  brought  into  it  if  the  plan  should  be  carried  out. 

The  onlv  excursion  I  was  able  to  make,  while 
waiting  for  the  train  to  be  got  ready,  was  to  Fort 
Fillmore.  Towards  the  close  of  September,  Colonel 
Langberg  of  the  Mexican  army,  and  military  inspector 
of  the  frontier,  proposed  to  me  to  visit  Colonel  Miles, 
commanding  at  that  Fort ;  I  gladly  took  advantage  of 
the  opportunity. 

On  the  day  appointed  I  took  my  carriage,  and, 
accompanied  by  Colonel  Langberg,  Dr.  Webb,  Mr.  H. 
Jacobs,  and  ten  dragoons,  set  off  for  Fort  Fillmore, 
about  45  miles  distant  from  El  Paso ;  which  we  reach- 
ed at  sunset,  and  where  we  were  politely  received  by 
Colonel  Miles  and  the  officers  with  him. 

This  Fort  was  established  in  1851,  when  the 
military  posts  at  Dona  Ana  and  El  Paso  were  aban- 
doned ;  as  it  was  thought  that  its  position  was 
better  than  either  of  those,  and  that  it  would  be 
sufficient  for  this  frontier.  It  contained  at  the  time 
of  our  visit  about  two  hundred  soldiers,  infantry  and 
dragoons,  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Miles  of  the 
3d  Infantry.  It  occupied  a  commanding  position 
above  the  bottom-lands  ;  whence  the  valley  of  the  Rio 
Grande  can  be  seen  for  many  miles.  Nearly  opposite 
is  the  town   of  Mesilla :    and  extending    above   and 


EL    PASO    DEL   NORTE.  391 

below  it,  is  that  portion  of  the  bottom-lands  known  as 
the  "Mesilla  Valley,"*  which  is  now  occupying  the 
public  attention,  as  connected  with  the  boundary  dis- 

*  Mesilla  is  the  derivative  of  the  Spanish  mesa,  table ;  and,  as  here 
applied,  means  a  small  plateau,  or  table-land,  to  distinguish  it  from  the 
great  table-land  which  extends  for  many  hundred  miles  on  both  sides  of 
the  Rio  Grande,  and  which  is  not  susceptible  of  cultivation.  It  was 
without  an  inhabitant  until  the  year  1850. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  with  Mexico,  the  majority  of  the  inhabitants 
of  Dona  Ana  determined  to  leave  that  place,  in  consequence  of  the 
encroachments  of  the  Americans,  who  endeavoured  to  despoil  them  of 
their  property.  Whether  the  Mexican  occupants  of  the  town  and  lands 
adjacent  were  the  lawful  owners  or  not,  it  is  needless  to  inquire ;  it  is 
sufficient  to  say  that  they  had  long  been  in  undisturbed  possession. 

With  this  resolution,  a  spot  was  selected  on  the  opposite  or  western 
side  of  the  river,  eight  or  ten  miles  below  Dona  Ana,  which,  it  was 
believed,  would  be  within  the  limits  of  Mexico.  In  the  month  of  May, 
1850,  this  people  established  themselves  there,  and  named  the  place 
"La  Mesilla."  To  increase  the  colony,  the  government  of  Mexico 
offered  to  give  lands  to  other  actual  settlers;  which  offer  induced  large 
numbers  of  dissatisfied  Mexicans  living  in  New  Mexico  and  in  the 
small  settlements  along  the  Rio  Grande,  in  Texas,  to  remove  thither. 
More  than  half  the  population  of  Dona  Ana  removed  to  Mesilla  within 
a  year. 

When  the  boundary  line  was  agreed  upon,  in  December,  1850,  and 
it  became  certain  that  La  Mesilla  was  south  of  it,  the  fears  they  had 
begun  to  entertain  were  removed,  and  a  day  was  set  apart  for  public  re- 
joicing. After  this,  the  population  increased  much  on  account  of  the 
inducements  offered;  and  in  October,  1852,  the  Prefect  of  El  Paso 
stated  that  it  numbered  1,900  souls. 

Very  few  Americans  settled  there — in  fact,  none  but  traders ;  and  it 
is  probable  there  never  were  twenty  altogether. 

Last  summer  (1853)  some  speculators  attempted  the  same  imposi- 
tions as  were  practised  when  they  were  citizens  of  New  Mexico,  by 
claiming  their  lands.  This  created  such  dissatisfaction,  that  they  threat- 
ened to  leave,  and  again  become  citizens  of  the  United  States.     At  this 


392  INCIDENTS   AT 

pute.  The  town  of  Cruces  is  about  three,  and  Dona  Ana 
about  eleven  miles  further  up  the  valley.  The  bottom- 
lands are  exceedingly  fertile  on  both  banks  of  the 
river ;  and  I  am  not  aware  that  they  are  better  situ- 
ated or  more  productive  on  one  bank  than  on  the 
other.  The  barracks  at  Fort  Fillmore  are  as  yet 
quite  rude,  being  mere  jackals,  that  is,  built  of  upright 
sticks  tilled  in  with  mud.  They  were  hastily  put  up ; 
but  it  is  the  intention  of  Colonel  Miles  to  have  more 
substantial  buildings  of  adobe  erected  forthwith.  There 
is  no  better  material  in  this  country  for  buildings  than 
this. 

I  took  the  opportunity  while  at  Fort  Fillmore  to 
visit  a  silver  mine,  which  had  been  discovered  a  few 
months  previous,  and  which  was  now  being  worked  by 
its  owner,  Hugh  Stevenson,  Esq.,  of  El  Paso.  The  mine 
is  situated  in  the  Organ  Mountains,  about  eighteen 
miles  east  of  the  Fort ;  and  as  these  mountains  are  the 
haunts  of  the  Apaches,  Colonel  Miles  kindly  furnished 
us  with  an  escort  of  ten  dragoons,  commanded  by  Major 
Steen,  an  officer  familiar  with  this  region,  and  expe- 
rienced in  Indian  campaigns. 

By  taking  an  early  start  we  reached  the  nearest 
point  in  the  mountains,  about  twelve  miles  distant, 
before  10  o'clock,  having  traversed  a  desert  plain  with 
a  gradual  ascent  the  whole  way.  On  reaching  a  defile 
which  leads  across  the  ridge. '  Major  Steen  and  Dr. 
Webb  took  a  portion  of  the  dragoons  and  went  to  the 

time  some  mischievous  persons  put  the  idea  into  their  heads  of  saving 
their  property  by  denying  the  jurisdiction  of  Mexico  ;  and  this  is  doubt- 
less the  foundation  of  the  statement  that  they  desire  to  be  annexed  to 
the  United  States. 


EL    PASO    DEL    NORTE. 


393 


mine,  which  was  about  five  miles  farther  to  the  north, 
while  I  remained  with  the  rest  to  examine  the  defile. 
I  then  took  my  rifle,  and  walked  a  couple  of  miles 
through  it  and  the  deep  gorges  which  indent  the  ridge. 
In  this  ramble  I  passed  a  beautiful  little  stream,  which, 
rising  far  within  the  defile,  wound  its  way  along  through 


Organ  Mountains 


many  intricacies,  where  it  had  worn  for  itself  a  deep 
bed,  until  it  tumbled  over  the  rocks  in  a  single  fall  of 
some  fifty  feet.  Although  the  quantity  of  water  was 
small,  the  fall  was  exceedingly  picturesque.  When  far 
up  in  this  mountain,  whither  I  was  led  with  some  of 


394  INCIDENTS   AT 

the  dragoons  in  pursuit  of  a  deer,  we  saw  fresh  Indian 
tracks ;  and  not  knowing  but  an  arrow  or  a  lance 
might  be  thrown  at  us  from  behind  some  rock  or  bush, 
we  thought  it  best  to  return. 

The  "Sierra  de  los  Organos,"  or  Organ  Mountains,  are 
so  named  from  their  pinnacled  summits  and  sides,  which 
resemble  the  pipes  of  an  organ.  They  are  of  a  light 
gray  granite,  and  rise  to  the  height  of  3000  feet  above 
the  river.  The  range  runs  north  and  south,  and  joins 
the  El  Paso  Mountains,  not  far  from  the  town  of  that 
name.  The  defiles  are  filled  with  large  pines,  and  the 
more  open  valley,  with  live-oaks.  Pine  timber  is  here 
cut  and  drawn  by  mules  to  where  it  can  be  reached 
with  wagons. 

From  the  place  where  we  halted  and  lunched, 
I  took  a  sketch  of  these  mountains  and  of  the  defile 
through  which  I  had  passed.  A  small  stream  flowed 
near  us,  marked  by  a  line  of  fine  large  oaks.  Midway 
between  this  spot  and  the  mountains  rises  a  bold  mass 
of  white  granite. 

In  the  afternoon  Major  Steen  and  Dr.  Webb 
returned  from  the  silver  mine,  bringing  specimens  of 
the  ore.  We  then  harnessed  and  saddled  up  for  our 
return  to  the  Fort,  which  we  reached  at  nine  o'clock. 

We  passed  a  few  days  very  agreeably  at  Fort  Fill- 
more, partaking  of  the  hospitalities  of  Colonel  Miles 
and  his  officers.  This  visit,  too,  was  rendered  doubly 
agreeable,  by  the  society  of  four  American  ladies,  be- 
longing to  the  families  of  the  officers,  who  had  had  the 
courage  to  accompany  the  army  on  its  toilsome  march 
of  three  months  across  the  plains.  These  were  the 
only  American  ladies  I  had  met  between  San  Antonio 


EL    PASO    DEL   NORTE.  395 

and  the  Pacific  coast,  and  were,  I  believe,  the  only  ones 
on  this  portion  of  the  frontier. 

On  our  return  we  made  a  noon  halt  on  the  banks 
of  the  river,  near  the  spot  where  the  gallant  Doniphan 
won  his  first  laurels,  the  battle-field  of  Bracito.  Al- 
though this  place  is  laid  down  on  the  maps,  there  is  no 
town  nor  even  a  single  habitation  to  mark  the  spot. 
The  battle  was  fought  on  an  open  plain,  the  very  last 
place  one  would  expect  the  Mexicans  to  choose  for 
meeting  an  invading  army,  unless  confident,  as  it  ap- 
pears they  were,  of  overwhelming  them  at  once.  Had 
the  Mexicans  taken  a  stand  in  the  mountain  pass,  they 
might  have  given  some  trouble  ;  but  even  then  they 
could  only  have  retarded  a  little  the  progress  of  the  con- 
querors.* 

*  I  quote  from  Colonel  Doniphan's  despatch  a  brief  account  of  this 
affair : — "  On  the  23d  of  March,  we  commenced  our  march  from  Dona 
Ana ;  and  on  the  25th,  our  advance  of  500  men  had  halted  for  the  pur- 
pose of  camping,  about  three  o'clock.  Our  men  were  engaged  in  getting 
wood  and  water,  when  our  advanced  guard  informed  us  the  enemy  was 
rapidly  advancing  at  a  short  distance.  The  rear,  under  Colonel  Jackson, 
was  several  miles  behind ;  the  rally  was  immediately  sounded,  and  our 
forces  formed  in  open  order  on  foot  as  skirmishers.  The  enemy  halted 
at  half  a  mile,  and  formed  in  line  of  battle.  Before  we  had  fully  formed, 
they  sent  a  lieutenant  near  our  lines  with  a  black  flag,  with  a  demand 
that  the  commander  of  our  forces  should  go  to  their  lines  and  confer  with 
their  commander ;  declaring,  at  the  same  time,  unless  it  was  complied 
with,  they  would  charge  and  take  him,  and  neither  ask  nor  give  quarter. 
The  reply  was  more  abrupt  than  decorous — 'To  charge,  and  be  d — d.' 
At  the  return  of  the  black  flag,  the  enemy  commenced  his  charge,  and 
opened  a  fire  on  us  from  right  to  left,  at  about  400  yards.  Our  forces 
were  ordered  to  receive  their  fire  without  returning  it,  until  it  could 
prove  effective.  Three  rounds  were  fired  by  the  whole  line,  before  they  had 
advanced  within  rifle  shot.    I  then  ordered  their  fire  to  be  returned.     This 


396  INCIDENTS   AT 

It  had  been  my  intention,  when  leaving  El  Paso,  to 
take  the  San  Antonio  road  as  far  as  the  Leona  station, . 
about  six  hundred  miles,  and  there  turn  off  to  Eagle 
Pass,  where  I  expected  to  meet  Major  Emory ;  and  for 
this  journey  all  my  arrangements  were  made.  The 
military  escort  was  alone  wanting,  and  this  was  one 
object  of  my  visit  to  Fort  Fillmore,  where  a  portion 
of  the  company  originally  detailed  for  the  purpose 
were  waiting  orders.  Much  to  my  disappointment  I 
found  there  but  twenty-four  effective  men  belonging  to 
the  company,  a  number  barely  sufficient  for  an  escort 
for  Lieutenant  Whipple. 

In  this  position,  I  was  at  a  loss  what  course  to  take, 
or  how  to  get  out  of  the  country.  Every  small  party 
coming  through  from  San  Antonio  had  been  attacked 
by  the  Comanches ;  and  accounts  had  reached  El  Paso 
that  bands  of  three  hundred  warriors  had  been  seen. 
At  no  time  had  there  been  so  much  alarm  felt ;  and  I 
was  advised,  by  the  army  officers  and  others,  who 
knew  the  state  of  the  country,  not  to  attempt  the  jour- 
ney, with  so  small  a  party  as  mine,  without  an  escort. 
The  officers  and  men  of  the  Commission,  myself  includ- 
ed, had  performed  guard  duty  from  the  Pimo  villages 
to  El  Paso  ;  and  we  did  not  feel  disposed  to  do  it  again 
on   the  long  march  to  Eagle  Pass.     At  this  juncture 

was  done  from  right  to  left,  along  the  whole  line  simultaneously,  which 
completely  checked  their  advance,  and  threw  them  into  great  disorder. 
A  charge  was  now  made,  when  the  enemy  fled  to  the  mountains  con- 
tiguous. The  force  of  the  enemy  was  1220,  of  which  537  were  caval- 
ry. *  *  *  The  loss  of  the  enemy  was  43  killed,  and  150  reported  at 
El  Paso  to  be  wounded.  Our  loss  was  none  killed — V  wounded  ;  all 
since  recovered." 


EL    PASO    DEL    NORTE.  397 

Colonel  Langberg  kindly  tendered  me  an  escort  of 
Mexican  soldiers,  in  case  I  would  take  the  route  by 
the  city  of  Chihuahua,  and  thence  through  the  States 
of  Durango,  Coahuila,  Nueva  Leon,  and  Tamaulipas,  to 
such  point  as  I  wished  to  reach  on  the  Lower  Rio 
Grande.  This  offer,  after  due  consideration,  I  accept- 
ed, and  advised  Major  Emory  of  my  decision,  request- 
ing him  to  meet  me  at  a  point  lower  down  the  river 
than  Eagle  Pass,  which  would  probably  be  Comargo. 

About  this  time  the  mail  party  from  San  Antonio 
arrived.  They  had  been  attacked  and  surrounded  by 
a  large  body  of  Indians  ;  but  had  kept  their  assailants 
at  bay  for  several  days,  by  entrenching  themselves 
behind  some  rocks.  This  party  consisted  of  men  cele- 
brated as  Indian  fighters,  and  was  commanded  by  Mr. 
Wallace,  one  of  the  most  intrepid  and  experienced 
men  on  the  frontier.  Every  Indian  who  exposed  him- 
self was  instantly  brought  down  by  a  shot  from  the 
unerring  rifle,  until  they  were  actually  driven  from  the 
field.  Mr.  Wallace  returned  to  San  Antonio,  procured 
a  new  outfit,  and  strengthened  his  party  ;  he  then  set 
out  again,  and  came  through  with  the  mail  in  safety. 

During  my  stay  here,  one  of  those  events  took  place 
which  are  not  unusual  on  the  Mexican  frontier,  and 
which  sometimes  produce  a  rupture  between  the  Mexi- 
can government  and  its  people. 

It  is  known  that  the  duty  of  sixty  per  cent,  imposed 
by  Mexico  on  many  articles  of  merchandise,  amounts  to 
a  prohibition.  Yet,  owing  to  the  laxity  of  the  custom- 
house officials,  the  law  has  been  evaded,  and  goods 
regularly  admitted  at  a  mere  nominal  rate.  Each  col- 
lector knows  that  if  he  exacts  the  legal  duty,  either  the 


398  INCIDENTS   AT 

merchandise  will  be  smuggled  in,  or  some  brother-col- 
lector, less  conscientious  and  more  anxious  to  pocket 
the  fees,  will  be  ready  to  compound  for  a  smaller  sum. 
It  accordingly  became  the  practice  to  admit  trains  of 
merchandise  for  the  interior  of  Mexico  by  paying  five 
hundred  dollars  on  each  wagon  load.  This  free  and  easy 
way  of  doing  business  had  certainly  the  advantage  of 
saving  clerk  hire,  as  well  as  removing  the  necessity  of 
examining  invoices,  and  all.  contention  as  to  the  cost  or 
value  of  goods. 

A  leading  merchant  of  the  city  of  Chihuahua,  who 
for  some  reason  had  become  inimical  to  the  govern- 
ment, had  a  train  of  some  sixty  or  seventy  wagons  and 
carts  filled  with  goods,  on  its  way  from  San  Antonio 
to  that  city,  by  the  way  of  the  Presidio  del  Norte.  The 
authorities,  being  informed  of  the  approach  of  the  train, 
were  determined  that  it  should  not  pass  without  a 
thorough  examination  and  payment  of  the  full  duties; 
to  insure  which,  a  military  force  was  sent  to  the  cross- 
ing place.  In  consequence  of  this  unlooked-for  obsta- 
cle, the  whole  train  came  up  to  El  Paso,  about  two  hun- 
dred miles  out  of  its  way,  for  the  purpose  of  entering 
here  ;  but  the  military  force,  which  was  under  the 
command  of  Colonel  Langberg,  was  ordered  hither  also, 
to  prevent  the  entry  of  the  goods  except  at  the  full 
duty.  The  collector  of  El  Paso  was  disposed  to  pass 
the  goods  after  the  usual  convenient  fashion,  in  which 
he  was  supported  by  the  merchants  and  municipal 
authorities  of  the  place  ;  while  Colonel  Langberg,  act- 
ing under  orders  from  the  capital,  was  determined  that 
they  should  not,  and  declared  his  intention  to  arrest 
and  imprison  the  collector,  Don  Alejo  Garcia  Conde, 


EL    PASO   DEL    NORTE.  399 

if  he  did  not  strictly  enforce  the  legal  duties.  The 
collector  armed  himself  and  his  party,  and  the  train 
prepared  to  cross  and  fight  their  way  through.  As 
might  be  supposed,  there  was  great  excitement,  and  it 
was  feared  blood  would  be  shed ;  but  the  affair  passed 
off  quietly.  The  train  crossed  the  river,  each  teamster 
armed  with  a  whip  and  rifle ;  and  to  avoid  a  conflict, 
Colonel  Langberg  sent  an  armed  guard  with  the  train 
to  Chihuahua,  which  was  followed  by  the  collector, 
to  settle  the  difficulty  there. 

On  the  1st  of  October,  Lieutenant  Whipple  took 
his  departure,  to  complete  the  survey  of  the  line  form- 
ing the  southern  boundary  of  New  Mexico,  before 
referred  to. 

Lieut.  A.  W.  Whipple,  Corps  Top.  Eng.,  Astronomer  in  Command. 

Hugh  Campbell,  First  Assistant. 

Frank  Wheaton,  Assistant  and  Topographer. 

William  White,  Jr.,      Assistant. 

George  G.  Garner,  Do. 

These,  with  sixteen  men  as  instrument  carriers,  mechan- 
ics, laborers,  teamsters,  servants,  arrieros,  etc.,  made 
the  party.  He  had  also  a  military  escort  of  twenty-four 
men.  They  were  all  mounted,  save  the  soldiers ;  while 
both  wagons  and  pack-mules  furnished  the  necessary 
transportation. 

My  own  party,  then  about  to  leave,  comprised, — 

Dr.  Thomas  H.  Webb,    Sec.  of  the  Joint  Commission  and  Surgeon. 
Henry  Jacobs,  Assistant  Secretary  and  Disbursing  Agent. 

George  Thurber,  Acting  Quarter-Master   and    Commissary, 

and  Botanist. 
Henry  C.  Pratt,  Draughtsman  and  Artist. 


400  INCIDENTS    AT    EL    PASO    DEL   NORTE. 

The  following  gentlemen,  belonging  to  the  engineer 
corps,  accompanied  me,  to  join  Major  Emory  and  enter 
upon  their  duties  on  the  lower  Rio  Grande. 

Charles  Radziminski,    Principal  Assistant  Surveyor. 

Malcolm  Seaton,  Assistant  Do. 

Henry  C.  Force,  Do.  Do. 

John  J.  Pratt,  of  Lieut.  Whipple's  party,  returning  on  account  of  ill 

health. 
Wm.  Ferguson,  Carpenter. 

Six  teamsters,  one  carriage  driver,  and  six  men  as 
servants,  cooks,  laborers,  and  herdsmen. 


EL    PASO    TO    CHIHUAHUA.  401 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII 

EL     PASO     TO     CHIHUAHUA. 

Departure  from  El  Paso — Accident  at  the  start — Farewell  to  friends — San 
Eleazario — Fording  the  Eio  Grande — -Wagon  upset — Guadalupe — 
Ascend  the  Table-land — Grassy  plains  and  open  country — Ojo  de  Lucero 
— Laguna  de  los  Patos — Country  overflowed — "Wagon  mired — More 
accidents — Carrizal — Ojo  Caliente — Rio  Carmen — Encounter  with  the 
Apaches — A  man  killed — Animals  lost — Ojo  de  Callejo — Mexican 
soldiers — Precautions  to  avoid  a  surprise — Laguna  de  Encinillas — El 
Penol — El  Sauz — Rio  Sacramento — Battle  field — Notice  of  the  battle — 
Arrival  at  Chihuahua. 

October   6th.      All    being   in    readiness    to  start,   the 

train  drew  ujd  in  front  of  Mr.  Magoffin's  store-house,  to 

take  in  a  supply  of  corn.     While  standing  here,  the 

mules,  which  had  not  been  in  harness  for  six  weeks  or 

more,   became  uneasy,  and,  turning  suddenly  round, 

broke  off  two  of  the  wagon  tongues  ;  which  compelled 

us  to  wait  another  day  for  repairs. 

There  is  no   grass  along  the   river   after   leaving 

Isleta.      This  made  it  necessary  to  send  off  a  wagon 

load  of  corn,  to  be  delivered  to  us  about  eighty  miles 

ahead.     In  addition  to  this,  each  team  carried  a  few 

bags. 

vol.  ii.— 26 


402  EL    PASO 

October  Yth.  The  broken  tongues  being  replaced, 
the  train  moved  off  in  the  afternoon,  in  charge  of  Mr. 
George  Thurber,  intending  to  go  as  far  as  Isleta,  12 
miles  distant. 

October  8th.  The  day  had  now  arrived  when  I 
was  to  take  leave  of  my  friends  at  El  Paso.  Friends 
at  home,  where  we  have  numbers,  are  not  always 
valued  as  they  should  be ;  but  in  a  country  like  this, 
on  the  borders  of  civilization,  one  knows  how  to  appre- 
ciate them.  I  had  now  been  here  seven  weeks,  and 
during  the  winter  of  1850-51,  five  months,  while  wait- 
ing the  arrival  of  the  chief  astronomer.  With  many 
gentlemen  here,  particularly  J.  W.  Magoffin,  Esq.,  I 
had  transacted  business  to  a  large  extent,  and  in  a 
manner  which  to  me,  as  an  agent  of  the  government, 
was  highly  satisfactory.  To  them  I  take  this  occasion 
to  express  my  sincere  thanks  for  the  promptness  with 
which  they  fulfilled  my  orders,  often  to  their  own 
inconvenience,  and  for  their  uniform  readiness  in  accept- 
ing my  drafts  upon  the  government,  when  a  contrary 
course  would  have  been  detrimental  to  the  public  ser- 
vice, and  would  have  subjected  me  personally  to 
serious  embarrassments. 

On  the  occasion  of  our  departure,  Mr.  Magoffin 
invited  a  number  of  gentlemen  to  partake  of  a  cold 
collation,  which  proved  to  be  one  that  would  have 
done  credit  to  the  caterer  of  a  metropolitan  hotel. 
Although  it  is  difficult  at  times  to  procure  a  piece  of 
fresh  meat  at  El  Paso,  the  delicacies  prepared  in  New 
York  and  Paris  for  foreign  markets  can  always  be  found 
ihere  in  abundance,  though  at  a  high  cost. 

I  left  at  one  o'clock,  and  in  the  evening  joined  the 


TO    CHIHUAHUA.  403 

train  at  San  Eleazario,*  where  I  passed  my  first  night 
in  camp. 

October  9  th.  The  reloading  of  some  of  the  wagons 
detained  us  here  several  hours,  and  my  troubles  with 
the  men  began.  My  cook  took  the  opportunity  to  get 
drunk  during  the  night,  and  for  his  bad  conduct  was 
put  in  the  calaboose.  By  the  aid  of  my  friends  here 
I  was  enabled  to  find  a  good  substitute,  and  we  soon 
after  took  up  our  march.  The  train  consisted  of  my 
travelling  carriage,  a  very  convenient  vehicle,  which 
was  to  form  my  sleeping-place  during  the  journey; 
the  small  wagon  I  brought  from  California,  in  which 
Dr.  Webb  rode ;  and  six  other  wagons  containing  our 
provisions,  baggage,  tents,  camp  equipage,  instruments, 
etc.  All  the  party  were  mounted  on  horses  or  mules, 
and  well  armed  ;  and  for  a  change  I  had  also  provided 
myself  with  a  riding  mule.  We  got  off  at  noon  and 
made  fourteen  miles,  encamping  near  a  pool  of  water. 
Our  route,  most  of  the  way,  was  along  the  Rio  Grande, 
over  a  rich  bottom,  of  which  only  a  small  portion  was 
under  cultivation. 

October  lOtJi.  I  rode  on  in  advance  with  several 
others  to  examine  the  crossing,  as  it  was  necessary  to 
ford  the  Rio  Grande  here.  To  my  surprise  I  found 
the  banks  very  precipitous  ;  and  as  the  river  was  here 
much  contracted,  it  was  proportionably  deep  and  rapid. 
With  considerable  difficulty  and  some  risk  I  crossed  in 
my  carriage  ;  and  then,  seeing  the  danger  that  would 


*  This  name  is  also  spelt  San  Elceario,  Avhich  is,  I  believe,  the 
original  and  correct  mode.  But  as  it  is  invariably  pronounced  Eleazario, 
and  so  written,  by  the  people,  I  have  adopted  that  orthography. 


404  EL    PASO 

attend  the  wagons,  both  in  descending  and  ascending 
the  steep  banks,  as  well  as  in  crossing  the  river,  I 
hired  a  Mexican  to  take  a  note  back  to  Mr.  Thurber, 
who  was  with  the  train,  advising  him  to  send  men  for- 
ward with  spades  and  pickaxes,  to  cut  down  the  banks 
before  the  wagons  should  attempt  to  pass.  ( I  then  rode 
on  to  Guadalupe,  three  miles  ahead,  for  the  purpose  of 
procuring  sheep,  as  well  as  to  notify  the  Mexican  escort, 
who  were  to  join  us  here,  of  the  approach  of  the  train. 

Colonel  Langberg  had  promised  me  ten  men,  if  I 
could  wait  a  few  days  for  their  return  from  Chihuahua  ; 
but  this  I  could  not  do,  and  was  therefore  obliged  to  take 
up  with  five,  as  but  few  now  remained  in  the  garrison. 
These  men  soon  reported  themselves. 

After  procuring  the  sheep,  and  while  we  were 
quietly  waiting  for  the  train  to  come  up,  a  messenger 
arrived  with  the  disagreeable  news  that  the  ambulance 
which  contained  the  personal  baggage  of  Dr.  Webb, 
Mr.  Jacobs,  and  myself,  had  been  upset  in  crossing 
the  river,  and  that  every  thing  had  been  immersed  in 
the  water.  I  hastened  back  to  the  scene  of  the  disaster, 
and  found  things  worse  than  I  had  expected.  Besides 
our  baggage,  a  trunk  filled  with  papers,  maps,  my 
account  books,  and  the  official  records  of  the  Joint 
Commission,  had  been  wet.  Some  choice  stationery 
was  utterly  ruined. 

We  at  once  set  to  work,  and  spread  every  thing 
out  on  the  patches  of  grass  that  were  near  and  on  the 
branches  of  trees ;  but  although  the  sun  was  hot,  there 
was  not  sufficient  time  to  dry  all  before  night. 

October  11th.  The  forenoon  was  spent  in  drying 
our  effects  and  packing  them  away  again.    At  noon  the 


TO    CHIHUAHUA.  405 

animals  were  again  hitched  up,  and  we  moved  off 
once  more,  passing  through  Guadalupe,  and  stopped  at 
a  small  lagoon,  three  miles  beyond,  where  we  encamped. 
We  could  have  travelled  a  couple  of  hours  longer,  but 
were  told  there  was  no  water  within  fifteen  miles,  which 
we  could  not  make  before  dark,  as  a  portion  of  the 
road  was  very  sandy. 

Guadalupe  is  a  miserable  looking  village.  It  was 
founded  in  the  year  1850,  as  a  military  colony,  at  a 
time  when  the  Mexican  government  offered  induce- 
ments to  settlers  to  take  up  lands.  Its  population  con- 
sists chiefly  of  persons  from  New  Mexico,  who  preferred 
Mexican  to  American  rule.  Its  houses  are  all  built  of 
upright  sticks,  the  interstices  filled  with  mud.  There 
was  but  one  shop  in  the  place,  and  no  mechanic  except 
a  blacksmith.  There  was  nothing  that  indicated  pros- 
perity; and  the  contrast  between  this  village  and  a 
new  American  settlement,  was  most  striking.  We 
looked  about  for  vegetables  in  vain:  a  few  water- 
melons were  all  the  place  afforded. 

October  12th.  Last  night  was  very  cold,  so  much 
so  that  three  or  four  blankets  were  necessary.  During 
the  day  the  heat  is  quite  oppressive,  so  that  the  thinnest 
clothing  is  required ;  but  no  sooner  does  the  sun  sink 
below  the  horizon,  than  the  temperature  falls  to  a 
degree  that  compels  one  to  change  one's  garments  and 
wrap  up  well  in  blankets.  The  mornings  are  equally 
cold,  until  the  sun  has  been  up  at  least  three  hours. 
By  ten  or  eleven  thick  clothing  is  laid  aside. 

We  left  the  valley  of  the  Rio  Grande  to-day,  and 
ascended  the  table-land,  which  was  thinly  covered 
with  chapporal  without  grass.     The  road  was  sandy ; 


406  EL   PASO 

yet  we  made  fifteen  miles,  and  encamped  at  Cantarecio, 
where  there  is  a  spring  of  good  water. 

October  13th.  Our  course  was  to-day  south-west 
towards  the  direct  route  from  El  Paso  to  Chihuahua ; 
and  with  the  exception  of  a  few  places,  the  road  was 
good.  Mezquit  grass  occurred  at  intervals  sufficient 
for  grazing.  No  trees  were  seen,  and  scarcely  any 
shrubbery ;  so  that  our  cooks  with  difficulty  procured 
enough  to  prepare  our  food.  We  made  twenty -five 
miles  (at  least  so  it  was  called  by  the  Mexicans),  and 
encamped  at  Cliarco  de  Grado.  The  Mexican  mode  of 
measurement  is  very  uncertain,  unless  practised  by 
engineers.  The  water  here  is  found  in  small  pools, 
supplied  by  springs ;  but  so  meagre  is  the  supply,  that 
I  doubt  whether  it  can  be  depended  upon  in  the  dry 
season. 

October  14Ali.  Our  course  continued  the  same  as 
yesterday,  over  a  broad  plain,  unlimited  by  mountains, 
which  showed  themselves  only  at  intervals  of  from  ten 
to  twenty  miles  in  short  ridges,  their  summits  present- 
ing a  jagged  and  fantastic  appearance.  Turrets  and 
cupolas,  huge  towers  and  castles,  alternately  were  seen. 
These  mountains  appeared  to  be  destitute  of  vegetation, 
except  the  grama  grass,  which  grows  on  the  debris 
from  the  base  to  the  point  where  the  bare  rocks  arise. 

Fifteen  miles  brought  us  to  the  Ojo  de  Lucero 
(Venus's  Spring),  which  furnishes  but  a  small  supply  of 
water.  We  did  not  stop  here,  but  pushed  on  to  the 
Laguna  de  los  Patos  (Duck  Lake),  six  miles  further, 
and  encamped  near  a  spot  where  a  stream  of  clear 
and  delicious  water  crosses  the  road.  This  rivulet 
comes  from  a  spring  near  by,  and  empties  into  a  small 


TO    CHIHUAHUA.  407 

pond  containing  a  couple  of  acres,  in  which  many  ducks 
were  seen. 

Two  miles  before  encamping,  we  entered  the  direct 
road  from  El  Paso  to  Chihuahua.  This  road  crosses 
the  Medanos  or  Sand-hills,  which  we  passed  on  our 
road  from  Correlitos  to  El  Paso;  and  such  were  the 
difficulties  then  presented,  that  I  determined  not  to 
attempt  it  again  with  wagons.  Our  route  by  Gua- 
dalupe required  two  days  longer  than  if  we  had 
crossed  the  Sand-hills;  but  it  was  better  to  lose  two 
days  than  to  disable  or  break  down  our  animals  at  the 
outset  of  a  long  journey. 

The  Laguna  de  los  Patos  is  the  outlet  of  the  river 
Carmen ;  and  is  four  or  five  miles  across,  varying  in 
extent  according  to  the  rainy  season.  The  body  of 
water  on  our  right  was  doubtless  the  effect  of  the  late 
heavy  rains  ;  while  that  on  the  left,  which  is  properly 
the  laguna,  is  permanent. 

A  mile  before  reaching  the  lake  is  a  small  hill  some 
twenty  feet  high,  on  the  top  of  which  is  a  warm  spring. 
In  the  plain  on  our  right,  which  was  more  or  less 
covered  with  water,  at  a  distance  of  eight  or  ten  miles, 
I  had  noticed  during  the  day  what  I  supposed  to  be 
clouds  of  dust  or  whirlwinds ;  but  I  afterwards  learned 
from  our  Mexicans  that  it  was  steam  from  hot  springs. 
The  steam  sometimes  issued  forth  in  jets,  rising  from 
fifty  to  one  hundred  feet  high,  and  seemed  to  extend 
along  the  plain  for  a  mile  or  more.  I  was  desirous  to 
examine  these  springs ;  but  the  intervening  space  was  so 
much  overflowed,  that  it  was  not  considered  safe  to  do  so. 
I  could  obtain  from  the  arrieros  no  information  about 
them.      A  number  of  ducks  were  shot  near  our  camp. 


408  EL   PASO 

October  15th.  On  leaving  this  morning,  we  struck 
at  once  into  the  plain,  which,  as  far  as  the  eye  could 
reach,  was  covered  with  water,  appearing  like  a  vast 
lake.  We  could  trace  the  road  by  the  tall  grass  and 
bushes,  on  which  the  water  was  from  fifteen  to  eight- 
een inches  deep.  The  ground  being  soft,  our  wagons 
sank  deeply  into  it ;  and  it  was  with  the  greatest 
difficulty  that  our  animals  could  drag  them  through. 
A  space  of  a  few  hundred  yards  would  have  been  bad 
enough  through  such  a  depth  of  mire  and  water  ;  but 
a  steady  tug  of  three  or  four  miles  was  a  very  serious 
matter.  Now  and  then  the  wagons  would  plunge  into 
a  deep  hole,  from  which  it  was  difficult  to  extricate 
them.  In  one  of  these  the  Doctor's  carretella  sank  so 
suddenly,  and  to  such  a  depth,  that  the  king-bolt 
broke,  and  the  fore  wheels  separated  from  it.  For- 
tunately a  small  portion  remained,  which  was  kept  in 
its  place  by  straps.  This  was  almost  as  bad  as  the 
deep  sand,  and  we  were  obliged  to  make  frequent 
stops  to  let  the  animals  rest. 

We  at  length  reached  dry  ground,  and  the  wagons 
succeeded  in  getting  out,  except  one,  the  heavy  "  ark," 
which  mired  so  deeply  that  the  six  mules  could  not 
extricate  it.  We  doubled  the  team ;  but  the  mules 
being  unmanageable  in  the  mire  and  water,  the  tongue 
was  snapped  off.  An  hour  or  more  was  spent  in  splicing 
the  tongue,  when  the  twelve  mules  were  again  hitched 
on.  When  all  was  in  readiness  for  another  effort,  men 
were  placed  with  whips  at  each  span  of  mules :  at  a 
given  signal,  the  whips  were  simultaneously  laid  on  ; 
whoops  and  yells,  mingled  with  a  shower  of  oaths, 
followed,  and  the  frightened  animals  made  a  united 


TO    CHIHUAHUA.  409 

spring.  The  animals  cleared  themselves,  breaking 
every  chain,  and  leaving  the  ark  where  it  was.  Find- 
ing it  impossible  to  extricate  it  with  its  contents,  it 
was  unloaded,  and  the  twelve  mules  again  attached, 
when  another  and  united  effort  brought  it  to  dry  land. 
This  was  not  effected  until  the  men  had  been  knee- 
deep  in  mud  and  water  for  four  hours. 

While  this  was  going  on  we  amused  ourselves  with 
collecting  insects,  reptiles,  and  other  objects  in  natural 
history,  of  which  quite  a  number  were  obtained.  At 
one  o'clock  we  again  moved  off,  over  a  superb  road, 
and  in  twelve  miles  reached  Carrizal  (country  of  reed 
grass),  and  encamped  near  an  old  acequia  half  a  mile 
from  the  town,  the  water  in  which  was  scarcely  fit  for 
the  mules  to  drink.  I  did  not  wish  to  go  to  the  town, 
as  experience  had  taught  me  that  it  was  best  to  avoid 
the  Mexican  settlements.  We  had  not  been  in  one 
where  the  arrieros  or  teamsters  did  not  get  into  a  row, 
or  return  to  camp  in  a  state  of  drunkenness.  Mr. 
Thurber  rode  to  the  town,  and  purchased  a  supply  of 
corn  sufficient  to  take  us  to  Chihuahua,  together  with 
some  goats,  as  sheep  were  not  to  be  had. 

Carrizal  is  an  old  dilapidated  presidio,  and  now 
nearly  depopulated  ;  more  than  half  the  houses  being 
tenantless.  The  lands  about  it  are  rendered  fertile  by 
irrigation,  and  in  former  years  were  cultivated.  It 
derived  some  advantage  too  from  passing  travellers 
and  caravans,  as  it  is  the  only  town  between  El  Paso 
and  Chihuahua.  The  inhabitants  being  completely  at 
the  mercy  of  the  Apaches,  they  barely  gain  an  exist- 
ence ;  for  these  inveterate  robbers  boldly  enter  the 
place  by  day  and  help  themselves  to  what  they  want ; 


410  EL    PASO 

whether  it  be  corn,  a  fat  mule,  or  an  ox.  The  people 
are  too  few  to  make  any  defence,  and  quietly  submit 
to  be  plundered.  At  the  last  visit  of  the  marauders, 
they  entered  every  house,  and  each  provided  himself 
with  a  blanket,  from  the  shoulders  or  beds  of  the 
inmates. 

October  16th.  Our  route  continued  over  the  same 
broad  and  boundless  plain  we  had  been  traversing 
since  we  first  ascended  the  plateau  from  the  Rio 
Grande.  Mountains  were  seen  only  at  a  great  dis- 
tance, while  nearer  at  hand  a  few  low  hills  rose  up 
here  and  there.  Twelve  miles  brought  us  to  Ojo  Caliente 
(Warm  Spring).  Although  we  had  made  but  a  short 
day's  march,  it  was  thought  best  to  stop  here  ;  as  there 
lay  before  us  a  Jornada  of  fifty  miles  without  water, 
which  it  would  require  two  full  days  to  accomplish. 

Ojo  Caliente  is  a  spring  which  rises  from  the  plain 
about  one  hundred  and  fifty  yards  from  the  base  of  a 
rocky  hill.  Its  temperature  is  nearly  the  same  as  that 
of  the  atmosphere.  A  small  pool  about  one  hundred 
and  twenty  feet  in  circuit,  and  from  three  to  four  deep, 
is  here  formed,  with  a  sandy  bottom,  from  which  warm 
water  bubbles  up  in  many  places  ;  this  water  has  an 
outlet  through  a  small  creek  into  the  river  Carmen, 
in  which  creek  some  fish  were  taken  and  preserved  for 
specimens.  This  basin  afforded  an  excellent  opportunity 
for  a  bath,  and  the  whole  party  took  advantage  of  it. 
A  well  built  stone  wall,  about  a  yard  in  thickness,  and 
laid  in  cement,  is  built  across  the  basin,  apparently 
for  the  purpose  of  raising  the  water.  A  portion  of  this 
wall  is  now  broken  away.  I  imagine  it  to  be  the  work 
of  the  Spaniards,  who,   at  some  former  period,    have 


TO    CHIHUAHUA.  411 

resorted  hither  for  the  benefit  of  the  water.  No  traces 
of  buildings  could  be  found  near  the  pool;  yet  there 
may  be  in  the  plain  near.  It  is  now,  and  doubtless  has 
long  been  the  resort  of  Indians,  as  there  are  many  mor- 
tars in  the  adjacent  rocks.  Along  one  side  of  the  hill 
there  appeared  to  be  a  rude  wall ;  and  on  the  summit 
were  circles  and  heaps  of  stones,  which  bore  the  traces 
of  fire.  From  here  a  most  extensive  view  was  pre- 
sented, on  three  sides  unobstructed  by  mountains. 

October  Vltli.  By  seven  o'clock,  a.  m.,  we  had 
resumed  our  .journey  over  an  excellent  natural  road, 
equal  to  the  best  turnpike.  About  a  mile  from  camp 
we  crossed  the  Rio  Carmen,  a  considerable  stream, 
although  dry  during  the  summer,  when  the  water  is 
most  wanted.  Our  course  was  due  south ;  and  during 
the  thirty-five  miles  made  to-day,  not  a  hill,  gully,  or 
ravine,  was  passed.  There  was  a  gradual  ascent  for 
at  least  twenty  miles,  with  no  mountains  in  sight.  A 
few  rounded  hills  were  seen  at  long  intervals ;  and 
through  the  openings  in  these,  the  plain  seemed  to 
extend  for  sixty  or  eighty  miles.  It  was  covered  with 
a  luxuriant  growth  of  grass,  with  scarcely  a  bush  as 
large  as  one's  finger.  In  order  to  advance  as  far  as 
possible,  we  kept  on  till  dark,  and  encamped  without 
water.  A  few  little  twigs  gathered  as  we  came  along, 
was  all  the  fuel  we  could  procure. 

October  18th.  Moved  from  camp  a  little  after  seven 
o'clock.  The  plain  was  open,  except  on  our  right, 
where,  at  a  distance  of  a  mile,  ran  a  high  range  of 
hills.  On  starting,  I  rode  on  my  mule  a  short  distance 
ahead,  accompanied  by  Messrs.  Radziminski,  Pratt, 
Seaton,  Force,  and  Dr.  Webb.     Soon  after  we  saw  the 


412  EL   PASO 

train  start ;  whereupon  we  held  in  our  animals,  that  it 
might  the  sooner  overtake  us.  About  a  mile  from 
camp  we  passed  a  small  arroyo,  or  ravine,  pretty  well 
filled  with  bushes.  This  arroyo  was  no  sooner  passed 
by  the  foremost  wagon  in  the  train,  than  we  were 
startled  by  the  most  terrific  yells  and  shouting ;  and  on 
turning  our  heads,  to  our  horror  we  saw  a  band  of 
Indians  issuing  from  the  arroyo  we  had  passed,  and 
charging  upon  the  train.  We  immediately  turned 
about,  put  spurs  to  our  animals,  and  rode  back  with  all 
speed  towards  the  train.  The  savages,  who  numbered 
between  thirty  and  forty  (as  stated  to  me  by  those  in 
the  rear),  were  rushing  at  full  speed  with  their  lances 
poised,  screaming  and  yelling,,  endeavoring  to  break 
the  line  and  stampede  the  mules,  as  they  crossed  from 
one  side  to  the  other.  Others  followed,  discharging 
their  arrows  at  the  teamsters  as  they  passed  ;  but  the 
teamsters  remained  each  by  his  team,  keeping  the  mules 
in  their  places,  and  closing  up  the  line.  At  the  same 
time  they  kept  the  enemy  at  bay  by  levelling  their 
pistols  at  them.  These  men  had  the  presence  of  mind 
to  keep  their  seats  in  the  saddle  and  to  hold  their  fire, 
which  the  savages  wanted  to  draw.  Had  they  fired 
and  missed  their  mark  (and  the  chances  were  ten  to 
one  against  their  hitting),  they  would  have  been 
pierced  by  a  lance  or  an  arrow  the  next  moment. 

The  men  who  were  riding  by  the  side  of  the 
wagons  sprang  to  the  aid  of  the  teamsters,  and  held 
the  leading  mules,  which  kept  them  in  their  places. 

Failing  in  their  attempt  to  frighten  the  mules  and 
throw  the  train  into  disorder,  the  Indians  dashed  on 
towards  the  rear,  and  made   a  furious  charge  on  the 


TO    CHIHUAHUA.      •  413 

party  there  wlio  were  driving  the  spare  mules  and 
horses.  Two  Mexicans,  herdsmen,  were  unhorsed  by 
the  charge  ;  and  a  third,  being  wounded,  fell  from 
his  animal.  He,  however,  held  on  to  his  bridle,  when 
an  Indian  rushed  at  him  and  pierced  him  to  the  heart 
with  his  lance.  The  momentary  pause  of  this  man 
made  him  a  good  mark  for  the  rifle,  and  sealed  his  fate. 
Several  were  discharged  at  once,  which  brought  the 
fellow  to  the  ground.  His  companions  seeing  him  fall, 
ran  to  his  rescue,  raised  him  up,  and  threw  his  bleed- 
ing body  across  a  mule  ridden  by  another  Indian,  when 
they  rode  off  at  full  speed. 

The  firing  now  became  general ;  but  the  constant 
motion  of  the  enemy,  enabled  them  to  escape.  The 
five  Mexican  soldiers,  who  were  on  foot,  stood  up  to 
the  fight  manfully,  and  were  in  the  thickest  of  it.  They 
did  much,  too,  towards  saving  the  last  wagon,  which 
had  got  separated,  and  was  one  hundred  and  fifty 
yards  in  the  rear.  The  driver  of  this  team,  when  he 
saw  the  Indians  between  him  and  the  rest  of  the  train, 
jumped  from  his  mule,  and,  bringing  the  leaders 
around,  fastened  their  heads  to  the  wagon.  He  then 
took  out  his  rifle  and  stood  on  the  defensive,  levelling 
it  at  each  Indian  as  he  approached,  and  thus  keeping 
them  at  bay. 

The  Indians  next  made  for  Mr.  Thurber,  who  was 
still  further  in  the  rear,  and  at  the  moment  engaged  in 
putting  some  plants  into  his  portfolio.  They  dashed 
at  him  with  their  lances,  and  he  had  barely  time  to 
seize  his  revolver,  with  which  he  kept  them  off.  Our 
men  were  now  close  at  the  enemies'  heels ;  so  that,  find- 
ing themselves  in  rather  a  tight  place,  they  made  for  the 


414  EL   PASO 

adjoining  hills,  pursued  by  six  or  eight  of  our  party. 
The  fleetness  of  their  horses  and  their  knowledge  of  the 
ground,  gave  them  the  advantage  ;  so  that  after  a  pur- 
suit of  a  mile  or  two,  we  gave  up  the  chase,  fearing 
the  train  might  encounter  a  larger  body  of  Indians  in 
ambush,  for  they  scattered  in  all  directions,  and  con- 
cealed themselves  among  the  rocks  or  ravines  of  the 
hills. 

The  spare  animals  were  all  stampeded  and  lost.  They 
became  frightened  at  the  first  charge,  and,  not  being 
fastened,  were  rushing  at  the  top  of  their  speed  over 
the  plain,  driven  by  a  portion  of  the  enemy,  before  we 
who  were  in  advance  could  reach  them.  We  lost  ten 
mules  and  a  valuable  horse — and  secured  the  horse, 
saddle,  and  arms  of  the  Indian  that  was  shot.  Two  of 
the  wagons  were  pierced  with  bullets,  and  several 
arrows  were  found  sticking  in  the  wagons  near  the 
teamsters. 

We  dug  a  grave  by  the  side  of  the  road,  and  de- 
posited in  it  the  body  of  the  unfortunate  Mexican 
who  was  killed.  This  being  done,  we  hastened  away 
from  the  sad  scene,  the  first  and  only  occurrence  of 
the  kind  that  had  befallen  the  Commission  since  it 
entered  the  field,  now  more  than  two  years. 

We  had  proceeded  but  a  few  hundred  yards  when 
we  noticed  several  heaps  of  stones,  some  of  them  sur- 
mounted by  small  crosses,  to  mark  the  spots  where 
murders  had  been  committed  but  a  short  time  before, 
as  appeared  by  their  freshness.  Fragments  of  clothing 
also  lay  around,  showing  that  a  severe  contest  had 
taken  place.  Fearing  that  the  Indians  might  rally  in 
larger   numbers  and   renew  the    attack,  two  soldiers 


TO    CHIHUAHUA.  415 

were  sent  ahead,  while  the  others  kept  at  a  distance  on 
the  right  and  left,  to  give  us  early  notice  of  the  ap- 
proach of  danger. 

Eight  or  ten  miles  brought  us  to  a  point  opposite 
the  Ojo  de  Callego  (Spring  of  the  Mountain  Pass),  a 
ravine  in  the  mountain  on  our  left,  where  there  was  a 
fine  spring  in  a  thick  grove  of  cotton-woods.  It  seemed 
a  likely  place  for  Indians  to  conceal  themselves  in, 
and,  with  an  enemy  at  our  heels,  we  had  no  desire  to 
stop  there.  We  therefore  filled  our  water  kegs  from 
a  pool  near  at  hand,  without  entering  the  ravine.  A 
couple  of  miles  further  on,  we  passed  the  Ojo  de  Calle- 
ctto:  marked  by  a  few  cotton-woods  on  the  mountain 
side.  Soon  after  this,  we  met  a  body  of  about  twenty 
Mexican  soldiers  in  charge  of  a  lieutenant  from  Chihua- 
hua, bound  for  El  Paso.  They  were  the  men  who  had 
escorted  the  merchant  train  from  El  Paso,  to  which  I 
have  before  alluded.  From  them  we  learned  that  Ar- 
mijo's  train  of  empty  wagons,  which  left  that  place  the 
day  before  us  by  way  of  the  Sand-hills,  had  been 
attacked  by  the  Apaches  near  the  place  of  our  encoun- 
ter with  them,  and  had  lost  six  men  and  thirty 
mules. 

Continuing  our  march  until  dark,  in  order  to  get  as 
far  as  possible  from  the  scene  of  the  morning,  we 
encamped  on  the  open  plain,  making  a  corral  of  the 
wagons  and  tents,  and  bringing  all  into  as  compact  a 
space  as  possible.  The  animals  were  either  tied  up 
close  to  the  wagons  or  staked  within  the  inclosure, 
and  the  guard  doubled  for  the  night. 

During  the  day's  journey,  which  did  not  exceed 
eighteen  miles,  mountains  were  near  us  on  the  left. 


416  EL    PASO 

The  grassy  plain  continued  without  bushes;  so  that 
we  were  obliged  to  gather  up  dried  dung  for  fuel. 

October  19th.  Before  daylight  the  camp  was  called, 
and  every  man  was  perambulating  the  corral  and  the 
vicinity  with  his  arms  in  hand ;  for  it  is  well  known 
that  these  savages  generally  take  the  dawn  of  day  to 
surprise  unconscious  travellers.  Sentinels  were  sent 
out  to  reconnoitre,  and  eight  men  to  guard  the  mules 
while  grazing. 

At  six  o'clock,  we  moved  again  over  an  excellent 
road  as  before,  the  grass  luxuriant  as  far  as  the  eye 
could  reach.  Antelopes  and  deer  were  seen  in  herds 
bounding  over  the  plain,  sometimes  coming  within 
gun-shot  of  us.  A  few  shots  were  fired  without  suc- 
cess, the  open  plain  preventing  our  hunters  from  get- 
ting as  near  as  they  wished.  Fifteen  miles  brought 
us  to  the  Laguna  de  Encinillas  (Lake  of  Evergreen 
Oaks),  which  lay  on  our  right,  stretching  far  off  into 
the  plain  in  a  southerly  direction.  It  is  said  to  be 
about  fifteen  miles  long  and  three  wide,  varying  ac- 
cording to  the  season  and  the  rains.  This  lake,  like 
all  others  on  the  high  table,  while  it  receives  much 
water,  has  no  outlet.  Forming  the  basin  of  a  vast 
plain,  its  waters  rise  with  the  rains,  and  in  the  dry 
season  are  much  lessened,  and  sometimes  nearly  dry. 
It  is  only  remarkable,  considering  the  porosity  of  the 
soil,  and  the  rapid  evaporation  from  the  dryness  of  the 
atmosphere,  that  the  whole  does  not  disappear  before 
the  return  of  the  periodical  rains.  As  the  water  was 
said  by  our  Mexicans  to  be  brackish,  we  supplied  our- 
selves from  a  spring  about  a  hundred  yards  from  its 
shore.     After  the  camp  was  arranged,  I  took  my  gun 


TO    CHIHUAHUA.  417 

and  went  to  the  lake.  On  tasting  the  water,  to  my 
surprise  I  found  it  perfectly  sweet,  in  fact  better  than 
that  in  the  spring.  It  is  therefore  probable  that  after 
the  rainy  season  the  lake  so  fills  up  that  its  brackish- 
ness  is  overcome.  Its  shores,  as  well  as  the  adjoining 
plain,  are  covered  with  what  the  Mexicans  call  teques- 
quite,  or  alkaline  salt  in  a  state  of  efflorescence.  Brant, 
ducks,  and  plover  abound  in  its  waters,  some  few  of 
which  we  shot. 

Soon  after  we  encamped,  a  stray  ox  was  discov- 
ered among  the  mezquit  bushes  which  skirted  the 
base  of  the  hills.  We  did  not  hesitate  to  drive  him  to 
camp  for  the  benefit  of  the  party ;  for  we  had  been 
living  on  very  poor  goat's  meat  since  leaving  Guada- 
lupe. This  fine  beef  proved  a  valuable  accession  to 
our  stock  of  provisions;  as  many  could  not  stomach 
the  meat  of  a  poor  goat,  after  he  had  been  driven 
twenty  or  thirty  miles. 

October  20th.  We  continued  along  the  shores  of 
the  lake  for  fourteen  or  fifteen  miles,  through  a  plain 
covered  with  grass.  This  plain  was  ten  or  twelve 
miles  wide,  bounded  on  the  east  by  a  range  of  hills, 
and  on  the  west  by  rugged  mountains.  On  the  op- 
posite side  of  the  lake  appeared  a  hacienda  amid  a 
grove  of  cotton-woods — a  beautiful  spot,  which  might 
compare  with  the  highly  cultivated  grounds  of  a  Euro- 
pean nobleman ;  but  the  mark  of  ruin  was  upon  it — the 
Apaches  had  driven  away  its  occupants,  and  it  was 
fast  crumbling  to  decay. 

Twenty  miles  brought  us  to  El  Pefiol,  a  large  haci- 
enda, near  which  a  herd  of  cattle  was  grazing.  There 
did  not  appear  to  be  any  land  under  cultivation  here : 
vol.  ii. — 27 


418  EL    PASO 

the  raising  of  stock,  for  which  the  broad  grassy  plains 
are  so  admirably  adapted,  seemed  to  be  the  sole 
purpose  of  the  establishment.  Near  by  is  a  small 
stream  of  clear  water,  bearing  the  same  name  as  the 
hacienda,  which  discharges  itself  into  the  lake.  On 
the  opposite  side  of  the  valley,  to  the  west,  and  near 
the  termination  of  the  lake,  is  the  village  of  Encinillas, 
consisting  of  a  church  and  a  cluster  of  adobe  houses. 
This  village,  as  well  as  El  Penol  and  the  vast  grounds 
adjacent,  are  the  property  of  General  Trias,  formerly 
governor  of  Chihuahua.*  His  estates  at  the  time  of  the 
invasion  of  the  Americans  contained  many  thousand 
head  of  cattle,  which  he  gave  to  his  government  for 
the  support  of  the  army,  and  for  which,  I  was  told,  he 
has  never  made  a  claim. 

We  passed  to-day  a  train  of  mule  wagons  and  a 
carretella  on  its  way  to  El  Paso.  There  were  but  few 
persons  in  it,  except  the  teamsters ;  among  them,  how- 
ever, I  noticed  several  women  and  children.  We  told 
them  of  the  attack  made  on  us  by  the  Apaches  two 
days  before,  and  advised  them  to  be  on  their  guard. 
Three  Americans  and  a  Mexican,  who  were  with  the 
train,  became  so  alarmed  that  they  left  it,  and  joined 
iUS,  to  return  to  Chihuahua. 

October  list.  Continued  our  journey  through  the 
same  valley,  the  mountains  now  converging  to  a  point 
some  miles  in  advance.  In  crossing  Penol  Creek  we 
found  innumerable  quantities  of  wild  ducks.  The  sur- 
face of  the  water  was  literally  darkened  with  them ; 

*  Don  Angel  Trias  was  again  chosen  Governor  of  the  State  in  the 
year  1853. 


TO    CHIHUAHUA.  419 

and  when  at  our  approach  they  rose,  the  noise  seemed 
like  distant  thunder.  I  shot  twelve,  and  others  of  the 
party  brought  in  numbers.     They  were  all  teal. 

A  few  miles  brought  us  to  the  hacienda  of  El  Sauz 
(The  Willow) — a  building  inclosed  by  a  wall  full 
twenty  feet  high.  This  estate  also  belonged  to  Gene- 
ral Trias.  We  stopped  a  few  minutes  at  the  gate,  and 
the  occupants  came  out  to  meet  us.  We  endeavored 
to  buy  eggs,  poultry,  or  some  other  kind  of  fresh  pro- 
visions, but  found  they  had  "  nada"  nothing,  for  sale. 
This  establishment  had  likewise  suffered  from  the 
Indians,  notwithstanding  its  high  wall,  which  would 
inclose  many  hundred  cattle.  On  one  occasion  the 
savages  for  mere  sport  lamed  a  large  number  of  these 
cattle,  and  filled  up  a  well  near  by  with  their  carcasses. 
On  the  opposite  side  of  the  valley  is  a  village  called 
El  Sauzillos,  or  Little  Willows. 

After  a  march  of  twenty-four  miles  from  El  Penol, 
we  reached  the  Sacramento  River,  and  encamped  near 
the  famous  battle-field  where  Colonel  Doniphan  and  his 
brave  Missourians  gained  the  decisive  victory  which 
resulted  in  the  surrender  of  the  city  of  Chihuahua. 

The  Mexicans  did  not  show  much  judgment  in  the 
selection  of  this  spot  to  resist  the  approach  of  the 
invading  force.  It  is  on  the  level  summit  of  a  plateau 
some  sixty  feet  above  the  valley,  and  about  half  a 
mile  in  width.  The  plateau  juts  directly  across  the 
valley  we  had  been  travelling,  and  leaves  but  a  narrow 
passage  to  the  east.  If  the  Americans  had  been  obliged 
to  march  through  this  valley,  the  position  of  the  Mexi- 
cans would  have  been  a  good  one.  But  it  was  unne- 
cessary for  Colonel  Doniphan  to  force  a  pass,  and  thus 


420  EL    PASO 

give  the  Mexican  batteries  full  scope  to  play  upon 
him,  when,  by  diverging  half  a  mile  or  less  to  the 
right,  he  could  avoid  them  entirely.  This  he  did  with- 
out delay,  unattended  with  loss ;  and  on  reaching  the 
plateau,  he  advanced  at  once  to  the  attack  with  an 
open  field  before  him.  By  this  course  he  exposed 
himself  only  to  the  right  or  western  battery,  on 
which  he  immediately  opened  his  fire,  striking  terror 
into  the  ranks  of  the  enemy,  which  retreated  to  the 
adjoining  batteries  and  entrenchments.  These  also 
fell,  the  Mexicans  retreating  to  a  hill  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  valley  of  the  Sacramento,  where  the  final 
conflict  took  place.  This  valley  is  less  than  half  a 
mile  wide,  and  is  intersected  by  the  river  of  the  same 
name,  a  stream  ten  or  fifteen  yards  wide,  and  about  a 
foot  deep.* 

*  I  annex  the  most  brief  account  of  this  battle,  which  is  contained 
in  the  official  report  of  Lieutenant  Colonel  Mitchell,  one  of  the  field- 
officers  : 

"  Immediately  after  gaining  the  table-land  on  the  enemy's  left,  I 
took  command  of  the  right  wing  of  the  army,  in  obedience  to  your  or- 
ders, and  at  the  same  time  gave  the  necessary  instructions  to  the  traders 
and  teamsters  in  our  rear,  so  as  to  form  a  field-work  with  the  wagons 
to  fall  back  upon  in  the  event  of  our  being  too  hardly  pressed  by  over- 
whelming numbers.  After  the  artillery  firing  (on  both  sides)  ceased  for 
a  few  moments,  I  ordered  the  right  wing,  consisting  of  about  four  hun- 
dred and  fifty  mounted  riflemen,  to  advance  in  a  gallop  towards  the 
enemy's  entrenchments  on  their  left. 

"  During  this  movement,  a  battery  of  five  pieces  of  artillery  on  the 
point  of  a  hill,  six  hundred  yards  to  our  right,  opened  an  enfilade  fire 
on  the  left  of  our  column,  which  did  no  execution. 

"  By  a  rapid  advance,  we  reached  a  deep  ravine  about  one  hundred 
and  fifty  paces  in  front  of  the  enemy's  field-works ;  here  I  ordered  the 
troops  to  dismount  and  charge  as  skirmishers.     The  Mexican  troops 


TO    CHIHUAHUA.  421 

There  is  a  hacienda  with  other  buildings  here.  A 
portion  of  the  valley  might  be  cultivated  by  irrigation  ; 
but  it  is  for  the  advantages  it  offers  for  grazing,  that 
the  land  is  valuable. 

October  22d  Chihuahua  is  called  twenty  miles 
from  Sacramento,  which  is  a  large  estimate.  Resum- 
ing our  journey  this  morning,  we  came  in  sight  of  the 
city  on  reaching  the  crest  of  an  elevated  plain  ten 
miles  distant,  from  which  there  is  a  gradual  descent  to 
the  city.  This  plain  is  of  a  desert-like  character,  with- 
out grass,  and  covered  with  small  mezquit  bushes.  As 
we  approached,  and  when  within  four  or  five  miles  of 
the  city,  it  presented  a  beautiful  appearance,  surrounded 
on  three  sides  by  picturesque  mountains  with  bold 
rocky  sides  quite  detached  from  each  other.  Chihua- 
hua lies  in  a  basin  formed  by  these  mountains,  and  is 
encompassed  with  fine  large  cotton-woods,  from  which 

maintained  their  positions  with  much  gallantry  until  we  advanced  with- 
in twenty  or  thirty  paces  of  their  entrenchments ;  at  this  distance  the 
fire  of  our  men  was  unerring,  and  any  Mexican  who  raised  his  head 
above  the  breastworks  fell.  They  soon  broke  and  fled  in  the  utmost 
confusion,  and  in  every  direction,  towards  the  surrounding  mountains. 
I  immediately  ordered  the  men  to  remount  and  charge  the  battery  on 
our  right,  which  was  done  in  gallant  style.  When  we  reached  the  top 
of  the  hill  we  found  that  the  Mexicans  had  fled,  leaving  the  whole  of 
their  cannon,  ammunition,  wagons,  etc.  I  saw  them  retreating  in  every 
direction  on  foot.  As  cavalry  we  could  have  followed  and  cut  off  great 
numbers ;  but  the  victory  was  complete,  and  I  wished  to  spare  the  use- 
less effusion  of  blood. 

"  The  morning  after  the  battle,  T  entered  the  city  of  Chihuahua  at 
the  head  of  two  companies  of  mounted  men  and  two  field  or  mountain 
howitzers  from  Major  Clarke's  battalion." — Report  of  Lieut.  Colonel 
Mitchell  to  Colonel  Doniphan.  Executive  Document  No.  1,  30th  Con- 
gress, 1st  Session. 


422 


EL    PASO 


the  towers  and  dome  of  its  cathedral,  and  the  spires  of 
its  lesser  churches  stand  out  in  bold  relief  against  the 
adjacent  hills.  To  the  right  and  left  along  the  stream 
which  waters  it  lie  many  large  haciendas  deeply 
buried  in  groves  of  luxuriant  trees,  presenting  alto- 
gether the  most  charming  landscape  we  had  yet  seen 
in  Mexico.  On  the  road  we  passed  many  men  gather- 
ing fuel  for  the  city  market.  This  consisted  of  dried 
bushes  and  brushwood ;  which,  when  collected,  they 
tied  up  in  huge  bundles,  and  carried  in  on  their  backs. 


Carrying  wood  to  Chihuahua. 


Both   men  and  boys  were  engaged  in  this  business  ; 
some  of  whom  we  passed  full  six  miles  from  the  city, 


TO    CHIHUAHUA.  423 

barefoot  and  almost  naked,  sweating  under  their  heavy 
burdens.  Donkeys  in  trains  carrying  wood,  or  com- 
pletely enveloped  in  loads  of  dry  corn-stalks,  were 
also  wending  their  way  to  market.  These  patient 
animals  are  much  used  by  the  poorer  classes  to  carry 
their  burdens. 

I  sent  Messrs.  Thurber  and  Jacobs  in  advance,  in  the 
morning,  with  my  letters  of  introduction  for  Governor 
Cordero  and  General  Trias,  as  well  as  to  select  a  suita- 
ble place  for  an  encampment.  This  they  accomplished, 
and  met  us  as  we  entered  the  city.  We  drove  at  once 
through  the  town  amid  a  tremendous  cracking  of  whips, 
which  teamsters  take  particular  delight  in  on  such 
occasions,  to  the  "  Buen  Viage"  a  large  inclosure 
with  a  high  wall.  Within  this  all  the  wagons  were 
driven,  and  on  one  side  the  tents  were  pitched.  This 
was  a  great  convenience  to  us,  as  we  were  free  from 
the  annoyance  of  the  lazy,  pilfering  class  which  hover 
about  a  town,  and  by  whom  a  train  and  party  like  ours 
would  be  considered  fair  game. 


424  CHIHUAHUA 


CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

CHIHUAHUA   AND    ITS    VICINITY. 

Repairs  on  wagons — Mr.  Flotte  and  his  persecutions — The  road  infested  by 
Comanche  Indians — Guard  hired — General  Trias — Governor  Cordero 
— A  dinner  and  hall — Ladies  of  Chihuahua — Dinner  to  General  Trias 
—Obtain  important  documents  relating  to  the  Boundary — Description 
of  Chihuahua — Causes  of  its  decline — Its  mines — The  expulsion  of  the 
Spaniards — Labors  of  the  Jesuits — Aqueduct — The  Cathedral — Mine  of 
Santa  Eulalia — Casa  de  Moneda — Commerce,  how  carried  on — Agri- 
cultural products— Alfalfa  and  its  value — Heaps  of  scoria — Grazing 
lands — The  plateau — Immense  herds  of  cattle — Height  of  the  table- 
land— Climate — Diminutive  dogs. 

Our  journey  of  two  hundred  and  seventy  miles  from 
El  Paso  had  disabled  several  wagons,  which  had  now 
to  be  repaired.  It  was  also  necessary  to  replace  the 
eleven  mules  we  had  lost.  I  determined  to  engage 
here  a  few  additional  men  as  a  guard ;  as  we  yet  had 
a  journey  of  eight  or  nine  hundred  miles  before  us 
before  we  should  strike  the  Rio  Grande,  the  greater 
portion  of  which  distance,  I  now  learned,  was  infested 
with  the  Comanche  Indians.  This  tribe  is  ten  times 
more  numerous  than  the  Apaches ;  they  are  among  the 
finest  horsemen  in  the  world,  possess  many  fire-arms, 
which  they  know  how  to  use,  and  go  in  large  bands. 
They  are,  therefore,  far  more  to  be  dreaded  than  the 
Apaches,  whose  range  we  had  now  passed. 


AND    ITS    VICINITY.  425 

We  had  no  sooner  arrived,  than  the  character  of  our 
party  was  known  throughout  the  city  ;  and  many  appli- 
cants appeared  in  quest  of  employment,  most  of  them 
persons  who  wanted  to  get  to  their  homes.  Among 
these  were  several  Americans  from  Texas,  who  had 
come  here  with  merchant  trains,  and  been  discharged 
They  earnestly  begged  for  situations,  or  to  be  permit- 
ted to  accompany  the  train  for  the  protection  it  would 
afford  them.  I  selected  such  men  as  I  required,  among 
them  an  excellent  blacksmith,  whom  1  wanted  exceed- 
ingly, and  could  not  procure  at  El  Paso. 

The  American  consul,  Bennet  Riddells,  Esq.,  called 
the  morning  after  our  arrival.  This  gentleman  has 
long  resided  in  this  city,  and  is  married  to  a  Mexican 
lady.  Having  letters  of  introduction  to  a  number  of 
the  principal  citizens  of  the  place,  Mr.  Riddells  accom- 
panied me  in  delivering  them.  Among  the  gentlemen 
on  whom  I  called,  were  Senores  Chaves,  Zuloaga,  and 
Jaques,  Captain  Bustamente,  and  Dr.  Dubois,  the  last 
a  French  physician  of  high  scientific  attainments,  and 
long  resident  in  Chihuahua.  Several  of  the  American 
residents  called  on  me  during  the  day,  among  them 
Mr.  Lewis  Flotte,  of  Barranca  Colorada,  the  gentle- 
man whose  silver  mine  and  smelting  works  I  visited 
on  my  way  from  Correlitos  to  El  Paso. 

I  heard  from  Mr.  Flotte,  a  reiteration  of  what  I  had 
been  told  at  Correlitos,  and  at  the  mine,  of  his  perse- 
cutions ;  in  consequence  of  which,  he  had  been  driven 
to  the  extremity  of  selling  his  mine  as  well  as  his 
estate  at  Barranca,  at  a  great  sacrifice.  He  had 
endeavored  in  vain  to  obtain  protection  of  the  State 
authorities.     The  statement  of  Mr.  Flotte  was  corrobo- 


426  CHIHUAHUA 

rated  by  the  American  Consul,  who  was  familiar  with 
the  facts ;  and  I  learned  from  them  that  the  matter 
would  be  laid  before  tile  United  States  government. 

General  Trias  called,  and  very  politely  tendered 
me  a  furnished  house  while  I  remained  in  Chihuahua; 
which,  however,  I  declined.  Experience  had  shown 
us  that  after  once  going  into  camp  life,  it  is  better  to 
remain  there  steadily.  One  soon  becomes  accustomed 
to  a  tent;  and  even  in  cold  weather,  it  is  preferable  to 
quarters,  unless  one  is  to  remain  permanently  in  them. 
The  change  from  one  to  the  other,  invariably  produces 
•colds. 

General  Trias,  who  was  for  several  years  Governor 
of  the  State  of  Chihuahua,  is  a  gentleman  of  large 
wealth  and  fine  accomplishments.  After  receiving  his 
education  he  went  to  Europe,  where  he  spent  eight 
years  travelling  in  various  parts,  although  he  remained 
most  of  the  time  in  England  and  France.  He  is  well 
versed  in  several  of  the  European  languages,  and  speaks 
English  with  great  correctness.  Of  English  literature 
he  told  me  he  was  very  fond  ;  and  he  considered  that 
no  native  appreciated  the  beauties  of  Shakspeare  and 
Milton  better  than  he.  With  Addison  and  the  belles-let- 
tres writers  of  England  he  was  also  familiar.  With  large 
•estates,  a  cultivated  mind,  and  elegant  manners,  Gene- 
ral Trias  cannot  but  exercise  a  great  influence  in  the 
State.  I  have  before  mentioned  the  sacrifices  he  made 
when  his  country  was  invaded  by  the  Americans, 
which  greatly  impoverished  him.  There  are  not  many 
such  patriots  in  Mexico  ;  if  there  were,  she  would  not 
be  in  the  position  she  now  is.  There  is  no  doubt  that 
'General  Trias  detests  the  Americans  as  a  people ;  yet 


AND   ITS    VICINITY.  427 

American  gentlemen  and  officers  who  stop  at  Chihua- 
hua, are  always  treated  by  him  with  great  politeness 
and  attention.  He  is  ardently  devoted  to  Santa  Ana, 
and  is  considered  at  the  head  of  the  war  party  in  his 
State. 

Governor  Cordero,  who  also  honored  me  with  a 
call,  is  the  entire  reverse  of  General  Trias.  He  is  a 
merchant  and  banker,  the  owner  of  a  very  large  landed 
property,  and  is  considered  the  richest  man  in  the  State. 
As  a  politician,  he  is  at  the  head  of  the  moderate  party. 

A  few  days  after  our  arrival,  I  heard  that  the  train 
we  passed  on  its  way  to  El  Paso  was  attacked  by  the 
Apaches  at  the  same  place  where  we  had  the  encoun- 
ter with  them,  and  that  it  lost  twenty-eight  mules. 
Several  men  were  killed,  and  three  of  the  women  made 
captives. 

On  the  28th,  I  was  invited,  together  with  the  offi- 
cers of  the  Commission,  to  a  dinner  given  by  General 
Trias.  Besides  the  gentlemen  who  accompanied  me, 
there  were  about  forty  others  present,  embracing  offi- 
cers of  the  Mexican  army  and  citizens  of  the  place. 
The  entertainment  was  conducted  in  true  Mexican 
style,  embracing  a  great  variety  of  dishes  served  up  in 
as  many  courses.  The  waiters  were  all  soldiers,  and 
performed  their  duty  as  well  as  the  trained  function- 
aries at  our  large  hotels.  A  band  of  music  was  in 
attendance,  and  the  affair  was,  on  the  whole,  an  ele- 
gant one.  Patriotic  toasts  were  drunk,  and  among 
those  given  by  the  Mexicans  were  Washington  and 
Franklin.  In  return  we  gave  the  heroes  of  the  Mexican 
revolution,  Iturbide,  Hidalgo,  Allende,  and  Jimenez. 

On  leaving  the  table,  we  adjourned  to  the  drawing 


428  CHIHUAHUA 

room,  where  a  large  number  of  ladies  soon  after  assem- 
bled to  a  ball.  This  was  an  afterpiece  as  unexpected 
to  us  as  it  was  agreeable.  The  Mexican  ladies,  it  is 
well  known,  have  a  great  passion  for  balls,  and  are 
most  graceful  dancers.  They  kept  it  up  incessantly, 
alternating  from  quadrilles  to  waltzes  and  polkas,  with- 
out manifesting  the  slightest  fatigue.  The  music  was 
very  good,  consisting  of  harps  and  violins.  One  would 
hardly  expect  to  find  in  a  town  situated  as  this  is,  on 
the  very  confines  of  civilization,  twelve  hundred  miles 
from  the  capital,  and  six  or  eight  hundred  from  either 
ocean,  so  much  elegance  of  manner  and  taste  in  dress; 
for  few  of  the  ladies  had  ever  been  from  home.  Many 
possessed  as  fair  complexions  as  English  or  American 
ladies,  although  the  brunettes  predominated.  The 
Mexican  like  the  Spanish  ladies  have  a  natural  grace- 
fulness of  manner,  which  has  been  observed  by  all 
travellers,  and  has  captivated  most  foreigners  who 
have  taken  up  their  residence  in  the  country.*  On 
this  occasion,  one  would  imagine  the  most  fashionable 
dress-makers  and  hair-dressers  had  been  employed,  and 
that  Stewart  had  a  branch  of  his  great  New  York  estab- 
lishment here,  from  which  the  gorgeous  silks  and 
satins  and  elegant  muslins  displayed  in  such  profusion 
had  been  procured.  I  noticed  one  custom,  however, 
which  the  Chihuahua  ladies  have  not  borrowed  either 

*  It  is  a  fact  worthy  of  mention,  that  every  married  American  or 
European  whom  I  met  at  San  Diego,  Guaymas,  Mazatlan,  Hermosillo, 
Ures,  El  Paso,  and  Chihuahua,  had,  without  a  single  exception,  a  Mexi- 
can wife.  Subsequently,  in  my  visit  to  Parras,  Saltillo,  and  Monterey,  I 
found  it  to  be  the  same  ;  nowhere  did  I  meet  with  an  American  or  for- 
eign lady. 


AND   ITS   VICINITY.  429 

from  New  York  or  Paris.  This  was  smoking  cigarritos 
between  the  dances.  It  is  true  these  little  cigars  are 
mild,  and,  being  exhausted  with  a  few  puffs,  are  not 
accompanied  by  the  filthy  practice  of  spitting.  Gen- 
tlemen use  their  cigars  also  in  the  ball-room  ;  so  that 
at  times  one  has  to  confront  quite  a  cloud  of  smoke. 

A  few  days  after  this  entertainment,  I  invited 
General  Trias,  four  of  his  officers,  and  the  American 
consul,  Mr.  Riddells,  to  a  dinner  in  my  tent,  that  num- 
ber being  as  many  as  it  would  accommodate,  with  the 
gentlemen  of  the  Commission  who  were  present. 

I  took  advantage  of  my  stay  here  to  seek  for  infor- 
mation relating  to  the  northern  boundary  of  the  State, 
and  was  so  fortunate  as  to  find  in  the  Governor's  office 
a  large  manuscript  map  of  the  State -of  Chihuahua  made 
by  Don  Pedro  Garcia  Conde,  and  Mr.  Staples.  It 
appeared  that  in  the  year  1833,  the  Legislature  of  the 
State  ordered  a  geographical,  topographical,  and  sta- 
tistical survey  to  be  made  of  the  State.  These  gentle- 
men were  the  engineers  in  charge  of  the  work,  and  the 
map  alluded  to  was  the  result. 

I  also  procured  a  copy  of  the  Statistical  Report  or 
Essay  made  by  the  same  commission,*  which  report 
was  presented  to  the  government  in  the  year  1836  and 
printed  in  1842.  In  the  map  and  Statistical  Report  the 
northern  boundary  of  the  State  is  laid  down  and  de- 
fined in  latitude  32°  57'  42". 

Of  the  map  a  fac-simile  was  made  by  Mr.  Raclzi- 
minski,  the  principal  assistant  engineer  of  the  Bounda- 


*  Ensayo  Estadistico  sobre  el  Estado  de   Chihuahua.     Chihuahua, 
Imprenta  del  Gobierno,  a  cargo  de  Cayetano  Ramos.    1842. 


430  CHIHUAHUA 

ry  Commission,  and  a  certificate  appended  to  it  by 
Governor  Cordero,  stating  that  the  original  was  made 
by  Messrs.  Garcia  Conde  and  Staples,  in  the  year  1834. 
This  is  now  in  my  possession. 

I  also  obtained  a  certified  copy  of  the  2d  Article 
of  the  Constitution  of  the  State,  in  which  the  bounda- 
ries are  denned,  and  which  agrees  both  with  the  map 
and  the  Statistical  Report.* 

*  The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  Governor's  certificate : 

"  GoBIERNO  DEL  EsTADO  DE  CHIHUAHUA  : 

"  El  ciudadano  Jose  Cordero,  Gobernador  Constitucional  del 
Estado  de  Chihuahua, 

"  Certifico:  que  el  articulo  2°.  tit.  1°.  de  la  Constitucion  de  este 
Estado,  promulgada  en  7  Diciembre  de  1825  y  reformada  en  7  de  Di- 
ciembre  de  1847,  se  halla  redactado  en  los  siguientes  terminos. 

"  Art.0.  2°.  El  territorio  de  Chihuahua  es  el  que  ha  poseido  y  se  le 
ha  reconocido  hasta  ahora  entre  los  25°  53/  36"  y  los  32°  57;  43"  de 
latitud  Norte  ;  y  entre  los  1°  30'  16"  ylos  7°  17'  52"  de  longitud 
Occidental  de  Mexico,  segun  la  carta  geografica  del  mismo  Estado,  for- 
mada  por  los  Sefiores  Staples  y  Garcia  Conde  en  el  ano  de  1834.' 

"  Y  a  pedimento  del  Seiior  Presidente  de  la  Comision  de  Limites  de 
los  Estados-Unidos  del  Norte  D.  John  R.  Bartlett,   le  doy  esta  en  Chi- 
huahua a  veintisiete  de  Octubre  de  mil  ochocientos  cincuenta  y  dos. 
(Signed)  Jose  Codero, 

(  Signed )  Amado  de  la  Vega. 

On.  1°." 

"  CONSULATE  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES  OF  AMERICA, 

Chihuahua,  October  28th,  1852. 
"  I,  Bennet  Riddells,  Consul  of  the  United  States  of  America,  for 
Chihuahua,  Mexico,  do  hereby  certify,  that  the  above  signatures  of  Jose 
Cordero  and  Amado  de  la  Vega  are  genuine,  and  that  Jose  Codero  is 
acting  Governor  of  this  State,  and  Amado  de  la  Vega,  first  official. 
"  Given  under  my  hand  and  seal  of  office, 

"  Bennet  Riddells, 

"  U.  S.  Consul." 


AND   ITS   VICINITY.  431 

Chihuahua  is  the  capital  of  the  State  of  the  same 
name,  and  was  settled  towards  the  close  of  the  17th 
century  by  some  adventurers,  for  the  purpose  of  work- 
ing the  rich  silver  mines  discovered  about  that  time  in 
its  vicinity.  When  these  mines  were  in  their  most 
prosperous  state,  the  city  contained  more  than  seven- 
teen thousand  inhabitants.  According  to  the  census 
of  1833,  it  contained  ten  thousand  six  hundred  and 
two ;  and  at  the  present  time,  its  population  does  not 
exceed  twelve  thousand.  This  diminution  is  owing 
chiefly  to  the  unsettled  state  of  the  country  for  the 
last  twenty-five  years.  With  the  general  expulsion  of. 
the  Spaniards  which  took  place  after  the  revolution, 
this  city,  in  common  with  every  other  in  Mexico,  lost 
its  most  active,  enterprising,  and  intelligent  citizens. 
Much  of  its  wealth,  too,  was  then  carried  away.  After 
this,  the  mines,  which  had  yielded  an  amount  of  silver 
almost  unparalleled,  and  had  enriched  thousands,  were 
but  imperfectly  worked,  and  many  were  in  course  of 
time  abandoned.  The  rural  population  being  thus 
deprived  of  its  chief  dependence,  the  haciendas  and 
ranchos  which  dotted  the  beautiful  and  luxuriant  val- 
leys met  the  same  fate.  In  this  way  Chihuahua  has 
greatly  decreased  in  wealth,  in  commerce,  and  in 
general  prosperity. 

There  is  still  another  cause  for  the  decline  of 
Northern  and  Central  Mexico  which  deserves  to  be 
noticed.  I  allude  to  the  expulsion  of  the  Jesuits. 
Whatever  may  have  been  the  sins  ascribed  to  this 
religious  order,  it  is  an  undeniable  fact  that  during 
their  sway  these  States  attained  a  higher  degree  of 
prosperity  than  at  any  other  period ;  and  with  them 


432  CHIHUAHUA 

this  prosperity  departed.  This  remark  will  also  apply 
to  California  while  under  the  dominion  of  Mexico.  No 
one  has  ever  kept  the  Indians  under  such  subjection 
as  the  Jesuits ;  and  when  the  latter  were  expelled,  all 
control  over  the  former  was  lost.  In  every  large  town 
are  seen  the  fine  edifices  which  were  in  the  course  of 
erection  by  them.  Chihuahua  possesses  one  of  these, 
a  large  church  and  college,  the  walls  of  which  were 
nearly  up.  These  buildings  remain  just  as  they  were 
left.*  An  apartment  in  the  college  was  the  place  of 
confinement  of  the  patriot  Hidalgo  and  his  associates, 
who  were  executed  here  in  1811.  It  is  now  a  black- 
smith's shop. 

The  city  is  regularly  laid  out,  with  broad  and  clean 
streets,  some  of  which  are  paved,  and  contain  hand- 
some and  well-built  houses,  both  of  stone  and  adobe. 
When  of  the  latter  material,  they  are  plastered  or  stuc- 
coed, and  afterwards  colored  or  whitewashed.     Most 

*  Christian  sects  may  cavil  about  their  success  among  the  Indian 
tribes ;  but  it  is  an  undeniable  fact,  that  the  Jesuits  during  their  sway 
accomplished  more  than  all  other  religious  denominations.  They  brought 
the  tribes  of  Mexico  and  California  under  the  most  complete  subjection, 
and  kept  them  so  until  their  order  was  suppressed.  And  how  was  this 
done  ?  Not  by  the  sword,  nor  by  treaty,  nor  by  presents,  nor  by  In- 
dian agents,  who  would  sacrifice  the  poor  creatures  without  scruple  or 
remorse  for  their  own  vile  gains.  The  Indian  was  taught  Christianity, 
with  many  of  the  arts  of  civilized  life,  and  how  to  sustain  himself  by 
his  labor.  By  this  simple  means  the  Society  of  Jesus  accomplished 
more  towards  ameliorating  the  condition  of  the  Indians  than  the  United 
States  have  done  since  the  settlement  of  the  country.  The  Jesuits  did  all 
this  from  a  heartfelt  desire  to  improve  the  moral  and  social  as  well  as 
the  spiritual  condition  of  this  people,  and  at  an  expense  infinitely  less 
than,  we  now  pay  to  agents  alone,  setting  aside  the  millions  annually 
appropriated  for  indemnities,  presents,  etc. 


AND    ITS   VICINITY.  433 

of  them  have  but  one  story  ;  yet  they  are  large,  and 
built  in  squares,  with  courts  in  the  centre.  Having 
thick  walls  and  few  windows,  such  dwellings  are  cooler 
and  better  adapted  to  the  climate  than  if  built  in  our 
northern  mode.  The  rooms  are  always  from  fourteen 
to  eighteen  feet  high,  with  brick  floors,  which  contri- 
bute to  their  coolness. 

An  aqueduct  supplies  that  greatest  of  luxuries,  an 
abundance  of  pure  water.  It  is  well  constructed  of 
stone,  and,  with  its  long  ranges  of  arches  winding  over 
the  rough  ground  and  spanning  the  valleys  on  its  way 
to  the  city,  presents  a  highly  picturesque  appearance. 
It  was  built  at  the  close  of  the  last  century,  and  has  an 
extent  of  about  three  miles  and  a  half.  In  addition  to 
this,  a  small  stream  runs  by  the  northern  part  of  the 
city ;  so  that  in  respect  to  water,  no  city  is  better  sup- 
plied. 

The  most  important  edifice  in  Chihuahua  is  its 
cathedral,  or,  as  it  is  here  called,  the  parochial  church. 
This  stands  on  one  side  of  the  plaza.  It  is  built  of  cut 
stone,  of  a  very  light  color,  and  has  two  well-propor- 
tioned towers  and  a  dome.  The  people  pride  them- 
selves much  on  this  building,  which  is  said  to  be  only 
second  to  the  great  cathedral  of  Mexico.  If  strict 
adherence  to  the  principles  of  a  particular  order  of  archi- 
tecture constitutes  beauty,  this  edifice  will  be  found 
wanting.  It  partakes  of  the  Gothic  and  the  Elizabeth- 
an styles,  with  a  profusion  of  ornament,  similar  to  that 
which  was  practised  in  Spain  after  the  expulsion  of 
the  Moors  ;  still  its  appearance  is  very  imposing,  and 
is  equalled  by  few  churches  in  the  United  States.  Its 
interior  is  less  chaste  than  its  exterior. 

vol.  ii. — 28 


434  CHIHUAHUA 

This  church  was  erected  from  a  fund  raised  by  a 
tax  of  one  real  (twelve  and  a  half  cents)  on  every 
mark  of  silver  (eight  dollars)  obtained  from  the 
mines  of  Santa  Eulalia,  five  leagues  from  the  city. 
The  fund  was  collected  during  a  period  of  seventy-two 
years,  commencing  in  the  year  1717,  and  terminating 
in  1789.  From  it  was  built  the  Cathedral  of  Chihua- 
hua, at  a  cost  of  eight  hundred  thousand  dollars,  and  a 
church  at  Santa  Eulalia  at  a  cost  of  one  hundred  and 
fifty  thousand  dollars,  leaving  a  considerable  sum  unex- 
pended. From  this  may  be  formed  some  idea  of  the 
richness  of  the  mines  of  this  country.  These  sums, 
raised  by  a  tax  at  the  rate  mentioned,  would  require  a 
gross  income  on  the  part  of  the  mine  of  fifty-one  mil- 
lion two  hundred  thousand  dollars  to  erect  the  former, 
and  nine  million  six  hundred  thousand  dollars  for  the 
latter  edifice,  or,  together,  sixty  million  eight  hundred 
thousand  dollars.  Nearly  a  million  of  dollars  a  year, 
for  seventy-two  years. 

The  square  on  which  this  church  stands  is  occupied 
with  various  public  buildings ;  among  which,  on  the 
east  side,  is  the  Governor's  Palace,  as  it  is  called,  but 
which  merely  embraces  his  reception  room  and  the 
State  offices. 

There  are  several  other  churches  in  the  city,  which, 
though  small,  are  built  with  much  taste.  One  of  these, 
Santa  Rita,  is  shown  in  the  sketch. 

There  is  a  Casa  de  Moneda,  or  Mint,  here,  which  I 
visited.  In  it  silver  and  gold  are  coined,  but  chiefly 
silver,  and  that  by  a  most  primitive  process  of  manual 
power.  Each  State  in  which  there  are  many  mines  has 
.a  mint,  which  is  let  to  an  individual  or  firm,  and  is 


AND    ITS   VICINITY.  435 

not  under  the  direction  of  the  State  or  general  govern- 
ment. For  coining  a  mark  of  silver,  without  separa- 
ting the  gold,  the  charge  is  two  reals  (twenty-five 
cents)  ;  for  coining  and  separating  the  gold,  five  reals 
(sixty-two  and  a  half  cents).  This  coin  is  said  to  yield 
a  profit  of  five  per  cent,  upon  its  current  value  at  the 
United  States  Mint.  It  is  put  up  in  sacks  of  raw  hide 
containing  one  thousand  and  two  thousand  dollars 
each.  These  shrink  on  drying,  and  press  the  coin  so 
closely  as  to  prevent  friction.  All  the  silver  in  the 
State  contains  gold,  which  is  separated  in  large  platina 
kettles,  with  the  aid  of  sulphuric  acid.  I  saw  two  of 
them,  which  had  a  capacity  of  about  five  gallons. 
They  looked  little  better  than  our  iron  camp  kettles, 
and  cost  five  hundred  dollars  each. 

Among  other  public  places  of  note  is  an  arena  for 
bull  fights,  a  favorite  amusement  with  the  Mexicans. 
An  exhibition  took  place  while  we  were  here ;  but 
having  once  witnessed  one  of  these  cruel  sights  at  El 
Paso,  I  had  no  desire  to  be  present  at  another. 

In  an  open  square  in  another  part  of  the  city  is  a 
rude  monument,  of  an  obelisk  form,  to  the  memory  of 
the  heroes  of  the  revolution,  Iturbide,  Hidalgo,  Allen- 
de,  and  Jimenez,  but  without  any  inscription.  On 
one  side  of  this  square  was  pointed  out  to  me  the 
place  where  the  Emperor  Iturbide  was  shot. 

There  is  a  large  trade  carried  on  here  with  the 
United  States,  by  means  of  caravans  or  trains  from 
Saint  Louis,  Missouri,  and  San  Antonio,  Texas.  Until 
very  recently,  the  trade  was  carried  on  wholly  by  way 
of  Saint  Louis,  Santa  Fe,  and  El  Paso,  a  distance  of 
more  than  one  thousand  five  hundred  miles,  and  re- 


436  CHIHUAHUA 

quiring  months  for  the  journey.  Latterly,  a  much 
shorter  route  has  been  opened  by  way  of  San  An- 
tonio and  the  Presidio  del  Norte,  lessening  the  dis- 
tance of  land  carriage  more  than  one  half.  Formerly 
traders  left  Missouri  with  large  trains  of  merchandise, 
and,  on  arriving  here,  opened  their  stores  and  sold 
their  goods  themselves.  This  was  a  very  irregular 
business,  leading  sometimes  to  the  accumulation  of 
large  stocks,  and  proving  ruinous  to  some  of  the  par- 
ties concerned.  The  trade  is  now  more  confined  to 
the  resident  merchants  of  the  city.  Governor  Cordero 
is  one  of  the  largest  merchants ;  and  next  to  him  are 
several  American  houses  of  high  respectability.  There 
are  now  some  fine  stores  in  the  town,  in  which  every 
variety  of  merchandise  can  be  procured.* 

*  If  a  merchant  here  desires  to  make  his  purchases  himself  in  New 
York  or  our  other  great  markets,  he  must  leave  here  in  the  fall,  when  it 
will  require  from  forty  to  fifty  days  to  reach  his  destination,  by  way  of 
New  Orleans.  His  goods  must  then  be  purchased  and  shipped  either 
to  Indianola,  on  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  to  be  sent  by  San  Antonio,  or  to 
St.  Louis,  Missouri,  and  thence  by  water  to  Independence.  Now  comes 
the  most  difficult  part  of  the  transportation  (say,  for  example,  from  the 
latter  place).  Wagons,  mules,  harness,  and  the  various  trappings  must 
be  purchased,  and  teamsters  procured  ;  all  of  which  requires  much  time 
and  a  large  outlay.  The  large  Missouri  wagons,  which  carry  from  five 
thousand  to  five  thousand  five  hundred  pounds,  cost  about  two  hundred 
dollars  each ;  the  best  Kentucky  mules,  ninety  to  one  hundred  dollars ; 
harness,  one  hundred  dollars ;  water  kegs,  extra  chains,  ropes,  etc., 
twenty-five  dollars  for  each  wagon.  These  large  wagons  require  ten 
mules  each ;  so  that  a  complete  team  ready  for  the  plains  would  cost 
from  twelve  hundred  to  thirteen  hundred  dollars  ;  and  twenty  of  these, 
which  is  not  a  large  train,  twenty-six  thousand  dollars.  Then  each  team 
must  have  its  teamster  at  from  twenty  to  twenty-five  dollars  a  month ; 
and  a  wagon-master  or  director  of  the  train  at  from  eighty  to  one  hun- 


AND    ITS   VICINITY.  437 

In  the  vicinity  of  the  town  are  many  fine  gardens, 
which  are  irrigated  from  the  aqueduct  or  the  natural 
stream.  We  were  not  here  in  the  season  to  see  their 
beauties,  and  I  visited  them  but  once.  The  fruits  cul- 
tivated are  apples,  pears,  peaches,  figs,  melons,  and 
grapes.  The  variety  of  vegetables  is  not  large ;  not  on 
account  of  the  incapacity  of  the  soil  or  the  climate  to 
produce  them,  but  for  want  of  attention.  Those  gene- 
rally cultivated  are  beans,  peas,  maize,  red  pepper, 
tomatoes,  onions,  lentils,  beets,  cabbages,  etc.  Wheat, 
barley,  and  alfalfa  (a  species  of  lucerne),  are  cultivated 
on  the  farms. 

The  alfalfa  is  extensively  cultivated  as  far  north  as 
El  Paso,  and  is  every  where  considered  as  one  of  the 
most  profitable  of  farm  crops,  yielding  abundantly 
without  irrigation,  and  possessing  the  valuable  property 
when  once  established  of  flourishing  in  perennial  vigor 
for  any  length  of  time.  In  the  vicinity  of  Chihuahua, 
where  the  climate  is  mild,  it  is  cut  eight  times  a  year, 
and  sold  for  green  fodder  at  a  real  (twelve  and  a  half 
cents)  per  bunch  of  twenty-five  pounds.  Mr.  Bid- 
dells,  our  consul  here,  stated,  that  from  a  field  of  fif- 

dred  dollars  a  month.  From  fifteen  to  twenty  extra  mules  would  be 
necessary  for  such  a  train ;  as,  on  their  long  journeys,  accidents  cannot 
be  avoided.  Men  to  herd  and  take  care  of  the  animals  must  also  be 
provided  ;  and,  finally,  provisions  for  the  journey.  This  will  give  an 
idea  of  the  expense  of  fitting  out  a  caravan  or  train ;  and  if  the  mer- 
chant gets  back  with  his  goods  in  ten  months  from  the  time  he  left, 
without  encounters  with  hostile  Indians,  or  the  loss  of  any  of  his  wag- 
ons and  their  contents,  in  fording  streams  and  otherwise,  he  may  con- 
sider himself  fortunate.  It  cannot  be  expected  that  a  merchant  will  be 
satisfied  with  very  small  profits  after  such  an  expedition. 


438  CHIHUAHUA 

teen  acres  he  had  realized  in  one  year  two  thousand 
one  hundred  and  eighty  dollars.  This  field  when  I 
saw  it,  on  the  last  day  of  October,  was  as  green  as  our 
meadows  in  June.* 

I  shall  not  enter  into  any  particulars  as  to  the 
great  number  and  variety  of  mines  in  the  State  of 
Chihuahua,  as  the  subject  is  too  extensive  to  be  treated 
of  in  a  work  like  the  present.  I  have,  however,  col- 
lected much  information  respecting  it,  which  may^ 
hereafter  be  given  to  the  public.  At  present  I  will 
merely  say,  that  the  mineral  wealth  of  Chihuahua  is 
not  surpassed,  if  equalled,  in  variety  and  extent  by  any 
State  in  the  world.  Silver  is  the  most  abundant ;  but 
there  is  also  gold,  copper,  lead,  iron,  and  tin.  Cinnabar 
is  also  said  to  be  found ;  but  I  cannot  speak  of  it  with 
certainty.     Of  bituminous  coal  I  saw  a  fine  specimen. 

*  A  late  San  Francisco  paper,  in  speaking  of  the  introduction  of 
alfalfa  into  California,  where  it  is  known  as  "  Chilian  clover."  says  it  is 
greatly  in  use  in  the  mining  districts  of  Chili,  where  the  lands  are  very 
sterile,  and  rain  is  of  seldom  occurrence.  "  Natural  grasses  are,  there- 
fore, of  scanty  growth ;  and  the  miners  are  compelled  to  rely  for  the 
maintenance  of  their  animals  upon  the  alfalfa  estates,  which  lie  within  the 
narrow  valleys  of  that  mountainous  region.  The  supply  would,  how- 
ever, be  wholly  inadequate,  were  not  the  plant  so  remarkably  prolific, 
and  possessed  of  such  extraordinary  nutritious  properties.  With  the 
addition  of  a  little  barley,  it  is  found  to  keep  mules  in  the  best  working 
condition  ;  and  consequently  the  owner  of  one  of  these  alfalfa  haciendas 
is  able  to  draw  from  his  estates  a  much  larger  revenue  than  if  culti- 
vated in  grain.  In  its  green  state,  cattle  feed  upon  it  with  the  utmost 
avidity,  and  acquire  flesh  so  fast,  that  it  is  the  practice  in  Chili  to  drive 
herds  from  the  grass  pastures  of  the  south,  for  hundreds  of  miles,  in 
order  to  obtain  the  benefit  of  its  use.  The  land  is  prepared  for  the 
seed  of  this  plant  in  the  same  manner  as  for  clover,  it  being,  in  truth, 
of  the  same  family  as  the  latter." 


AND    ITS    VICINITY.  439 

An  idea  may  be  formed  of  the  extent  to  which 
mining  operations  were  formerly  carried  on  here  from 
the  immense  heaps  of  scoria  and  dross  which  lie  about 
the  city,  and  particularly  near  the  bed  of  the  creek,  as 
it  is  approached  from  the  north.  So  imperfectly  has 
the  silver  been  extracted  from  this  ore,  that  a  regular 
business  is  now  carried  on  in  working  the  scoria  over 
again,  which  is  said  to  pay. 

The  high  table-land,  which  forms  the  larger  portion 
of  the  State,  is  not  adapted  to  agriculture ;  but  for 
grazing  and  the  rearing  of  large  herds  of  cattle,  horses, 
and  sheep,  it  is  unsurpassed.  I  have  heard  it  stated, 
that  a  man  who  settled  near  the  Casas  Grandes  River 
in  1785,  took  with  him  four  cows  and  a  bull,  from 
which,  in  the  year  1829  he  had  become  possessor  of 
a  herd  of  forty  thousand  cattle.  The  vast  plains  filled 
with  such  numbers  of  cattle  resemble  the  prairies  with 
their  herds  of  buffaloes.  The  proprietors  of  the  great 
haciendas  used  to  pride  themselves  on  preserving  a 
uniformity  in  the  color  of  their  cattle,  much  as  some 
of  the  nobility  do  in  England  at  the  present  day, 
though  on  a  grander  scale ;  so  that  one  possessed  his 
thousands  of  purely  black  cattle,  another  white,  and  a 
third  red.  But  this  is  now  all  done  away  with :  the 
great  herds  have  disappeared,  and  there  is  no  longer 
any  safety  in  rearing  them,  although  the  incentive  to 
do  so  is  greater,  owing  to  the  demand  for  the  Califor- 
nia market. 

The  arable  lands  are  in  the  valleys  leading  to  the 
great  Sierra  Madre,  and  along  the  water- courses. 
They  are  extremely  productive. 

Among  the  peculiarities  of  this  place  it  is  proper 


440  CHIHUAHUA 

to  notice  a  singular  breed  of  diminutive  dogs  which 
are  found  only  here,  and  are  eagerly  sought  for  by 
strangers  who  visit  the  place.  How  these  little  creatures 
originated  I  was  not  able  to  learn,  although  I  made 
many  inquiries.  These  dogs  have  not  the  shape  of 
common  lap-dogs,  or  of  the  stunted,  dwarfish  curs, 
with  large  bodies  and  short  legs,  which  are  of  com- 
mon occurrence  ;  but  they  possess  the  elegant  form  of 
a  full-grown  mastiff',  with  small  heads,  and  slender 
and  delicate  limbs  and  bodies.  The  hair  is  short  and 
fine  on  their  backs,  while  on  the  lower  part  of  their 
bodies  it  is  little  more  than  down.  The  forehead  is 
remarkably  prominent,  and  the  eyes  large  and  full. 
They  are  also  noted  for  their  sagacity.  These  dogs  are 
highly  prized  throughout  Mexico,  and  readily  com- 
mand fifty  dollars  at  the  capital.  In  Chihuahua  they 
bring  from  five  dollars  to  a  doubloon  (sixteen  dollars) 
each,  according  to  the  purity  of  the  breed.  Several 
were  brought  home  by  the  gentlemen  of  the  Commis- 
sion. I  have  two,  which  weigh  respectively  three 
pounds  six  ounces  and  four  pounds.'" 

Many  persons  mistake  these  Chihuahua  dogs  for 
the  misnamed  prairie-dog,  a  little  animal  of  the  mar- 
mot species,  about  which  so  much  has  been  said  by  all 
who  traverse  the  prairies.  Even  intelligent  travellers 
who  have  not  seen  both  have  fallen  into  this  error,  f 

*  The  bitch,  has  given  birth  to  young  twice  since  they  have  been 
in  the  United  States,  which  attained  a  size  and  weight  about  four 
times  that  of  the  mother.  The  form  was  the  same.  This  result  has 
been  noticed  by  others,  who  have  attempted  to  introduce  the  breed  into 
this  country. 

\  Lieut.  Hardy  says,  "  The  surrounding  country  is  filled  with  rat- 


AND    ITS    VICINITY. 


441 


holes  as  well  as  excavations,  made  by  a  very  small  species  of  dog,  not 
much  larger  than  a  full-grown  rat,  who,  as  the  traveller  passes,  comes 
out  to  the  mouth  of  the  cave,  and  barks  most  angrily  at  the  interrup- 
tion. I  endeavored  to  catch  one ;  but  they  are  too  wary,  and  instantly 
enter  their  holes  when  pursued.  They  are  known  in  Mexico  by  the 
name  of '  Chihuahua  dogs.' " — Travels  in  Mexico,  p.  446.  Had  the  Lieu- 
tenant taken  the  trouble  to  ask  for  the  Chihuahua  dogs  when  in  the 
city,  he  would  have  found  them  to  be  the  the  most  gentle  and  affection- 
ate little  creatures,  and  that  instead  of  living  in  "caves"  or  holes,  they 
spent  their  time  chiefly  on  people's  laps.  Of  the  prairie-dog  I  shall 
speak  hereafter. 


Aqueduct  and  Church  of  Santa  lata,  Chihuahua. 


442  CHIHUAHUA 


CHAPTER  XL. 

CHIHUAHUA   TO    THE    EIO    FLORIDO. 

Departure  from  Chihuahua — Additional  escort — Mr.FJotte  with  his  family 
join  us — Bachimba — Santa  Cruz — Grist  mill — Smelting  works — Sau- 
cillo — Attack  of  the  Comanches — La  Cruz — Las  Garzas — Ford  the 
Conchas — Santa  Rosalia — Its  defences  erected  against  the  Americans 
during  the  war — Ramada — Rio  Florido — Guajuquilla — Fertile  valley — 
Monument  to  our  Lady  of  Guadalupe — Search  for  meteorites — Hacien- 
da Blanca — Wagon  upset  in  an  acequia — Hacienda  de  Concepcion  — 
Curious  mass  of  meteoric  iron — Account  of  meteorites  in  the  vicinity 
— Hacienda  del  Rio  Florido. 

November  1st.  The  wagons  being  repaired,  and  our 
loss  of  animals  made  good  by  the  purchase  of  addi- 
tional ones,  we  were  this  day  enabled  to  resume  our 
journey.  We  had  added  to  our  party  six  men,  five  as 
an  additional  guard  for  our  animals,  and  a  blacksmith. 
General  Trias  also  furnished  us  with  an  escort  of  ten 
dragoons.  Our  party  was  further  increased  by  the 
addition  of  Mr.  Lewis  Flotte  (a  gentleman  to  whom  I 
have  repeatedly  alluded),  who,  with  his  wife,  a  Mex- 
ican lady,  and  eight  children,  were  to  accompany  us  as 
far  as  the  Rio  Grande,  or  even  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 
He  had  three  carriages  and  four  men,  all  well  armed ; 
and,  as  he  had  had  considerable  experience  in  Indian 


TO    THE    RIO    FLORIDO.  443 

warfare,  we  considered  him  an  accession  to  our  strength. 
A  large  train  of  wagons  was  to  leave  in  a  couple  of 
days ;  but  as  the  number  of  men  with  it  was  small  in 
proportion,  it  would  be  of  no  advantage  to  us,  while 
it  might  cause  delays.  So  I  preferred  starting  by  our- 
selves. 

All  accounts  received  from  the  south  brought  the 
unpleasant  news,  that  for  six  hundred  miles  the  road 
was  infested  by  the  Comanches  in  large  bodies,  and 
well  armed,  and  that  they  had  committed  greater 
depredations  than  ever,  attacking  not  only  travellers 
but  villages  in  open  day. 

We  did  not  get  off  until  one  o'clock,  so  that  our  day's 
journey  was  necessarily  short.  We  made,  however, 
twelve  miles  over  a  good  road.  On  leaving  the  city, 
we  passed  the  base  of  a  mountain  four  miles  distant, 
when  we  again  emerged  into  an  open  plain.  It  was 
nearly  dark  when  we  reached  a  pond,  about  half  a 
mile  from  the  road  on  our  right,  where  we  encamp- 
ed. Around  this  pond  the  earth  had  been  banked  up 
to  the  height  of  five  or  six  feet,  in  order  that  a  larger 
quantity  of  water  might  be  retained.  The  grass  was 
good.  In  a  valley  a  mile  distant  on  our  right,  was  a 
large  hacienda. 

November  2d.  About  six  miles  after  leaving,  we 
entered  a  canon,  through  which  we  continued  for  four 
or  five  miles  ;  the  road  quite  stony  and  rough.  In  this 
is  the  dry  bed  of  a  stream,  which,  during  the  rainy 
season,  is  filled  with  water;  and,  judging  from  the 
appearance  of  the  bushes  and  drift  wood,  must  quite 
recently  have  been  much  swollen.  East  of  this  defile,  the 
mountains  which  here  cross  the  valley  rise  abruptly,  and 


444  CHIHUAHUA 

present  quite  a  picturesque  appearance.  Rocky  strata 
of  various  colors  are  seen,  and  the  summits  of  the  hills 
are  crowned  with  masses  resembling  works  of  art. 
About  half  way  through,  on  the  right,  is  a  fine  spring, 
and  near  by  a  deserted  rancho,  now  in  a  state  of  ruin. 
What  object  any  one  could  have  in  occupying  such  a 
spot,  I  cannot  imagine  ;  for  there  seemed  to  be  no  land 
fit  for  cultivation  or  for  grazing.  In  this  canon  is  a 
conical  hill,  around  which  winds  a  spiral  road,  and  on 
whose  summit  is  a  stone  parapet,  the  work  of  some 
ancient  people. 

A  little  further  on,  we  passed  another  rancho  ;  from 
the  top  of  the  parapet  peeped  a  few  heads,  and  in 
their  midst  a  huge  blunderbuss  mounted  on  a  swivel, 
probably  to  overawe  the  Indians.  On  emerging  from 
the  canon,  we  entered  a  broad  plain,  extending  to  the 
south  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach.  A  few  isolated 
hills  were  alone  seen  in  the  far  distance.  The  plain 
here  was  about  twenty-five  miles  wide.  Five  or  six 
miles  further  brought  us  to  BacMmba,  a  cluster  of 
about  a  dozen  houses,  with  a  fine  spring  of  water, 
which  is  retained  in  a  pond  by  a  wall  below  it.  From 
this,  the  water  is  conducted  to  some  gardens,  in  which 
I  noticed  many  fig-trees.  This  place  is  noted  for  its 
fine  apples ;  but  we  were  unable  to  procure  any  to 
satisfy  us  of  the  truth  of  the  report.  Here  we  encamp- 
ed, after  a  march  of  twenty  miles. 

November  3d.  A  train  of  wagons  from  Chihua- 
hua, belonging  to  Senor  Olivares,  joined  us  last  night, 
and  left  again  before  daylight.  We  continued  our 
journey  over  the  same  plain  as  before,  in  a  direction 
about  south  south-east,  the  road  being  excellent.   Grass 


TO    THE    RIO    FLORIDO.  445 

was  scant,  the  plain  being  of  a  desert-like  character, 
covered  with  low  mezquit  bushes,  various  kinds  of 
cacti,  yucca,  and  the  fouquiera;  forming  as  formidable 
a  collection  of  thorny  plants  as  one  need  wish  to 
make  his  way  through.  No  better  indication  of  the 
desert  character  of  a  country  is  required  than  the  fou- 
quiera, which  thrives  only  in  the  most  barren  and  arid 
spots. 

Ten  miles  from  Bachimba  the  road  divides,  one 
branch  leading  south-east  to  San  Pablo,  which  is  the 
most  direct,  and  the  other  to  Santa  Cruz,  ten  miles 
distant.  We  took  the  latter,  in  order  to  obtain  a  sup- 
ply of  flour  there  for  our  journey.  This  town  stands 
near  the  San  Pedro  Creek,  a  tributary  of  the  Conchos 
River,  and  extends  for  nearly  a  mile  along  the  valley. 
Parts  of  it  are  compactly  built ;  yet  I  did  not  observe 
a  good-looking  house  in  it  Men,  women,  and  chil- 
dren crowded  to  the  doors  as  we  passed,  attracted  by 
the  cracking  of  the  whips  and  yells  of  the  teamsters, 
and  seemed  to  eye  us  with  as  much  curiosity  as  though 
they  had  never  seen  a  train  before.  It  is  said  to  con- 
tain four  or  five  thousand  inhabitants.  We  passed 
directly  through  without  stopping,  and  crossed  the 
creek,  a  fine  stream  of  clear  water,  which  rises  in  the 
mountains  about  one  hundred  miles  to  the  west,  when 
we  were  suddenly  brought  to  a  stand  by  a  dilapidated 
bridge,  across  an  acequia.  Such  was  the  condition  of 
this  bridge,  that  even  the  riding  animals  would  not 
cross  it.  We  had,  therefore,  to  cut  branches  from 
the  cotton-wood  trees,  lay  them  on  the  bridge,  and 
cover  the  whole  with  earth,  before  we  could  make  it 
passable.     Such  a  bridge  on  the  great  highway  from 


446  CHIHUAHUA 

the  capital  to  the  larger  towns  at  the  south  and  to  the 
city  of  Mexico,  is  a  disgrace  to  the  State,  and  more  so 
to  the  town  within  half  a  mile  of  it.  A  few  hours'  labor 
would  render  it  safe  and  permanent ;  yet  no  one  will 
do  it.  Each  train  managed  to  get  over  as  we  did,  and 
appearances  indicated  that  it  had  long  been  in  the 
same  plight. 

Encamped  at  a  village  a  mile  from  the  stream,  near 
the  grist-mill  where  we  were  to  obtain  our  flour.  I  had 
letters  of  introduction  to  the  owner,  but  he  was  absent. 
He  is  a  gentleman  of  much  enterprise,  having  at  this 
place,  in  addition  to  his  flouring  mill,  a  cotton  gin  and 
smelting  furnace.  The  ore  is  brought  from  a  mine  ten 
miles  distant.  There  is  no  wood  near,  and  the  fur- 
naces have  to  be  supplied  with  fuel  by  digging  up  the 
roots  of  the  mezquit  chapporal.  Heaps  of  this  lay  by 
the  road  side,  from  which  it  is  carried  on  the  backs 
of  donkeys  or  men  to  the  furnaces.  I  learned  that  the 
mine  was  not  profitable,  but  that  another  had  been 
discovered,  which  was  to  be  worked  by  the  same  per- 
son, who  would  bring  the  ore  here  to  be  reduced. 

November  Ath.  Taking  an  easterly  course,  we  struck 
the  main  road  from  San  Pablo  in  four  or  five  miles  after 
setting  out,  when  we  again  turned  south-east.  The 
road  was  good,  with  the  same  barren  plain  as  yester- 
day. A  tire  here  fell  from  one  of  the  wagon  wheels, 
notwithstanding  the  thorough  overhauling  they  had 
received  at  Chihuahua ;  but  such  is  the  dryness  of  the 
climate,  that  these  accidents  will  occur  in  spite  of  every 
precaution.  The  result  was  a  detention  of  two  hours, 
to  wedge  up  the  tire ;  after  which  we  pushed  on  more 
rapidly,  and  reached  Saucillo,  said  to  be  twenty-three 


TO    THE    RIO    FLORIDO.  447 

miles  from  Santa  Cruz,  where  we  encamped,  about  one 
hundred  and  fifty  yards  from  the  river  Conchos. 

As  we  entered  the  village,  which  consists  of  a  clus- 
ter of  mud  houses,  mostly  in  a  decaying  state,  we 
noticed  the  whole  population  running  to  and  fro  in  a 
great  state  of  alarm,  and  at  the  same  time  a  train  of 
wagons  entering  from  the  south.  We  soon  learned  the 
cause  of  the  excitement.  The  town  had  been  entered 
an  hour  before  by  a  band  of  Comanche  Indians  ;  who 
attempted  to  drive  off  the  cattle.  They  were  pursued 
by  the  men  of  the  place,  and  in  retreating,  lanced  an 
unarmed  man  who  was  driving  cattle.  Each  of  these 
fiends,  out  of  mere  sport,  plunged  his  lance  into  the 
poor  creature,  as  they  passed  him  lying  on  the  ground. 
The  people  were  just  bringing  in  his  dead  body.  The 
Indians  had  also  attacked  the  train  that  was  entering, 
and  succeeded  in  causing  a  stampede  among  the  loose 
animals,  fifteen  in  number,  which  they  drove  off.  To 
save  the  rest,  the  party  returned  to  Saucillo,  which  they 
had  just  left.  This  was  the  train  of  Senor  Olivares, 
which  had  proposed  joining  us  at  Chihuahua. 

In  their  attack  to-day,  the  Indians  killed  eighteen 
head  of  beef-cattle,  which  they  could  not  drive  off.  The 
bodies  of  eight  of  these  were  secured  by  the  villagers  ; 
from  which  we  obtained  a  supply  of  beef.  Such  is  the 
course  pursued  by  the  Indians.  When  they  cannot 
carry  off  cattle,  they  destroy  them;  and  even  when 
they  want  food,  they  do  not  kill  and  preserve  their 
meat  as  the  Mexicans  do,  but  take  merely  what  they 
want  for  a  meal,  and  leave  the  remainder.  Hence,  the 
immense  destruction  of  beef  cattle  and  mules.  A  band 
of  one  hundred  Indians  destroy  cattle  enough  to  sub- 


448  CHIHUAHUA 

sist  ten  or  twenty  times  that  number  ;  and  as  they  raise 
none  themselves,  it  may  be  conceived  what  inroads 
they  make  upon  the  herds  of  the  Mexicans, 

While  we  were  at  Chihuahua,  the  Comanches  made 
a  great  haul  near  this  place.  A  large  train  of  wagons, 
with  one  hundred  and  forty  mules,  on  its  way  from  the 
capital  to  the  fair  of  San  Juan,  had  just  encamped, 
taken  the  mules  from  the  wagons,  and  sent  them  with 
four  men  to  a  pool  of  water  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
distant.  While  there  a  band  of  Comanches,  who  lay 
concealed  with  their  horses  in  a  bush  near  by,  sud- 
denly rushed  upon  them,  stampeded  the  whole  caba- 
llada,  and  succeeded  in  driving  every  animal  off.  The 
herders  and  teamsters  in  charge  could  no  nothing  to 
save  them.  The  owner  raised  a  large  party  a  day  or 
two  after,  took  the  trail,  and  was  in  pursuit  of  the  rob- 
bers when  we  passed  along. 

A  large  portion  of  the  population  of  Saucillo  are 
miners  who  work  on  their  own  account,  called  gambu- 
cinos.  These  men  perambulate  the  mining  regions 
much  as  our  Californians  do  in  "  prospecting,"  when 
they  occasionally  stumble  on  a  vein  which  rewards 
them  for  their  labors.  This,  however,  is  but  seldom ; 
for,  possessing  no  scientific  and  but  little  practical 
knowledge,  their  discoveries  are  almost  purely  acci- 
dental. Around  the  village  are  heaps  of  scorise,  refuse 
ore,  and  broken  furnaces,  the  results  of  the  labors  of 
these  silver  hunters. 

November  6th.  Before  starting  this  morning,  all  the 
fire-arms  were  inspected,  and  a  further  supply  of  am- 
munition served  out.  I  placed  the  party  under  the 
orders  of  Mr.  Radziminski,  chief  engineer,  who  had 


TO    THE    KIO    FLORIDO.  449 

had  experience  as  a  military  officer.  The  villagers, 
who  knew  the  haunts  of  the  Indians,  said  they  were 
then  near  our  camp,  and  although  we  did  not  see  them 
they  had  their  spies  watching  our  movements.  A  man 
was  now  placed  by  the  leading  mules  of  each  team  in 
addition  to  the  teamster,  to  keep  them  in  place ;  as 
our  safety  depended  on  the  preservation  of  our  ani- 
mals. Five  of  the  soldiers  were  also  placed  with  the 
wagons,  and  five  about  fifty  yards  in  advance  of  the 
train.  The  remainder  of  the  party  were  equally  di- 
vided between  the  front  and  rear. 

Our  course  for  the  first  four  miles  lay  through  a  thick 
chapporal,  where  an  enemy  might  easily  lie  in  ambush 
and  surprise  a  party.  It  was,  therefore,  with  some 
anxiety  that  we  passed  this  place.  On  our  left,  for  a 
mile  or  more,  were  ruins  of  decayed  buildings ;  which 
led  me  to  believe  that  the  town  must  have  been  much 
larger  in  former  times.  Several  large  acequias,  now 
destitute  of  water,  crossed  our  road,  another  evidence 
that  more  of  the  valley  had  once  been  cultivated. 

Passed  some  isolated  mountains  on  our  left",  where 
there  are  some  silver  mines,  the  ore  from  which  is 
taken  to  Saucillo  to  be  smelted ;  but,  whether  owing 
to  the  poorness  of  the  ore,  or  defective  methods  of 
separating  the  metal  from  it,  they  barely  pay  the  ex- 
pense of  working.  There  are  other  mines  in  the  hills 
to  the  right  which  yield  more,  and  are  considered  pro- 
fitable. These  also  belong  to  Saucillo,  or  rather  to 
the  gambucinos  of  that  place. 

About  fifteen  miles  from  Saucillo  we  reached  by  a 
gradual  ascent  the  summit  of  a  plateau,  when  a  broad 
expanse  of  plain  again  opened  before  us.     From  here 

vol.  ii. — 29 


450  CHIHUAHUA 

we  could  trace  the  course  of  the  Conchos  by  the  wood 
along  its  banks.  This,  next  to  the  Rio  Grande,  is  the 
largest  river  in  the  State.  It  has  its  rise  high  up  in 
the  Sierra  Madre ;.  it  first  flows  in  a  southerly,  next  in 
an  easterly,  then  in  a  north-easterly,  and  finally  in  a 
northerly  course,  when  it  discharges  itself  into  the  Rio 
Grande  near  the  Presidio  del  Norte.  Its  principal 
tributaries  are  the  Florido,  De  Buenavista,  San  Pedro, 
Chihuahua,  and  Balleza.  These,  with  their  lesser 
branches,  water  more  than  a  third  of  the  State.  The 
Conchos  itself  has  a  course  of  one  hundred  and  forty 
leagues,  or  about  three  hundred  and  seventy  miles. 

In  eighteen  miles  we  reached  La  Cruz,  a  small 
village  of  three  hundred  inhabitants,  and  about  five 
miles  further  Las  Gfarzas,  both  on  the  river  Conchos. 
The  bottom  lands  are  here  broad,  and  seemed  to  be 
highly  cultivated.  Large  haciendas  appeared  from 
among  thick  groves  of  cotton-woods,  and  exhibited 
quite  an  agreeable  spectacle,  after  several  days'  travel 
over  barren  districts.  After  passing  Las  Garzas,  we 
forded  the  Conchos,  here  a  fine  clear  and  rapid  stream 
about  two  hundred  yards  across.  After  a  day's  jour- 
ney of  thirty  miles,  we  reached  Santa  Rosalia,  and 
encamped  on  the  banks  of  the  Rio  Florido,  a  small 
stream  which  enters  the  Conchos  at  this  place. 

Santa  Rosalia  is  the  most  considerable  town  we  had 
met  with  since  leaving  Chihuahua,  having  almost  five 
thousand  inhabitants.  It  stands  on  a  spur  of  the  pla- 
teau in  the  angle  formed  by  the  Conchos  and  Florido 
Rivers,  about  sixty  or  eighty  feet  above  the  valley. 
Like  all  Mexican  towns  we  had  thus  far  seen,  it  is  on 
the  decline.     There  is  rather  a  fine  church  here  in  the 


TO    THE    RIO    FLORIDO.  451 

course  of  erection,  built  of  adobe,  except  the  doorways 
and  windows,  which  are  of  the  soft  sand-stone  of  the 
country.  Some  of  the  arches  which  are  to  support  the 
roof  are  already  finished,  and  are  well  built.  To  raise 
these  arches,  the  intermediate  spaces  are  built  up  with 
adobe  and  a  few  timbers,  and  the  arch  laid  directly  on 
this  wall.  When  the  arch  is  completed,  the  adobe  is 
removed.  This  seems  a  quicker  and  less  expensive 
mode  than  to  use  a  framework,  as  we  do. 

South  of  the  town  are  a  redoubt  and  fort  erected 
by  the  Mexicans  when  they  expected  an  invasion  from 
General  Wool,  who  they  heard  was  approaching  in 
that  direction.  These  works  are  all  of  adobe,  and  are 
said  to  answer  well,  as  a  cannon  ball  will  pass 'through 
them  without  making  a  breach.  But  the  invasion  came 
from  the  north  ;  and  Colonel  Doniphan  was  so  uncivil 
as  to  give  them  no  opportunity  to  use  their  defences, 
but  approached  where  there  were  none  ;  so  that  the 
labor  of  the  Santa  Rosalians  was  thrown  away. 

November  Qth.  We  were  detained  several  hours  this 
morning  to  set  the  tires  on  two  of  our  wagons,  which 
gave  me  an  opportunity  to  look  about  the  town.  Eleva- 
ted above  the  plain,  I  could  see  for  a  long  distance  the 
valleys  of  the  streams  which  unite  here  ;  they  seemed  to 
be  quite  broad,  presenting  a  fine  bottom  for  cultivation. 

We  heard  from  the  people  here,  that  a  large  band 
of  Comanches  crossed  the  Conchos  early  this  morning 
near  Las  Garzas,  and  went  towards  the  mountains  on 
our  left ;  evidently,  with  the  intention  of  going  south- 
wardly towards  the  settlements,  and  perhaps  of  lying 
in  ambush  for  passing  trains. 

At  1  o'clock  p.  m.  we  again  got  off,  and,  ascending 


452  CHIHUAHUA 

the  plateau,  struck  across  it  in  a  direction  east  south- 
east over  a  desert  plain,  with  an  excellent  road.  About 
five  miles  off  on  our  left,  we  saw  the  course  of  the  Rio 
Florido.  It  was  an  hour  after  dark  before  we  reached 
the  village  of  Ramada,  twenty-three  miles  distant,  on 
that  stream.  This  is  a  place  of  four  hundred  inhabi- 
tants, and  contains,  along  with  its  tumble-down  tene- 
ments, a  crumbling  church.  In  this  last,  are  some 
pretty  good  paintings,  but  they  are  suffering  much  from 
neglect ;  for  the  people  are  so  indolent,  that  they  will 
not  lift  a  hand,  even  for  a  few  hours,  to  fill  up  the  cre- 
vices in  the  decaying  walls,  to  save  these  once  valu- 
able pictures  from  destruction. 

November  *Ith.  Leaving  the  valley  of  the  Rio  Flo- 
rido, our  course  lay  south  across  the  plateau,  here 
elevated  not  more  than  ten  or  fifteen  feet  above  the 
bottom  land,  which  we  followed  for  several  hours. 
Saw  several  large  haciendas  along  the  river  with  cat- 
tle grazing  near.  We  had  hoped  to  reach  Guajuquilla 
to-day ;  but  found  it  best  to  encamp  at  a  well  about 
twenty  miles  from  Ramada,  as  we  could  not  reach  that 
place  till  after  dark.  Experience  had  taught  us  not  to 
travel  after  nightfall  when  we  could  avoid  it.  On  reach- 
ing these  towns  or  haciendas,  we  required  feed  for  our 
animals,  which  was  generally  corn-stalks ;  and  unless 
we  made  arrangements  an  hour  or  two  before  dark,  it 
could  not  be  obtained.  There  are  other  difficulties  in 
approaching  these  towns  after  dark,  such  as  the  ace- 
quias  and  broken  bridges,  the  difficulty  of  selecting 
proper  places  to  encamp  in,  etc.  Where  we  had  to 
depend  on  ourselves  alone,  and  were  in  an  unsettled 
country,  it  made  no  difference. 


TO   THE    RIO    FLORIDO.  453 

We  obtained  water  at  a  well  here,  for  which  we 
had  to  pay  three  cents  a  head  for  our  animals.  There 
was  a  large  hacienda  near,  the  people  of  which  seemed 
to  have  no  other  means  of  living  than  what  they  obtain- 
ed from  this  tax  on  their  water.  This  is  not  an  unusual 
practice  where  wells,  have  been  sunk  at  a  great  ex- 
pense, and  where  men  are  kept  to  protect  them.  This 
was  formerly  a  large  stock  estate ;  but  being  far  from 
any  town,  its  cattle  have  all  been  stolen  by  the  Indians. 

The  plain  is  here  about  twenty-five  miles  wide, 
being  limited  by  ranges  of  mountains  that  distance 
apart.     At  the  south,  no  mountains  were  visible. 

November  8th.  Twelve  miles  brought  us  to  the  old 
town  of  Guajuquilla  (pronounced  Wa-hu-ke-yah).  It 
is  also  known  as  Jimenes  (after  the  patriot  of  that 
name)  on  the  maps  ;  but  in  no  instance  did  I  hear  it 
called  by  any  other  than  its  primitive  Indian  title. 
This  town  is  situated  near  the  river  Florido,  and  is  the 
cleanest  looking  place  we  had  thus  far  seen  in  the 
State,  the  capital  only  excepted.  Its  population  is 
about  seven  thousand ;  but  for  so  large  a  place,  it 
shows  very  little  activity,  there  being  but  three  or 
four  small  shops,  containing  altogether  less  goods  than 
would  be  found  in  a  village  store  in  the  United  States, 
where  the  population  did  not  exceed  one  thousand. 
It  is  altogether  an  agricultural  town,  being  in  the  midst 
of  a  broad  and  fertile  valley  extending  along  both  sides 
of  the  river.  As  it  is  off  the  main  road,  few  travellers 
pass  through  it.  Our  little  train,  therefore,  conducted 
by  about  forty  armed  men,  brought  out  to  their  doors 
the  occupants  of  the  houses  in  the  streets  through 
which  we  passed.     The  people  were  more  fair  and 


454  CHIHUAHUA 

cleanly-looking  than  usual,  and  exhibited  less  of  the 
Indian  physiognomy  and  complexion.  Having  more 
wagon  tires  to  set,  and  some  blacksmith's  work  to  do, 
we  took  occasion  to  look  about  the  place,  and  found 
the  people  polite  and  desirous  to  serve  us.  Corn,  barley, 
vegetables,  eggs,  and  poultry,  were  brought  to  our  camp 
for  sale,  for  the  first  time  since  we  entered  the  country. 

South  of  the  town  is  a  small  monument  built  of 
adobe  to  the  height  of  about  twenty -five  feet,  in  honor 
of  Our  Lady  of  Guadalupe,  whose  full  length  portrait, 
or  effigy,  stuck  into  a  frame,  is  inserted  in  a  niche  at 
the  top  of  the  monument.  The  picture  is  about  two 
feet  in  length,  and  appeared  to  be  an  ordinary  colored 
lithograph.  The  monument  is  an  unshapely  affair; 
and  seemed  to  be  fashioned  in  literal  obedience  to  the 
command,  not  to  make  to  oneself  "the  likeness  of  any 
thing  in  the  heavens  above,  or  in  the  earth  beneath,  or 
in  the  waters  under  the  earth."  It  is  but  fair  to  add, 
that  I  was  told  the  monument  was  built  by  a  priest, 
who  died  before  he  completed  his  plans. 

The  river  Florido  has  here  a  bottom  of  three  or 
four  miles  in  width ;  most  of  it  is  cultivated,  and  a 
considerable  portion  in  cotton,  which  thrives  well  here. 
In  fact,  there  is  more  land  here  under  cultivation  than 
at  any  place  I  had  seen  in  the  country,  not  excepting 
the  valley  of  the  Rio  Grande.  As  an  evidence  of  its 
secluded  position,  I  was  told  that  there  were  but  two 
foreigners  in  it,  a  Spaniard  and  a  Frenchman,  both  of 
whom  honored  us  with  visits. 

November  9th.  In  consequence  of  the  deficiency  of 
tools,  we  made  slow  progress  in  repairing  our  wagons. 
We  had  heard  at  Chihuahua  of  the  existence  of  large 


« 

TO    THE    RIO    FLORIDO.  455 

masses  of  native  iron,  or  meteorites,  in  this  part  of  the 
State ;  and  we  made  inquiries  respecting  them  as  we 
came  along.  We  were  here  told  that  they  were  to  be 
found  about  six  leagues  distant.  Dr.  Webb  determined 
to  avail  himself  of  our  detention  to  examine  these  masses. 
He  accordingly  procured  a  guide  in  the  town,  who  pro- 
fessed to  know  where  the  objects  of  his  inquiry  were 
to  be  found ;  and  taking  with  him  our  ten  soldiers  and 
three  others  of  our  party,  he  set  off  from  camp.  He 
expected,  from  the  information  given  him,  that  he 
could  reach  the  place  in  a  few  hours,  and  be  back  early 
in  the  morning. 

Colonel  Doniphan,  with  the  army  of  the  west,  left 
this  place  for  Parras  by  the  Bolson  cle  Mapimi.  As  that 
district  of  country  is  now  in  possession  of  the  Coman- 
ches  and  Lipans,  who  are  there  some  thousands  strong, 
it  is  not  considered  safe  for  parties  of  less  than  one  or 
two  hundred  to  attempt  it.  We  avoided  it  entirely  by 
keeping  to  the  west,  though  it  made  the  route  full 
three  days  longer. * 

November  10th.  Dr.  Webb  returned  this  morning 
without  having  found  the  object  of  his  search.  It  ap- 
peared that  on  reaching  the  place  designated,  the  guide 
became  somewhat  confused ;  and  on  being  questioned 

*  I  take  this  occasion  to  express  my  acknowledgment  to  Dr.  Wisli- 
zenus,  whose  "  Memoir  of  a  tour  through  Northern  Mexico,  connected 
with  Colonel  Doniphan's  Expedition,  in  1846-47,"  has  been  of  great  ser- 
vice to  me,  and  was  my  only  guide  from  Chihuahua  to  Guajuquilla — ■ 
and  again  after  leaving  Parras.  I  have  great  pleasure  in  testifying  to 
tlie  accuracy  of  this  memoir,  which  is  a  model  of  its  kind;  and  I  do  not 
hesitate  to  say,  that  no  official  report  has  ever  been  published  by  our 
government,  which,  in  the  same  space,  embraces  so  much  and  such  ac- 
curate information. 


456  CHIHUAHUA 

more  closely,  the  fellow  acknowledged  that  he  had 
not  been  there  in  twenty  years,  and  had  forgotten 
their  precise  locality.  He  also  pretended  to  be  much 
alarmed  on  account  of  the  Indians,  and  declared  that 
it  was  not  safe  to  go  further.  The  Doctor,  however, 
compelled  him  to  lead  them  about  for  miles  in  every 
direction,  but  to  no  purpose. 

In  the  afternoon  we  resumed  our  journey,  intend- 
ing to  reach  Totonilco,  about  ten  miles  distant;  but 
we  had  not  proceeded  far  before  we  found  the  road 
overflowed  by  the  bursting  of  an  acequia  which  ran 
by  its  side.  The  wagons  sank  deep  in  the  mud,  ren- 
dering it  extremely  difficult  to  get  along.  On  both 
sides  of  the  road  were  hedge  fences,  so  that  we  could 
not  turn  out.  Mr.  Flotte's  large  carriage  got  mired ; 
and  in  the  struggle  to  extricate  it,  the  tongue  and 
hounds  were  broken.  In  consequence  of  this  delay, 
night  overtook  us  before  we  had  completed  our  day's 
journey,  and  rendered  it  difficult  to  find  our  way. 
Finally,  in  crossing  a  bridge  over  a  large  acequia  near 
the  Hacienda  Blanca,  our  large  provision  wagon,  "the 
ark,"  broke  through  a  hole,  which  was  not  perceived 
by  those  in  advance,  upset,  and  precipitated  its  con- 
tents into  the  water.  This  accident  was  a  serious  one, 
as  the  vehicle  contained  all  our  provisions  for  forty 
days.  There  was  no  alternative,  therefore,  but  to  stop 
where  we  were,  directly  in  the  road,  closely  hemmed 
in  with  mezquit  bushes.  Our  men  were  obliged  to 
jump  into  the  water,  which  was  three  feet  deep  and 
about  fifteen  wide.  Many  things  sank  to  the  bottom. 
Our  flour,  which  was  in  sacks,  sugar,  coffee,  rice,  etc., 
were  thoroughly  wet. 


TO   THE   RIO    FLOEIDO.  457 

November  11th.  Our  provisions  were  spread  out 
in  the  sun  to-day  on  India  rubber  blankets  and  tent- 
cloths.  The  result  of  the  disaster  was  the  loss  of  all 
our  sugar,  and  about  one  third  of  the  flour.  After  a  few 
hours'  drying,  the  coffee  and  rice  were  stowed  away 
for  a  further  drying  in  the  afternoon,  and  we  again  set 
off.  Finding  that  Totonilco  was  not  on  our  direct  road, 
we  here  took  another,  leading  to  the  village  of  La  Za- 
pata (The  Shoe),  eighteen  miles  distant,  which  we 
reached  before  sunset,  and  encamped. 

November  12th.  Our  next  stopping  place  was  the 
Hacienda  del  Rio  Florido,  about  fifteen  miles  distant ; 
but  having  heard  of  a  remarkable  meteorite  at  the 
Hacienda  de  Conception,  about  six  miles  from  the 
direct  route,  I  determined  to  let  the  train  pass  on, 
while  I  with  a  small  party  took  the  Concepcion  road. 
Dr.  Webb,  Messrs.  Radziminski,  Seaton,  Jacobs,  and 
Force,  with  myself,  made  the  party.  Ten  miles  from 
Zapata,  across  the  table-land,  brought  us  to  a  small 
stream,  where,  encompassed  in  a  grove  of  cotton- 
woods,  lay  the  pretty  village  to  which  we  were  des- 
tined. 

On  our  arrival,  we  stopped  under  the  shade  of 
some  large  trees,  and  dismounting  at  once  discovered 
the  object  of  our  search  about  fifty  yards  distant,  at 
the  corner  of  a  large  building.  This  was  the  residence 
of  Don  Juan  Urquida,  the  proprietor  of  the  hacienda 
and  large  estates  adjoining,  and  formerly  governor  of 
the  State.  That  no  time  might  be  lost,  Dr.  Webb 
immediately  set  to  work  with  his  hammers  and  cold 
chisels  to  cut  off  some  pieces  from  the  huge  mass  of 
iron  before  us.     This  he  found  to  be  an  undertaking 


458  CHIHUAHUA 

of  great  labor,  in  consequence  of  the  extreme  tenacity 
and  hardness  of  the  mass.  After  an  hour's  work,  with 
a  man  to  assist  him,  he  succeeded  in  cutting  off  three 
or  four  small  pieces,  which  did  not  altogether  weigh 
an  ounce,  and  were  barely  sufficient  for  an  analysis. 
Five  chisels  having  been  broken,  the  Doctor  had  to 
desist  from  his  labors,  much  to  our  regret,  as  we  were 
desirous  to  obtain  some  specimens  for  cabinets. 

While  this  was  going  on,  I  took  a  couple  of  sketches 
of  the  mass,  showing  opposite  sides,  and  also  took  mea- 
surements ;  but  the  form  was  so  irregular  that  these 
measurements  can  only  aid  in  conveying  an  idea  ap- 
proximately of  its  bulk.  Its  greatest  height  is  forty- 
six  inches ;  greatest  breadth  thirty-seven  inches ;  cir- 
cumference in  thickest  part  eight  feet  three  inches. 
Its  weight,  as  given  me  by  Senor  Urquida,  is  thirty- 
eight  quintals,  two  arrobas,  three  libras,  which,  at 
,/one  hundred  pounds  to  the  arroba,  would  be  equiv- 
alent to  three  thousand  eight  hundred  and  fifty-three 
pounds. 

This  meteorite  is  very  irregular  in  form,  as  the 
drawing  shows  ;  and  one  side  is  filled  with  deep  cavi- 
ties, generally  round,  and  of  various  dimensions.  These 
cavities  were  doubtless  formed  when  the  mass  was  cool- 
ing. At  its  lower  part,  as  it  now  stands,  is  a  project- 
ing leg,  quite  similar  to  the  one  on  the  meteorite  we 
saw  at  Tucson,  and  which  I  have  described.  The 
back  or  broadest  part  is  less  jagged  than  the  other 
portions,  and  contains  fewer  cavities,  yet,  like  the  rest, 
is  very  irregular.* 

*  From  the  various  inquiries  made  at  Guajuquilla  and  attheHaci- 


TO   THE   RIO   FLORIDO.  459 

While  we  were  at  work,  Sefior  Urquida,  the 
younger,  the  brother  of  Don  Juan,  came  out.  Having 
no  letters  of  introduction  to  him,  I  showed  him  a  gene- 

enda  de  Concepcion,  I  learned  of  the  existence  of  meteorites,  or  masses 
of  native  iron,  in  several  places.  Of  those  near  the  former  place,  of 
which  Dr.  Webb  went  in  search,  there  is  no  doubt.  Some  of  them 
are  very  large  masses,  partially  buried  in  the  earth  ;  while  others  are 
less  than  the  one  described.  There  is  one  at  San  Gregorio,  about  fifteen 
leagues  distant ;  and  it  is  reasonable  to  suppose  from  their  proximity,  that 
these  several  masses  fell  to  the  earth  on  the  bursting  of  one  and  the 
same  meteor. 

For  the  information  of  such  of  my  readers  as  are  not  familiar  with 
the  history  of  these  phenomena,  I  will  observe,  in  the  words  of  a  distin- 
guished philosopher,  that  "Shooting  stars,  fire-balls,  and  meteoric  stones, 
are  regarded  with  great  probability,  as  small  masses  moving  with  planet- 
ary velocity,  and  revolving  in  obedience  to  the  laws  of  general  gravity 
in  conic  sections  around  the  sun.  When  these  masses  meet  the  earth 
iu  their  course,  and  are  attracted  by  it,  they  enter  within  the  limits  of 
our  atmosphere  in  a  luminous  condition,  and  frequently  let  fall  more  or 
less  strongly  heated  stony  fragments,  covered  with  a  shining  black 
crust."  *  Another  distinguished  writer,  Kaemtz,\  after  examining  the 
several  hypotheses,  for  the  origin  of  these  igneous  meteors,  arrives  at 
similar  conclusions  to  those  of  Baron  Humboldt.  "A  great  number  of 
observations,"  he  says,  "  prove  that,  besides  the  large  celestial  bodies, 
there  are  small  ones  that  move  in  space,  such  as  points  and  luminous 
trains,  which  astronomers  have  often  seen  traversing  the  field  of  their 
telescopes.  These  millions  of  asteroids  moving  round  the  sun,  become 
visible  when  they  are  ignited  by  entering  the  terrestrial  atmosphere." 

With  regard  to  the  masses  of  meteoric  iron,  many  instances  are 
recorded  where  they  have  been  known  to  fall  to  the  earth  on  the  burst- 
ing of  meteors,  and  have  been  carefully  examined  and  analyzed  by  phi- 
losophers. They  present  the  same  character,  both  in  form  and  in  their 
chemical  composition ;  metallic  iron  predominating,  with  a  few  parts  of 
nickel.     "  The  connection  of  meteoric  stones,"  says  Humboldt,J  "  with 

*  Humboldt's  Cosmos.  Vol.  i.  p.  98.    Otto's  translation.    London  ed. 
+  Meteorology,    pp.  473-79.  \  Ibid.  p.  101. 


460      .  CHIHUAHUA 

ral  letter  which  General  Trias  had  given  me  to  all 
officials  on  my  route,  directing  them  to  extend  to  me 
and  my  party  every  facility  in  the  prosecution  of  our 

the  grander  phenomenon  of  fire-balls — the  former  being  known  to  be 
projected  from  the  latter  with  such  force  as  to  penetrate  from  ten  to  fif- 
teen feet  into  the  earth — has  been  proved,  among  many  other  instances,  in 
the  fall  of  aerolites  at  Barbatan,  in  the  Department  of  Landes  (24th  of 
July,  1790),  at  Siena  (16th  of  June,  1*794),  at  Weston,  in  Connecticut 
(14th  of  December,  1807),  and  at  Juvenas,  in  the  Department  of  Ar- 
deche  (15th  June,  1821).  Meteoric  stones  are  sometimes  thrown  from 
dark  clouds  suddenly  formed  in  a  clear  sky,  and  fall  with  a  noise  resem- 
bling thunder.  Whole  districts  have  occasionally  been  covered  with 
thousands  of  fragmentary  masses,  of  uniform  character  but  unequal 
magnitude,  that  have  been  hurled  from  one  of  those  moving  clouds. 
The  great  meteoric  mass  which  fell  in  Siberia  in  1771,  described  by 
Pallas,  was  regarded  by  the  Tartars  as  a  sacred  object  fallen  from  hea- 
ven. Analogous  masses  have  been  found  in  Bohemia,  Hungary,  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope,  Mexico,  Peru,  Senegal,  Baffin's  Bay,  etc.  The  iron 
is  full  of  cavities,  filled  with  more  or  less  perfect  crystals  of  olivine ; 
when  these  crystals  are  removed,  the  residue  still  contains  90  per  cent, 
of  iron,  a  certain  percentage  of  nickel,  and  the  rest  needs  scarcely  to  be 
taken  into  account."* 

Of  the  meteoric  masses  found  in  Mexico,  Baron  Humboldt  gives  the 
following  account.  "  In  the  environs  of  Durango,  is  found  the  enor- 
mous mass  of  malleable  iron  and  nickel,  which  is  of  the  identical  com- 
position of  the  aerolites  which  fell  in  Hungary,  in  1751.  This  mass  is 
affirmed  to  weigh  upwards  of  1900  myriogrammes  (41,933  pounds). 
Another  mass  was  discovered  in  Zacatecas,  of  the  weight  of  97  myrio- 
grammes (2140  pounds)."  The  exterior  character  of  this  was  found  by 
him  to  be  entirely  analogous  to  the  malleable  iron  described  by  Pallas.f 

A  collection  of  meteorites  has  been  made  by  Professor  Shepard,  of 
Amherst  College,  which  is  already  said  to  embrace  two  hundred  speci- 
mens from  more  than  a  hundred  different  localities.  Among  them  is  one 
from  Newberry,  South  Carolina,  weighing  58  pounds.     Another  mass 

*  Kaemtz.    Meteorology,  p.  4T6. 

t  Political  Essay  on  New  Spain.    Vol.  ii.  p.  293.  London  ed. 


TO    THE    RIO    FLORIDO.  461 

journey  to  Matamoras.  This  gentleman  was  veiy 
polite  to  us,  and  readily  answered  our  numerous  inqui- 
ries about  the  mass  of  iron.     He  said  it  was  originally 

of  malleable  iron  weighing  nine  pounds,  was  found  in  November,  1852, 
in  digging  a  ditch  near  Cayuga  Bridge,  on  Seneca  River,  N.  Y.  It 
measured  four  inches  in  diameter  and  seven  inches  in  length  :  and  what 
adds  to  the  interest  of  this,  is  the  fact  that  but  a  few  miles  from  where  it 
was  found,  a  meteorite  fell  in  1827.* 

There  is  another  interesting  account  of  the  discovery  of  a  meteorite 
in  the  town  of  Charlotte,  North  Carolina.  In  this  case  a  whizzing  noise 
was  heard  in  the  air  by  several  persons,  accompanied  by  a  commotion 
in  the  atmosphere,  and  the  next  moment  a  stone  struck  near  them, 
"with  a  dull  heavy  jar  of  the  ground."  On  examination,  the  meteoric 
mass  referred  to  was  discovered.  The  people  of  the  town  were  alarmed 
by  "  a  sudden  explosion,  followed  at  short  intervals  by  two  other  reports, 
and  by  a  rumbling  in  the  air.  The  sounds  were  distinct,  and  continued 
for  more  than  half  a  minute."  This  meteor  was  seen  through  250 
miles.f 

It  is  to  be  hoped  that  Professor  Shepard,  into  whose  hands  this  me- 
teorite has  been  placed,  will  give  the  scientific  world  the  results  of  his 
extensive  study  of  these  most  interesting  phenomena. 

Before  closing  this  note,  I  will  remark,  that  early  in  the  evening  of 
the  1st  of  June,  the  day  we  left  San  Isabel  in  California,  a  brilliant  me- 
teor was  seen  by  us  all,  passing  from  west  to  east.  Another  which  sur- 
passed in  brilliancy,  in  the  size  of  its  mass,  the  length  of  its  fiery  train, 
and  the  time  of  its  duration  any  that  I  ever  witnessed,  was  seen  about 
8  o'clock  in  the  morning,  between  the  loth  and  20th  October,  1852. 
This  occurred  a  few  days  before  we  reached  Chihuahua,  and  passed  from 
west  to  east  over  two  thirds  of  the  horizon,  at  the  south.  On  reaching 
Ringgold  Barracks,  near  Camargo,  a  few  weeks  after,  Major  Paul,  the 
commanding  officer  at  that  post,  informed  me  that  he  saw  the  same  me- 
teor, which  passed  to-  the  north  of  them,  and  heard  it  explode.  As  it 
doubtless  dropped  on  the  open,  woodless  plains  of  Texas,  which  are  now 
so  much  traversed,  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  masses  which  then  fell 
may  be  discovered. 

*  Silliman's  Journal,  for  Nov.  1852.  t  Id.  Jan.  1850. 


462  CHIHUAHUA 

found  about  three  hundred  varas  (two  hundred  and 
seventy  yards)  from  its  present  location,  and  had  been 
moved  at  different  periods  by  the  people  of  the  haci- 
enda to  the  place  where  it  now  stands.  It  was  brought 
hither  with  the  design  of  putting  it  in  a  blacksmith's 
shop,  to  be  used  as  an  anvil,  although  it  had  never 
been  so  employed.  An  attempt  was  made  to  reduce 
it,  by  building  a  large  fire  around  it,  and  heating  it  to 
a  white  heat.  But  so  intense  was  the  heat  from  so 
large  a  mass,  that  the  workmen  could  not  approach  it, 
and  all  their  labor  was  lost.  The  expense  of  this  ope- 
ration was  more  than  one  hundred  dollars,  and  resulted 
in  obtaining  a  piece  of  the  metal  large  enough  to  work 
into  a  pair  of  spurs. 

On  the  top,  which  is  quite  smooth,  is  an  inscription 
bearing  the  date  1600 ;  but  I  was  unable  to  make  out 
a  single  word  of  it,  so  much  has  it  been  defaced  by 
hammering  and  the  addition  of  many  crosses.  It  is 
said  that  the  inscription  gave  some  account  of  its  re- 
moval. 

Senor  Urquida  invited  us  into  his  house,  to  give 
us  the  particulars  of  the  weight  of  the  mass  as  esti- 
mated by  his  brother.  We  accepted  his  invitation, 
and  were  conducted  into  a  very  handsome  suite  of 
apartments.  Here  we  met  several  gentlemen,  all  of 
whom  were  of  the  higher  class,  extremely  affable  in 
their  manners,  and  in  their  conversation  showing  much 
intelligence.  Every  thing  within  and  around  indicated 
an  air  of  comfort  such  as  I  had  seen  in  no  part  of  the 
country,  save  in  two  or  three  houses  in  the  capital. 
A  library  of  well-selected  books  in  Spanish,  French, 
and  English,  some  fine  pictures,  a  piano,  etc.,  showed 


TO    THE    RIO    FLORIDO.  463 

the  occupants  to  possess  cultivated  minds,  as  well  as 
taste.  Our  gentlemanly  host  very  politely  invited  us 
to  remain  to  breakfast;*  but  we  were  obliged  to  ex- 
cuse ourselves,  on  the  ground  that  we  had  breakfasted 
before  leaving,  and  that  it  was  necessary  to  rejoin  our 
party  on  the  Rio  Florido  without  delay. 

Taking  leave  of  our  polite  friends,  we  pursued  our 
journey  across  the  plateau,  and  reached  the  Hacienda 
del  Rio  Florido,  nine  miles  distant,  at  three  o'clock, 
where  we  found  the  party  already  encamped. 

Several  mules  were  taken  sick  to-day  in  conse- 
quence of  the  greenness  of  the  corn  (maize)  they  had 
eaten ;  and  one  of  them  died,  notwithstanding  every 
effort  to  save  him. 

This  place  consists  of  a  large  hacienda  with  a  col- 
onnade of  stone,  the  capitals  of  the  columns  being  in 
the  Moorish  style.  It  stands  on  the  margin  of  the 
plateau,  overlooking  the  valley  of  the  river,  and  has  a 
very  picturesque  appearance.  Adjoining  this  building 
is  a  church,  well  constructed  of  stone,  and  of  a  better 
description  than  any  we  had  seen  since  leaving  Chi- 
huahua. These  buildings  were  erected  by  Juan  Ce- 
rera,  a  Spanish  priest,  at  which  time  it  was  considered 
one  of  the  richest  haciendas  in  Mexico.  At  his  death 
it  was  divided  among  three  of  his  nephews.  A  con- 
siderable village,  with  about  a  thousand  inhabitants, 
now    surrounds  the   hacienda.     Twenty-six  tolerably 

*  The  usual  hour  for  breakfast  among  the  higher  classes  in  Mexi- 
co is  twelve  o'clock.  On  rising  in  the  morning  a  cup  of  coffee  or  choco- 
late only  is  taken,  sometimes  with  the  addition  of  a  cracker.  Dinner  is 
taken  about  five,  and  supper  at  ten.  Many  take  but  two  meals,  the 
second  one,  answering  for  dinner  and  supper,  at  seven  in  the  evening. 


464  CHIHUAHUA   TO   THE   RIO   FLORIDO. 

good  paintings  decorate  the  walls  of  the  church ;  and 
around  the  altar  are  full  length  portraits  of  the  Saints, 
inclosed  in  a  large  and  massive  gilt  frame,  extending 
from  the  floor  to  the  ceiling.  In  the  centre  is  a  statue 
of  "  Our  Lady  of  Guadalupe,"  inclosed  in  glass. 


RIO    FLORIDO    TO    PARRAS.  465 


CHAPTER  XLI. 


RIO    FLORIDO    TO    PARRAS. 

A  mule  kidnapped — La  Noria — Gerro  Gordo — Enter  the  State  of  Durango 
— Another  escort — Miserable  condition  of  the  Mexican  soldiers — Recent 
battle  here  with  the  Comanches — La  Zarca — Vast  herds  of  cattle  and 
horses — Scarcity  of  wood — Droves  of  horses — San  Pedro  del  Gallo — 
Eio  Nasas — Fertile  valley — Culture  of  cotton — Corn-fields  without  irri- 
gation— La  Noria  de  Pedrecina — Silver  mines — Cuencame — Another 
escort  of  civilians — La  Noria  Cureila — Rio  Buenaval — Pozo  Calvo — 
Depredations  of  the  Comanches — Alamo  de  Parras — Viesca  mines — La 
Pena — Break  down — Cold  weather — El  Pozo — Recent  incursion  of  In- 
dians— Reach  Parras. 

November  l%th.  When  all  was  in  readiness  to  start, 
one  of  our  mules  was  missing.  After  hunting  about 
for  him  for  an  hour  or  more,  we  set  off,  leaving  an 
arriero  to  continue  the  search.  A  few  hours  after,  the 
arriero  overtook  us  with  the  missing  animal,  which  he 
found  concealed  in  the  inner  apartment  of  a  house. 
A  woman  had  fortunately  witnessed  the  roguery  of  one 
of  her  countrymen  as  he  slyly  secreted  the  mule,  and 
she  informed  the  man  who  was  searching  for  it. 

We  made  fourteen  miles  to-day,  reaching  La  Noria 
(The  Draw-well)  *  at  2  o'clock  ;  but  it  was  necessary 

*  Noria  is  properly  a  wheel  or  engine  for  drawing  water  from  a 
vol.  ii. — 30 


466  RIO    FLORIDO 

to  stop  here,  as  we  could  not  reach  La  Partida  till  after 
dark.  I  had  determined  to  avoid  night  travel  when  it- 
could  possibly  be  avoided,  as  we  had  gained  nothing  by 
it.  The  roads  are  excellent,  and  we  might  go  on  for  twen- 
ty miles  without  meeting  a  rock  or  gully ;  but  the  next 
moment  we  might  disable  the  train  by  plunging  into 
one  of  these  places  worn  by  the  rain,  or  by  upsetting 
in  some  shelving  place.  There  are  no  bridges  in  the 
country,  except  over  the  acequias ;  and  repairs  are 
never  made  on  the  roads.  If  a  flood  washes  a  portion 
away,  or  it  is  otherwise  rendered  unsafe  to  travel,  the 
place  is  simply  avoided  and  a  new  route  taken. 

La  Noria  is  merely  a  well  with  a  large  hacienda  for 
the  raising  of  cattle,  but  with  no  ground  for  tillage. 
As  it  is  the  only  place  between  the  Rio  Florido  and 
Cerro  Gordo  where  there  is  a  certainty  of  finding 
water,  it  is  the  general  stopping-place  for  all  passing 
trains.  The  table-land  here  consists  of  alternate 
patches  of  grass  and  chapporal,  but  enough  of  the  for- 
mer for  many  thousands  of  cattle. 

November  14M.  Having  a  long  inarch  before  us, 
the  camp  was  called  at  an  early  hour ;  and  before  the 
sun  had  shed  his  first  rays  upon  us,  we  had  breakfasted 
and  were  moving  forwards.  Our  course  lay  over  a 
broad  plain  with  a  superb  road,  not  surpassed  by  the 
best  wrought  turnpike.  To  the  east,  the  view  was 
limited  by  a  low  range  of  hills  about  ten  miles  distant; 
while  in  other  directions,  neither  hills  nor  mountains 
were  visible.     The  plain  was  slightly  undulating,  with 

well ;  the  term  is  also  applied  to  wells  where  wheels  are  so  employed, 
to  distinguish  them  from  pozos,  or  common  wells. 


TO    PARRAS.  467 

grass  and  mezquit  bushes  at  intervals.  In  the  lowest 
depressions  where  a  little  moisture  had  accumulated, 
the  mezquit  appeared  in  thick  groves  to  the  height  of 
fifteen  feet.  At  4  p.  m.,  we  reached  Cerro  Gordo, 
twenty-six  miles  from  our  last  camp. 

This  is  a  miserable  old  decaying  town,  containing 
less  than  six  hundred  souls ;  although  when  Lieut. 
Hardy  passed  here  in  1828,  he  says  there  was  a  popu- 
lation of  three  thousand.  From  the  present  extent  of 
the  town,  including  its  crumbling  and  unoccupied 
houses,  it  is  evident  that  it  has  been  much  more  popu- 
lous than  at  present.  It  contains  a  modern  built  church 
without  any  pictures;  there  is  no  other  object  in  the 
place  worthy  of  notice.  A  small  stream  passes  through 
it,  and  there  is  a  very  little  arable  land  near.  It  was 
originally  established  as  a  military  post,  and  is  still 
maintained  as  such. 

As  we  had  now  entered  the  State  of  Durango,  it 
was  necessary  to  surrender  the  escort  given  me  at  Chi- 
huahua. I  accordingly  presented  my  letter  from  Gen- 
eral Trias  to  the  Comandante,  and  requested  him  to 
furnish  me  another  escort  through  this  State.  He  told 
me  that  the  soldiers  were  at  my  service,  but  expressed 
his  regrets  that  he  had  not  the  means  of  furnishing 
them  with  their  subsistence  even  for  the  short  march  re- 
quired, and  that  for  nearly  a  month  he  had  not  been  able 
to  give  them  money  enough  to  purchase'  their  daily  food. 
As  their  pay  was  but  two  and  a  half  reals  (31  cents) 
a  day,  and  as  this  was  the  only  difficulty,  I  at  once 
offered  to  allow  them  this  amount  each,  while  they 
were  with  us,  and  the  same  for  returning.  The  Co- 
mandante,  a  very  polite  and  gentlemanly  man,  made 


468  RIO    FLORIDO 

many  apologies  for  his  straitened  circumstances ; 
and  he  requested  me  to  send  him  word,  when  the 
escort  returned,  how  much  I  had  paid  them,  together 
with  my  address,  in  order  that  he  might  refund  me  the 
money  as  soon  as  he  should  have  it  in  his  power. 

About  three  months  before  our  arrival,  this  place 
was  attacked  by  a  band  of  a  hundred  and  fifty  Co- 
manches,  and  a  large  number  of  mules  and  cattle  stolen. 
The  soldiers  turned  out  to  rescue  the  animals  ;  and  a 
severe  fight  took  place  within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of 
the  towD,  resulting  in  the  entire  defeat  of  the  Mexicans, 
with  the  loss  of  a  Lieutenant  Colonel  and  six  other 
commissioned  officers,  together  with  thirty  soldiers  and 
a  number  of  citizens. 

November  15th.  Our  journey  was  continued  over 
similar  plains  to  those  passed  yesterday.  Mountains 
were  dimly  seen  at  a  great  distance  to  the  east.  There 
was  more  grass  and  less  chapporal.  The  road  was 
very  smooth.  In  an  arroyo,  fifteen  miles  distant,  we 
found  water,  which  enabled  us  to  refresh  our  animals 
and  push  on,  reaching  the  hacienda  of  La  Zarca  * 
after  sunset,  and  making  thirty-two  miles. 

This  is  now,  as  it  ever  has  been,  one  of  the  largest 
cattle  ranges  in  the  State.  The  estate  includes  several 
villages,  and  has  an  extent  of  nearly  a  hundred  miles. 
An  hour  or  two  before  we  reached  it,  we  saw  immense 
herds  of  cattle  dotting  the  plain  in  every  direction, 
luxuriating  on  the  rich  grass  which  here  covers  every 
portion  of  it.  When  Dr.  Gregg  was  here,  about  twen- 
ty years  ago,  so  great  was  the  number  of  cattle  on  this 

*  Zarca  is  a  term  applied  to  water,  and  means  clear  and  pure. 


TO    P ARRAS.  469 

estate,  that  it  was  said,  the  proprietor  had  once  offered 
to  sell  the  whole  establishment,  simply  for  the  consider- 
ation of  fifty  cents  for  each  head  of  cattle  found  on  it ; 
but  that  no  one  could  muster  sufficient  capital  to  take 
up  the  offer.  Mr.  Kendall,*  who  stopped  here  on  his 
way  to  Mexico  with  the  prisoners  from  the  Santa  Fe 
expedition,  says,  that  when  this  estate  was  at  the  ze- 
nith of  its  prosperity,  a  regiment  of  dragoons  arrived 
from  Spain  and  landed  at  Tampico.  This  regiment 
was  one  thousand  strong,  and  of  course  the  men  did 
not  bring  their  horses  with  them.  The  Colonel  hap- 
pening to  be  a  friend  of  the  family  of  the  proprietress, 
then  a  widow,  she  immediately  sent  him  a  thousand 
white  horses  as  a  present,  for  the  use  of  his  regiment. 
There  was  hardly  a  month's  difference  in  the  ages  of 
these  horses,  and  every  one  of  them  had  been  raised  on 
her  estate. 

November  IQth.  The  same  open  table-land  con- 
tinued to-day.  On  leaving,  we  descended  gradually  for 
about  six  miles,  when  we  found  good  water  in  a  laguna 
by  the  road  side.  We  then  ascended  again  to  a  higher 
level  for  about  twelve  miles,  by  an  easy  slope.  The 
whole  plain  was  here  covered  with,  grass,  but  entirely 
destitute  even  of  the  smallest  bushes.  An  occasional 
cactus  or  yucca  rose  now  and  then,  to  break  the  mono- 
tony of  the  broad  plains.  Sometimes  they  appeared 
in  groups,  and  at  a  distance  resembled  men  on  horse- 
back or  on  foot.  Often  were  scouts  sent  ahead  to  in- 
spect these  mysterious-looking  objects. 

Passed  several  large  droves  of  horses,  which  rushed 

*  Narrative  of  the  Texan  Santa  Fe  Expedition.  Vol.  ii.  p.  111. 


470  RIO    FLORIDO 

across  our  path  and  galloped  away  at  full  speed  as  we 
drew  near  them.  There  were  no  herdsmen  with  them; 
and  it  was  a  matter  of  surprise  to  see  such  herds  ten 
or  fifteen  miles  from  any  habitation.  The  best  of  these 
horses  may  be  purchased  for  fifty  dollars  each,  and 
ordinary  ones  for  from  eighteen  to  twenty  dollars.  We 
filled  our  water  kegs  at  the  laguna,  and,  after  making 
altogether  about  twenty-one  miles,  encamped  in  the 
open  plain  near  some  mezquit  bushes,  for  the  sake  of 
the  fuel  they  afforded.  Wood  had  been  the  most  dif- 
ficult of  all  things  to  procure  on  our  journey  from  El 
Paso.  We  gathered  it  from  bushes  as  we  came  along  ; 
and  we  often,  as  was  the  case  this  day,  were  governed 
in  fixing  our  camp  by  proximity  to  it. 

November  17th.  Our  route  to-day  lay  over  and 
among  low  hills  with  a  stony  road,  but  kept  gradually 
descending  towards  the  valley  where  we  expected  to 
encamp.  Towards  noon,  herds  of  cattle  and  miljpas 
(corn-fields)  indicated  our  approach  to  a  settlement ; 
and  soon  after,  we  rode  into  a  town  that  glories  in  the 
extraordinary  name  of  San  Pedro  del  Gallo  (St.  Peter 
of  the  Cock).  Miserable  and  filthy  as  were  many  of 
the  towns  we  had  visited,  this  surpassed  them  all.  The 
plaza  seemed  to  be  used  as  a  great  cattle-pen,  and  the 
streets  as  avenues  to  it.  There  was  a  general  staring 
at  us  as  we  entered  the  place.  Driving  through  it,  we 
encamped  on  a  level  piece  of  ground  just  beyond, 
where  we  were  soon  surrounded  by  a  number  of  anx- 
ious inquirers.  As  an  evidence  of  the  poverty  of  the 
place,  we  could  buy  neither  eggs,  fowls,  nor  vegetables 
— nothing  but  fry 'oles,  and  corn  for  the  animals. 

The  town  is   supplied  with  water  from  a  natural 


TO    PARRAS.  471 

well,  whence  it  is  conducted  into  a  long  trough  built 
of  stone.  Here  the  mules  and  cattle  drank,  the  wo- 
men did  their  washing,  the  people  in  general  per- 
formed their  ablutions,  and  got  their  supply  of  water 
to  drink.  By  tapping  the  fountain  near  its  source,  we 
got  pure  water. * 

November  18th.  On  leaving  El  Gallo  (as  it  is  often 
called  for  shortness)  we  entered  some  low  hills,  and 
soon  after  crossed  a  plain  about  twelve  miles  wide, 
when  we  reached  a  range  of  rocky  hills  with  fantastic 
summits.  Through  defiles  in  these  we  passed,  and 
entered  a  broad  valley  beyond,  such  as  we  had  not 

*  Much  as  the  people  of  the  United  States  have  been  ridiculed  on 
account  of  the  singular  names  applied  by  them  to  places,  those  of  Mexi- 
co are  at  least  equally  guilty  in  this  respect.  Every  State  has  all  the 
saints  in  the  calendar  applied  to  something ;  either  a  village,  hacienda, 
or  a  rancho ;  and  the  Guadalupes  and  Concepcions  are  as  common  as 
our  Washingtons  and  Franklins.  The  aboriginal  names  are,  many  of 
them,  very  pretty  and  sonorous,  and  these  are  often  retained,  but  not 
without  some  holy  prefix,  generally  the  name  of  a  saint,  as  though  we 
were  to  say,  Saint  Nicholas  of  Manhattan,  Saint  Peter  of  Passama- 
quoddy,  etc.  In  looking  over  a  geographical  dictionary  I  find  the  fol- 
lowing, some  of  which  occur  as  often  as  our  Adamses  and  Jeffersons. 

Nombre  de  Dios,  TJie  name  of  God. 

Madre  de  Dios,  The  Mother  of  God,. 

Todos  Santos,  All  Saints. 

Corpus  Christi,  Christ's  Body. 

Trinidad,  Trinity. 

Valgame  Dios,  God  save  me. 

Sacramento,  Sacrament. 

La  Purissiina  Concepcion,  The  most  pure  Conception. 

Dolores,  Grief. 

Los  Cineo  Senores,  The  five  lords. 

San  Pedro  del  Boca  Leones,  Saint  Peter  of  the  Lion's  mouth. 

Santa  Cruz  del  Rosaria,  ITie  Holy  Cross  of  the  Rosary. 

Cieneguita  de  Jesus  Maria,  Jesus  Mari/s  Little  Swamp. 

La  Santa  Magdalena,  The  Holy  Magdalen. 


472  RIO    FLORIDO 

seen  since  entering  the  country.  For  miles  it  was 
lined  with  villages  and  haciendas,  while  large  cotton- 
wood  trees,  the  usual  accompaniments  of  water-courses, 
extended  in  a  line  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach.  Large 
fields  of  corn  covered  the  bottom-lands,  and  every 
thing  indicated  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  This  was 
the  Valley  of  the  Rio  Nasas,  a  beautiful  stream  about 
sixty  yards  in  width  that  discharges  itself  into  the 
Lake  Cayman  of  the  maps,  but  which  is  here  known  as 
the  Laguna  de  Tlagualila,  in  the  Bolson  de  Mapimi. 
Finding  a  rancho  on  its  banks,  where  corn  and  a  corral 
could  be  obtained,  we  encamped.  Distance  from  El 
Gallo,  twenty-five  miles. 

The  valley  here  is  from  a  mile  to  a  mile  and  a  half 
in  width,  and  has  long  been  noted  for  the  excellent 
quality  of  the  cotton  raised  in  it.  The  climate  is  said 
to  be  very  mild,  and  admirably  adapted  for  its  cultiva- 
tion. 

In  our  journey  to-day,  I  noticed  for  the  first  time 
several  large  fields  of  maize  on  the  high  grounds,  with 
no  water  near.  The  soil  is  excellent  on  these  plains ; 
and  by  planting  the  seed  just  before  the  rainy  season, 
it  comes  to  maturity  rapidly;  although  the  yield  is  less 
than  when  irrigation  is  employed,  and  the  grain  is  of 
an  inferior  quality.  The  mezquit  trees  in  this  valley 
are  larger  than  any  seen  on  our  route,  being  full 
twenty  feet  in  height. 

November  19th.  Following  the  bank  of  the  Rio 
Nasas  for  five  or  six  miles,  we  kept  on  through  several 
small  villages  and  cultivated  grounds,  then  turned 
suddenly  to  the  east,  and  passed  between  two  high 
hills  with   flat   tops.     After    continuing    about    three 


TO    PARRAS.  473 

miles  through  a  defile,  we  emerged  into  a  broad  plain, 
bounded  on  the  east  by  a  high  range  of  mountains. 
This  plain  was  about  ten  miles  across ;  after  it  we  passed 
a  second  range,  and  beyond  this  another  plain  of  six 
or  eight  miles  more,  which  brought  us  to  La  Noria  de 
Pedrecena,  a  well  with  a  wheel,  distant  twenty-seven 
miles  from  our  starting  place.  Here  is  a  church,  ap- 
parently modern,  with  several  furnaces  for  smelting 
silver  ore.  The  town  is  surrounded  by  an  adobe  wall 
twelve  feet  high,  outside  of  which  are  many  houses  in 
a  state  of  decay.  It  has  evidently  been  more  populous 
than  it  is  at  present ;  for  not  half  the  houses  seem  to 
be  occupied.  All  the  water  used  by  the  inhabitants  is 
taken  from  the  well. 

November  20th.  While  the  teamsters  were  hitching 
up  the  mules,  I  rode  to  the  town,  and  made  a  call  on 
Don  Tomas  Pedrecena,  the  proprietor  of  the  place.  I 
found  him  an  intelligent  and  gentlemanly  man ;  and  at 
my  request  he  furnished  us  a  series  of  specimens  of 
the  ore  from  his  silver  mines  in  the  vicinity.  The 
place  was  originally  founded  by  his  grandfather,  and 
had  descended  to  the  gentleman  we  now  saw,  who,  on 
coming  into  possession,  had  leased  the  estate.  The 
lessees  had  for  several  years  abandoned  the  working 
of  the  mines,  and  devoted  themselves  to  working  over 
the  scoria  and  cinders  which  lay  in  the  hillocks  near 
the  town,  and  from  which  they  were  able  by  some 
improved  process  to  extract  a  considerable  amount  of 
the  precious  metal.  Senor  Pedrecena  took  possession 
himself  about  six  months  before  our  visit,  finding  the 
place  was  fast  running  down.  With  this  revival  it  has 
quite  an  air  of  business.     Don  Tomas  took  us  into  the 


474  RIO    FLORIDO 

church,  which  is  in  good  condition,  and  is  hung  with 
pretty  good  pictures  of  a  large  size.  An  advantage 
in  these  pictures  was,  that  the  name  of  the  subject  was 
painted  beneath  each  of  them,  a  piece  of  information 
that  would  have  been  acceptable  in  the  case  of  many 
others  we  had  seen. 

By  the  advice  of  our  friend,  we  here  left  the  direct 
road,  which  he  informed  us  was  rough  and  hilly,  with 
some  bad  arroyos  to  cross,  where  wagons  were  often 
disabled,  and  took  that  to  Cuencame,  about  twenty 
miles  distant,  which  we  reached  early  in  the  afternoon. 

Cuencame,  or  Quincame,  was  once  a  place  of  some 
importance,  judging  from  its  many  well-built  houses 
and  churches.  It  has  three  of  the  latter,  one  of  which, 
on  the  plaza,  is  quite  an  imposing  edifice.  The  houses 
on  the  plaza  are  large,  and  plastered  outside.  The 
shops,  of  which  there  are  many,  are  well  filled  with 
goods,  and  have  a  show  of  business. 

As  the  escort  furnished  us  at  Cerro  Gordo  left  us 
at  La  Noria,  I  called  on  the  Prefect  of  Cuencame  with 
the  letter  of  General  Trias,  and  requested  him  to  fur- 
nish me  another  to  El  Alamo  de  Parras,  or  the  first 
military  post  in  the  State  of  Coahuila.  He  received 
me  politely,  and  expressed  a  willingness  to  further  my 
views  as  far  as  lay  in  his  power.  There  were  no  sol- 
diers in  the  place ;  but  he  agreed  to  procure  for  us 
seven  reliable  men,  if  I  would  allow  them  the  usual  pay 
of  privates,  and  something  extra  for  the  corporal ;  an 
offer  which  I  readily  accepted.  He  could  not  furnish 
them  animals  to  ride,  as  there  were  but  few  in  the 
place. 

Between  here  and  Parras  is  the  most  dangerous 


TO    PARR  AS.  475 

part  of  our  whole  route  by  reason,  of  the  Cornanches. 
The  great  pass  leading  to  the  Bolson  de  Mapimi  is 
here,  through  which  the  Indians  enter  that  portion  of 
Mexico.  The  little  heaps  of  stones  surmounted  by 
crosses,  where  murders  have  been  committed  by  the 
Indians,  are  met  with  at  every  mile ;  and  having  got 
along  safe  thus  far,  I  did  not  feel  disposed  to  risk  the 
party  and  train,  if  an  escort  could  be  had. 

The  present  population  of  Cuencame  is  three  thou- 
sand souls,  as  stated  to  me  by  the  Prefect.  It  is  a  very 
old  place,  and  the  Franciscans  formerly  had  a  con- 
vent here.  It  stands  on  a  small  stream,  barely  suffi- 
cient to  supply  the  wants  of  the  people.  There  is  no 
bottom-land  near,  which  gives  it  a  most  dreary  appear- 
ance. It  is  strictly  a  mining  town,  and  has  three 
smelting  works  in  operation.  We  went  into  them,  and 
procured  specimens  of  the  ores. 

November  21st.  We  were  detained  several  hours 
waiting  for  our  escort,  so  that  we  did  not  get  off  until 
eleven  o'clock.  Our  course  was  now  east  over  a  bad 
road.  After  going  about  ten  miles,  we  stopped  at  a 
well  called  La  Noria  Curena,  an  abandoned  cattle 
hacienda,  near  which  was  good  grass,  but  no  arable 
land.  The  well  is  covered  with  a  handsome  octagonal 
building,  having  wheel-work  inside  for  raising  the  water 
by  mule  power.  In  an  adjoining  building  we  found 
the  leathern  buckets,  which  we  rigged  with  some  diffi- 
culty by  attaching  them  to  a  broad  leather  band  which 
passed  over  a  horizontal  wheel,  and  thence  down  into 
the  well.  On  one  side  these  buckets  went  down 
empty,  and  on  the  other  came  up  filled.  The  water 
then  fell  into  a  reservoir,  whence  it  was  led  to  the  out- 


476  RIO    FLORIDO 

side  into  a  trough  of  stone  about  four  feet  wide  and  a 
hundred  in  length.  Here  the  animals  were  watered, 
though  it  was  with  some  difficulty  we  could  get  the 
timid  mules  to  drink  from  such  a  respectable-looking 
affair.  The  Indians  attacked  this  place  shortly  before 
our  arrival,  took  every  mule  and  head  of  cattle,  and 
drove  off  the  inhabitants ;  since  which  time  it  has  been 
abandoned. 

November  22d.  The  country  had  now  become 
very  hilly  and  rough,  with  bad  roads.  On  descending 
a  hill,  a  finch-pin  was  thrown  from  one  of  the  wagons, 
letting  the  axle  down  with  so  much  force,  that  the 
end  of  it  was  broken  off  and  spoiled.  Having  some 
pieces  of  hard  wood  in  the  train,  the  end  was  cut  off 
and  a  piece  spliced  on,  a  very  difficult  job,  causing  a 
detention  of  four  hours.  To  ease  this  axle  as  much  as 
possible,  a  portion  of  the  load  of  this  wagon  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  others.  We  now  proceeded  cautiously, 
the  road  still  winding  among  mountains,  and  at  eight 
o'clock  p.  m.  reached  the  river  Buenaval,  having  made 
twenty-five  miles.  This  is  a  small  stream  which  rises 
in  the  State  of  Zacatecas,  and,  running  north,  empties 
into  the  Laguna  de  Parras,  in  the  Bolson  de  Mapimi. 
It  has  no  bottom-land  where  we  crossed  it ;  and  hence 
is  destitute  of  the  cotton-wood  trees  which  are  so  grati- 
fying to  the  eye  amid  the  general  barrenness. 

November  23d  My  intention  on  leaving  this  morn- 
ing was  to  go  to  the  Alamo  de  Parras,  about  thirty- 
five  miles  distant ;  but  an  hour  or  two  after  Ave  had 
started,  our  spliced  axle-tree  gave  out,  which  compelled 
us  to  stop  at  the  Noria  de  Pozo  Calvo,  a  well  similar  to 
that  of  Curena.    On  examination  we  found  it  necessary 


TO    PARR  AS.  477 

to  have  a  new  axle,  a  want  not  readily  supplied  with 
our  limited  materials.  It  was,  nevertheless,  effected 
by  making  a  false  axle  extending  two  thirds  the  length 
of  the  old  one,  to  which  it  was  fastened  with  pegs  and 
raw  hide.  One  wheel  was  consequently  six  inches 
further  back  than  the  other. 

Near  by  were  some  fields  of  corn  cultivated  with- 
out irrigation,  which  looked  very  well.  About  a 
month  before  our  visit,  the  Comanches  made  a  de- 
scent here,  took  all  the  cattle  (about  forty  head)  and 
a  number  of  mules,  and  killed  three  men  who  had 
them  in  charge.  Only  three  men  now  remained  at 
the  hacienda,  which  they  intended  to  abandon  in  a  few 
days. 

November  24zth.  Our  march  to-day  was  all  the  way 
over  the  hills,  and  through  long  narrow  valleys  sepa- 
rating high  ridges  of  mountains.  The  road  was  stony 
and  rough  <most  of  the  way  ;  the  remainder,  a  deep 
sandy  loam.  The  dust  raised  by  a  strong  wind,  which 
blew  directly  behind  us,  so  filled  the  air,  that  objects 
could  not  be  seen  twenty  feet  ahead.  The  wind  drew 
through  these  defiles  with  great  force,  raising  clouds 
of  dust  independent  of  that  caused  by  the  mules  and 
wagons.  This  was  the  most  disagreeable  day's  journey 
we  had  had,  and  the  most  tedious ;  for  we  did  not 
reach  the  Alamo  de  Parr  as  till  two  hours  after  sunset, 
having  made  thirty  miles. 

Soon  after  our  arrival,  I  called  on  the  Alcalde  of 
the  town  with  the  letter  of  General  Trias,  and  made  a 
request  for  an  escort,  as  the  men  from  Cuencame  had 
not  engaged  to  go  any  further.  He  expressed  a  desire 
to  serve  us ;  but  having  no  troops,  he  said  he  could  only 


478  RIO    FLORIDO 

give  us  a  guard  of  citizens,  on  my  paying  the  custom- 
ary charge.  This  I  readily  consented  to,  and  request- 
ed that  seven  mounted  men  might  be  placed  at  my 
disposal.  The  Alcalde  said  it  would  not  be  possible 
for  him  to  find  men  who  would  be  ready  to  start  in 
the  morning,  as  it  was  then  late.  We  were,  therefore, 
obliged  to  remain  over  a  day. 

November  25th.  This  town  consists  of  a  street  a 
mile  or  more  in  length,  well  lined  on  both  sides  with 
neat  adobe  buildings,  most  of  which  are  colored  or 
whitewashed.  Some  streets  running  at  right  angles 
contain  a  few  houses.  The  plaza  and  church  are  quite 
ordinary  and  not  in  keeping  with  the  rest  of  the  town, 
which  is  altogether  more  cleanly  and  business-like  than 
any  we  had  seen  since  leaving  Chihuahua.  Ten 
leagues  distant  are  the  Viesca  silver  mines,  the  ore 
from  which  is  smelted  here.  In  my  walks  about  the 
town  and  its  vicinity,  I  observed  more  cultivated 
grounds  than  I  had  seen  elsewhere.  To  the  east  is  a 
level  plain  full  ten  miles  wide,  intersected  with  irrigat- 
ing canals  in  every  direction.  Cotton  is  cultivated  on 
this  plain  to  a  considerable  extent,  and  is  found  to  do 
well.  I  procured  some  samples  of  the  product,  a  ready 
market  for  which  is  found  at  Saltillo. 

November  2Qth.  On  the  arrival  of  the  citizen  guard 
this  morning,  we  again  set  out.  Our  course  lay  east 
over  the  plain  mentioned  yesterday,  which  did  not  con- 
tain a  tree  or  a  bush.  On  passing  this  we  entered  a 
mountain  defile,  and  soon  after  reached  the  hacienda 
called  La  Pena  (The  Rock).  This  is  simply  a  well 
with  one  large  building  and  a  cattle-pen,  without  any 
arable  land.     It  formerly  possessed  large  numbers  of 


TO    PARRAS.  479 

cattle,  which  grazed  on  the  plain ;  but  no  animals  can 
now  be  kept  there,  on  account  of  the  Indians,  who  are 
complete  masters  of  the  country,  notwithstanding  the 
populous  towns  in  every  direction.  We  did  not  stop 
here,  intending  to  reach  El  Pozo,  three  leagues  further: 
but  in  passing  the  rocky  defile,  one  of  the  wagons 
broke  down,  which  made  it  impossible  to  proceed  as 
it  was.  There  was  no  alternative  but  to  empty  it  of 
its  contents,  distribute  them  among  the  other  wagons, 
and  lock  the  disabled  wheel.  In  this  manner  we  reach- 
ed El  Pozo  late  in  the  evening.  As  we  approached, 
our  horsemen  in  advance  were  hailed  from  the  walls ; 
and  by  the  time  they  came  up,  twenty  armed  men 
were  at  the  gate  to  receive  them. 

We  by  this  time  found  the  nights  very  cold,  which 
rendered  it  necessary  to  have  fires  to  warm  ourselves 
when  fuel  could  be  obtained.  This  night  in  particular 
was  exceedingly  cold. 

El  Pozo  (The  Deep  Well)  is  a  large  hacienda  in- 
closed with  a  wall  full  twenty  feet  high,  resembling  a 
castle  or  a  prison ;  and  is  a  noted  resort  for  the  Co- 
manches  and  the  Lipans,  in  passing  to  and  from  the 
Bolson  de  Mapimi,  where  they  dwell.  They  pass  every 
few  days,  and  we  were  told  that  a  large  band  stopped 
here  but  two  days  before.'  On  that  day  they  attacked 
a  train  of  pack-mules  and  donkeys,  and  completely  cut 
it  up.  The  men  with  it  were  missing,  and  it  was  not 
known  whether  they  had  been  killed,  or  had  made 
their  escape  to  the  mountains.  It  was  at  this  well  that 
a  band  of  Indians  received  a  chastisement  from  a 
detachment  from  Colonel  Doniphan's  command,  when 


480  RIO    FLORIDO 

passing  through  here  in  1847.*  It  is  probable  the  In- 
dians did  not  know  who  their  antagonists  were,  but 
believed  them  to  be  Mexicans.  I  have  been  often  told 
that  they  will  not  attack  a  party  of  Americans,  when 
they  know  them  to  be  such  ;  as  in  their  contests  with 
them,  they  usually  get  the  worst  of  it. 

November  27th.  On  starting  this  morning,  we  found 
an  addition  of  six  or  eight  Mexicans,  men  and  women, 
to  our  party,  who  were  going  to  Parras.  Our  road 
wound  around  hills  and  across  deep  arroyos.     Numer- 

*  "  Two  days  before  our  arrival,  a  party  of  Lipan  Indians,  upon  one 
of  their  predatory  excursions,  had  stolen  from  a  hacienda,  near  Parras, 
several  hundred  mules  and  horses,  and  killed  several  men.  The  pro- 
prietor, Don  Manuel  de  Ibarra,  applied  to  Captain  Reid  of  our  regiment 
(who  was  then  ahead  of  us  with  Lieut.  Col.  Mitchell's  party)  for  aid 
against  these  Indians.  The  Captain,  one  of  the  most  gallant  officers, 
took  but  eight  men  along,  and,  accompanied  by  the  Don  himself,  went 
back  to  El  Pozo,  where  the  Indians,  on  their  march  to  the  mountains, 
had  to  pass.  They  had  hid  themselves  in  a  corral,  to  await  the  arrival 
of  the  Indians.  Quite  unexpectedly,  about  twenty  of  our  vanguard  came 
very  early  this  morning  to  El  Pozo,  and  increased  their  party  to  thirty 
men.  Soon  afterwards  the  Indians  appeared,  from  forty  to  fifty  war- 
riors. When  our  men  rushed  from  the  corral  on  horseback  to  attack 
them,  the  Indians  (supposing  them  to  be  Mexicans)  received  them  with 
sneering  and  very  contemptuous  provocations ;  and  their  confidence  in 
their  bows  and  arrows  was  increased,  when  the  Americans,  firing  their 
rifles  from  horseback,  killed  none  at  the  first  charge.  But  as  soon  as 
our  men  alighted,  and  took  good  aim  with  their  rifles,  the  Indians  fell 
on  all  sides.  Nevertheless,  they  fought  most  desperately,  and  did  not 
retire  till  half  of  them  were  dead  or  wounded.  But  at  last  they  had  to 
run  for  their  lives,  and  leave  all  their  dead  and  all  their  booty  behind. 
Besides  their  stolen  stock,  thirteen  prisoners,  Mexican  women  and  chil- 
dren, whom  they  had  carried  along,  were  retaken,  and  released  from 
the  brutality  of  their  savage  masters.  Fifteen  Indians  were  lying  dead 
on  the  field." — Dr.  Wislizenus's  Memoir,  p.  71. 


TO    PARR  AS.  481 

cms  heaps  of  stones  with  crosses,  together  with  many 
fresh  graves  by  the  road  side,  reminded  us  of  the  prox- 
imity of  the  savage  and  of  the  murders  he  had  com- 
mitted. On  both  sides  of  the  road,  three  or  four  miles 
distant,  ran  chains  of  mountains.  After  a  gradual 
ascent  of  ten  miles,  we  saw  beneath  us  a  broad  valley  ; 
and  upon  the  right  of  this,  at  the  base  of  the  moun- 
tains, lay  the  town  of  Parr  as.  The  whitened  walls  of 
its  houses,  its  steeples,  and  the  long  rows  and  clusters 
of  cotton-wood  trees,  presented  an  agreeable  contrast 
to  the  bold  rugged  mountains  in  the  back-ground. 
Until  quite  near  the  town,  the  plain  is  barren  and  not 
susceptible  of  cultivation. 

It  was  after  sunset  when  we  entered  the  place, 
and  we  at  once  drove  to  a  sort  of  caravanserai,  which 
we  entered  with  the  whole  train.  The  mules  were 
placed  in  a  corral  adjoining.  Four  of  us  quartered 
ourselves  in  a  small  apartment  in  the  court,  the  rest 
remained  in  tents. 


VOL.  II. — 31 


482 


PARRAS 


CHAPTER  XLIL 

PARRAS    TO    SALTILLO. 

Parras — Its  vineyards — Numerous  springs — Orchards — Plantations  of  the 
Agave — Extent  of  its  cultivation — Pulque — Hacienda  Arriba — Its  ex- 
tensive wine  vaults  and  granaries — Visit  to  the  churches — The  Ala- 
meda— Departure  from  Parras — The  Hacienda  Abajo — Don  Manuel  de 
Ibarra  and  General  Wool — Cienega Grande — Ceguin — Vequeria — Gigan- 
tic Yuccas — Hacienda  de  Patos — Don  Jacobo  Sanchez — His  large  estates 
— Claims  for  indemnification  on  the  United  States — Village  of  Peons — 
Encantada — Arrival  of  a  courier  with  despatches  from  Washington — 
Buena  Vista — The  Barrancas — Ramble  over  the  battlefield — Relics 
found — Reach  Saltillo — No  work  on  a  feast  day — Fine  church — Cotton 
factories — Dr.  Hewison — Economical  use  of  water. 

November  28th  to  December  1st.  We  remained  at  Par- 
ras five  days,  to  repair  our  wagons.  One  wheel  and 
an  axle  had  to  be  made  new  throughout.  The  delay 
was  longer  than  was  needed  for  the  work,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  loss  of  two  days  by  the  drunkenness  of 
our  most  important  mechanics.  We  had  to  submit 
quietly  to  this  imposition,  as  no  others  could  be  found. 
The  time  passed  heavily,  as  there  was  but  little  of 
interest  in  or  about  the  town,  and  the  sight-seeing  was 
soon  accomplished. 

Parras  is  the  best  built  town  we  had  yet  seen  in 
the  country.  Many  of  the  houses  are  of  two  stories, 
being  quite  spacious,  with  courts  in  the  centre,  and 


TO    SALTILLO.  483 

built  with  much  taste.  They  possess,  too,  a  degree  of 
comfort,  and  even  luxury,  not  found  in  the  modern 
houses  of  the  country.  It  is  an  old  settled  place,  and 
has  always  been  noted  for  the  excellence  of  its  wine 
and  brandy.  A  species  of  wild  vine  was  found  here 
by  the  first  settlers,  whence  its  name  ;*  they  also 
brought  with  them  the  vites  vim/era  of  Asia,  which 
flourished  well.  The  extensive  cultivation  of  the  grape, 
for  which  the  position  of  the  town  is  admirably  adapt- 
ed, as  well  as  the  extent  of  arable  land  near,  drew 
together  a  large  and  highly  respectable  population. 
Although  now  much  reduced  in  their  worldly  means, 
there  are  many  old  families  remaining,  who  possess  all 
the  dignity  and  elegance  of  manner  which  always  cha- 
racterized the  native  Spaniard. 

The  town  extends  for  a  couple  of  miles  along  the 
side  of  a  hill.  The  smaller  vineyards  run  along  the 
declivity,  the  larger  ones  beyond  the  town,  on  the 
plain.  The  hill,  which  consists  of  a  porous  limestone, 
abounds  in  water,  which  is  collected  in  tanks,  and 
conducted  by  acequias  through  the  vineyards  and  the 
principal  streets  of  the  town.  Besides  these  acequias 
there  are  numerous  wells ;  in  fact,  every  house  of  any 
extent  has  its  own  well  within  its  court.  When  the 
town  has  supplied  itself,  the  remainder  is  conducted 
by  aqueducts  or  ditches  off  to  the  plains,  where  it  is 
all  absorbed  in  irrigating,  first,  the  gardens  and  vine- 
yards, and  beyond  these  the  fields  of  wheat  and  maize. 
So  admirable  and  economical  a  use  of  water  I  have 
never  before  seen. 

*  Parm,  a  vine  trained  on  sticks,  or  nailed  to  a  wall. 


484  PARRAS 

The  town  on  the  lower  side  is  encompassed  with 
gardens  and  orchards,  in  which  we  saw  pomegranate, 
fig,  pear,  and  other  trees  growing  with  great  luxuri- 
ance. On  the  hill  back  of  the  town,  I  saw  for  the  first 
time  plantations  of  the  maguey  (agave  Americana), 
the  leaves  of  which  were  from  six  to  seven  feet  in 
length.  They  are  planted  in  rows,  and  surrounded  by 
a  hedge  of  the  same,  making  a  most  formidable  breast- 
work against  both  man  and  beast.  It  is  from  these 
plants  that  the  pulque  is  made.*     We  had  seen  the 

*  The  sap  of  the  maguey  is  obtained  by  making  an  incision  in  the 
central  leaves  or  heart  of  the  plant,  which  incision  is  converted  into  a 
kind  of  reservoir  for  the  collection  of  the  juice,  by  drawing  the  lateral 
leaves  close  together  and  tying  their  extremities. 

"  This  is  the  true  vegetable  spring,  which  keeps  running  for  two  or 
three  months,  and  from  which  the  Indian  draws  three  or  four  times  a 
day.  We  may  judge  of  the  quickness  or  slowness  of  the  motion  of  the 
juice  by  the  quantity  of  honey  extracted  from  the  maguey  at  different 
times  of  the  day.  A  foot  commonly  yields,  in  twenty-four  hours,  four 
cubic  decimetres  (or  two  hundred  and  forty-two  cubic  inches,  English), 
equal  to  eight  quartillos.  Of  this  total  quantity  they  obtain  three  quar- 
tillos  at  sunrise,  two  at  mid-day,  and  three  at  six  in  the  evening.  A 
very  vigorous  plant  sometimes  yields  fifteen  quartillos,  or  four  hundred 
and  fifty-four  cubic  inches,  English,  per  day,  for  from  four  to  five 
months,  which  amounts  to  the  enormous  volume  of  more  than  eleven 
hundred  cubic  decimetres,  or  sixty-seven  thousand  one  hundred  and 
thirty  cubic  inches.  This  abundance  of  juice,  produced  by  a  single 
maguey  of  scarcely  a  metre  and  a  half  in  height,  or  four  and  nine  tenths 
feet,  is  so  much  more  astonishing,  as  the  agave  plantations  are  in  the 
most  arid  grounds,  and  frequently  on  banks  of  rocks  hardly  covered 
with  vegetable  earth.  In  a  barren  soil,  the  Indian  calculates  the  product 
of  each  maguey  at  one  hundred  and  fifty  bottles,  and  the  value  of  the 
pulque  furnished  in  a  day  at  from  ten  to  twelve  sols.  The  produce  is 
unequal,  like  that  of  \he  vine,  which  varies  very  much  in  its  quantity  of 
grapes. 


TO    SALTILLO.  485 

■ 

maguey  growing  wild  throughout  the  desert  plains  of 
Chihuahua,  Sonora,  and  California;  but  nowhere  does 
it  attain  the  size  which  it  reaches  in  these  plantations. 

"  The  cultivation  of  the  maguey  has  real  advantages  over  the  culti- 
vation of  maize,  grain,  and  potatoes.  This  plant,  with  firm  and  vigorous 
leaves,  is  neither  affected  by  drought  nor  hail,  nor  the  excessive  cold 
which  prevails  in  winter  on  the  higher  Cordilleras  of  Mexico.  The 
stalk  perishes  after  efflorescence.  If  we  deprive  it  of  the  central  leaves 
it  withers,  after  the  juice,  which  nature  appears  to  have  destined  to  the 
increase  of  the  hampe,  is  entirely  exhausted.  An  infinity  of  shoots  then 
spring  from  the  root  of  the  decayed  plant ;  for  no  plant  multiplies  with 
greater  facility.  An  arpent  of  ground  contains  from  twelve  hundred  to 
thirteen  hundred  maguey  plants.  If  the  field  is  of  old  cultivation,  we 
may  calculate  that  a  twelfth  or  fourteenth  of  these  plants  yields  honev 
annually.  A  proprietor  who  plants  from  thirty  thousand  to  forty  thou- 
sand maguey  is  sure  to  establish  the  fortune  of  his  children ;  but  it  re- 
quires patience  and  courage  to  follow  a  species  of  cultivation  which  only 
begins  to  grow  lucrative  at  the  end  of  fifteen  years.  In  a  good  soil,  the 
agave  enters  on  its  efflorescence  at  the  end  of  five  years  ;  and  in  a  poor 
soil  no  harvest  can  be  expected  in  less  than  eighteen  years.  Although 
the  rapidity  of  the  vegetation  is  of  the  utmost  consequence  for  the  Mexi- 
can cultivators,  they  never  attempt  artificially  to  accelerate  the  devel- 
opment of  the  hampe,  by  mutilating  the  roots  or  watering  them  with 
warm  water.  It  is  discovered  that  by  these  means,  which  weaken  the 
plant,  the  confluence  of  juice  towards  the  centre  is  sensibly  diminished. 
A  maguey  plant  is  destroyed  if,  misled  by  false  appearances,  the  Indian 
makes  the  incision  long  before  the  flowers  would  have  maturely  devel- 
oped themselves." — Thompson 's  Alcedo. 

"  The  juice  of  the  agave  has  a  very  agreeable  sour  taste.  It  easily 
ferments  on  account  of  the  mucilage  and  sugar  which  it  contains.  To 
accelerate  the  fermentation  they  add  a  little  old  and  acid  pulque.  The 
operation  is  terminated  in  three  or  foar  days.  The  vincus  beverage, 
which  resembles  cider,  has  an  odor  of  putrid  meat  extremely  disagree- 
able ;  but  the  Europeans  who  have  been  able  to  get  over  the  aversion 
which  this  foetid  odor  inspires,  prefer  the  pulque  to  every  other  liquor. 
They  consider  it  as  a  stomachic,  strengthening,  and  especially  very  nutri- 
tive ;    and  it  is   recommended  to   lean  persons.      Whites,  also,   have 


486  PARRAS 

At  the  southern  extremity  of  the  town,  is  a  large 

estate  belonging  at  present  to  Don Arguire,  called 

the  "  Hacienda  Arriba"  or  the  upper  hacienda,  to  dis- 
tinguish it  from  the  "  Haciendo  Abajo"  or  lower  haci- 
enda, of  Don  Manuel  de  Ibarra,  four  miles  distant.  This 
is  one  of  the  nlost  extensive  and  valuable  estates  in 
Coahuila.  Its  chief  products  are  wine  and  wheat.  The 
vineyards  which  surround  it,  extend  twelve  hundred 
varas  (3240  feet)  into  the  plain,  while  beyond  these 
are  extensive  fields  of  wheat  and  maize.  As  it  seldom 
rains  here,  the  cultivation  of  the  grape  as  well  as  of 
the  cereals,  depends  wholly  upon  irrigation ;  yet  there 
is  no  river  to  supply  it.  In  the  rear  of  this  hacienda, 
about  half  a  mile  distant,  the  water  oozes  from  numer- 
ous springs  in  the  side  of  a  hill ;  which  unite  at  the 
base  and  form  a  small  stream.  This  stream  as  it  passes 
over  the  porous  rocks,  receives  constant  additions.  As 
the  descent  is  considerable,  the  whole  of  this  water  is 
controlled,  and  conveyed  through  a  stone  aqueduct, 
first  to  a  flouring  mill,  and  then  to  the  vineyards,  gar- 
dens, and  fields  of  the  hacienda  arriba,  furnishing  an 

been  known,  like  the  Mexican  Indians,  totally  to  have  abstained  from 
water,  beer,  and  wine,  and  to  have  drank  no  other  liquor  than  the  juice 
of  the  agave.  Connoisseurs  speak  with  enthusiasm  of  the  pulque  pre- 
pared in  the  village  of  Hocotitlan,  to  the  north  of  Toluca,  at  the  foot  of 
a  mountain  almost  as  elevated  as  the  Nevada  of  this  name.  They 
affirm  that  the  excellent  quality  of  this  pulque  does  not  alogether  de- 
pend on  the  art  with  which  the  liquor  is  prepared,  but  also  on  a  taste  of 
the  soil  communicated  to  the  juice,  according  to  the  fields  in  which  the 
plant  is  cultivated.  There  are  plantations  of  maguey  near  Hocotitlan 
{haciendas  de  pulque)  which  bring  in  annually  more  than  forty  thousand 
livres,  or  one  thousand  six  hundred  and  sixty-six  pounds  sterling  (about 
eight  thousand  dollars). — Alcedo.     Humboldt's  JYeiv  Spain. 


TO    SALTILLO.  487 

abundance  for  all.  In  fact,  with  the  fall,  there  is  suffi- 
cient power  to  cany  other  mills,  before  it  reaches  the 
plain  where  it  is  to  be  absorbed  by  the  soil.  A  portion 
of  this  prolific  supply,  is  led  by  an  acequia  through  the 
town. 

I  made  a  visit  to  this  hacienda,  with  several  gen- 
tlemen of  my  party ;  where  we  were  politely  received 
by  the  superintendent,  who  conducted  us  through  the 
establishment.  The  wine  vaults  are  built  of  adobe, 
with  walls  about  twenty-five  feet  in  height.  By  an 
inscription  on  the  rafters,  it  appears  to  have  been  roof- 
ed over  in  the  year  1775  ;  yet  the  timber  did  not  ap- 
pear to  be  more  than  ten  years  old.  The  building  is  said, 
however,  to  be  much  older,  the  rafters  being  a  portion 
of  the  renewed  edifice.  The  several  kinds  of  wine  and 
brandy  were  arranged  in  very  large  casks  on  both  sides 
of  the  vault,  the  whole  exhibiting  great  cleanliness  and 
order.  The  wine,  both  white  and  red,  that  I  tasted, 
was  far  superior  to  that  made  at  El  Paso.  About  ten 
thousand  gallons  are  made  here  annually,  for  which 
there  is  a  good  market  in  Coahuila  and  the  adjoining 
States.  The  amount  of  wheat  raised  on  the  estate,  is 
about  two  thousand  fanegas,  or  5250  bushels;  all  of 
which  is  converted  into  flour  at  the  hacienda.  The 
granaries  are  spacious  buildings,  about  one  hundred 
and  fifty  feet  long,  from  forty  to  fifty  wide,  and  twen- 
ty-five feet  high.  These,  as  well  as  all  the  buildings 
belonging  to  the  establishment,  are  but  one  story  in 
height.  Extensive  improvements  are  now  going  on, 
with  the  addition  of  new  buildings ;  these  are  of  adobe, 
plastered  over  with  mortar,  and  hard  finished,  and 
have  a  very  beautiful  appearance.     This  hacienda  was 


488  PARRAS 

purchased  by  its  present  owner  about  four  years  before 
for  $130,000,  and  now  yields  an  annual  income  of  from 
twenty -five  to  thirty  thousand  dollars. 

There  is  another  large  wine  manufacturer  in  Parras, 
Don  Jesus  Campus,  whose  establishment  we  also  visit- 
ed, and  which  like  the  former,  was  kept  in  fine  order. 
I  bought  a  keg  of  wine  of  him,  which  was  said  to  be 
ten  years  old,  and  a  superior  article.  It  was  put  up 
with  great  care ;  yet,  on  arriving  at  New- York,  it  was 
found  to  be  sour.  All  others  who  have  attempted  to 
transport  this  wine  to  the  United  States,  have  been 
equally  unsuccessful. 

Parras  contains  three  churches,  which  were  shown 
to  us  by  the  cura,  Juan  B.  Bobadilla,  a  courteous 
and  intelligent  gentleman.  Two  of  them  abound  in 
pictures  of  a  higher  standard  than  any  we  had  seen. 
More  care,  too,  was  taken  of  them,  as  well  as  of  the 
churches,  which  were  in  good  condition,  and  exhibited 
none  of  those  symptoms  of  decay  prevalent  every 
where,  except  in  Chihuahua. 

The  cura  manifested  much  interest  in  scientific  pur- 
suits, and  was  quite  desirous  to  know  what  we  had  col- 
lected. He  presented  us  with  some  specimens  of  min- 
erals, reptiles,  and  insects,  and  promised  to  send  me  a 
larger  collection  as  soon  as  he  could  procure  them. 

I  have  omitted  to  speak  of  two  fine  Alamedas,  the 
fashionable  promenades  of  the  town.  These  are  beau- 
tifully shaded  with  long  rows  of  large  cotton-wood 
trees,  while  flowers  and  lesser  plants  ornament  the 
walks. 

We  made  several  pleasant  acquaintances  here,  and 
found  that   Americans  were  much  respected.     Many 


TO    SALTILLO.  489 

inquiries  were  made  about  General  Wool  and  his  offi- 
cers, who  were  here  during  the  war,  and  who  seem  to 
have  made  a  favorable  impression  on  the  people. 

December  2d.  Our  repairs  being  completed,  we  left 
in  the  afternoon,  and  proceeded  as  far  as  the  Hacienda 
abajo  or  San  Lorenzo,  a  large  and  elegant  establish- 
ment surrounded  by  lines  and  clusters  of  old  cotton- 
woods.  Vineyards  and  corn-fields  extended  far  and 
wide  over  the  plain.  The  owner,  Don  Manuel  de  Ibar- 
ra, being  absent,  we  did  not  visit  the  interior.  The 
whole  constitutes  a  large  village.  It  derives  its  sup- 
ply of  water  from  springs  in  the  hills.  Don  Manuel 
treated  General  Wool  and  the  officers  of  the  American 
army  with  great  respect  when  here ;  in  return  for 
which,  they  sent  parties  against  the  Indians  who  had 
committed  depredations  on  his  herds.  To  this  gentle- 
man also  belongs  the  hacienda  at  El  Pozo,  where  the 
fight  took  place  between  Captain  Reid  and  the  Lipans, 
before  mentioned. 

December  3d.  Our  route  to-day  was  hilly  and  tor- 
tuous. We  made  twenty  miles  ;  which  brought  us  to 
a  cluster  of  houses  known  as  the  Cienega  Grande 
(Great  Marsh),  belonging  to  Don  Rey  de  Guerrero. 
Fields  of  wheat  were  near,  with  acequias  from  springs 
in  the  mountains. 

December  Ath.  We  travelled  to-day  eighteen  miles 
over  a  rough  and  hilly  country,  the  road  much  cut  up 
with  ravines  and  deep  with  dust.  Saw  no  cultivation 
or  arable  land  until  we  reached  Ceguin,  where  there 
was  a  cluster  of  houses,  with  fields  of  maize  and  wheat ; 
but  the  people  were  too  lazy  to  bring  us  corn-stalks 
for  our  animals.     They  said  it  was  too  much  trouble. 


490  PARRAS 

Fortunately  we  brought  a  little  from  Cienega  Grande, 
or  we  should  have  been  badly  off  for  fodder. 

December  5th.  The  country  was  much  the  same  to- 
day as  yesterday,  with  low  hills  and  valleys  alternating, 
and  intersected  with  arroyos  which  required  much  care 
in  crossing.  Passed  several  cornfields,  with  which 
exception  all  was  barren  and  desert-like.  At  sunset 
reached  Vequeria,  a  hacienda  near  a  spring,  twenty- 
five  miles  from  our  starting  place.  As  we  passed  along, 
I  noticed  many  gigantic  yuccas  growing  in  the  form  of 
trees  with  trunks  and  branches. 

The  different  species  of  yucca,  of  which  frequent 
mention  has  been  made,  form  a  conspicuous  feature  in 
the  vegetation.  They  present  a  great  variety  of  foli- 
age, some  narrow  and  grass-like,  and  others  rigid  and 
firm  enough  to  serve  for  a  "Spanish  bayonet,"  a  pop- 
ular name  given  to  the  larger  kinds.  All  are  furnished 
with  a  sharp  hard  point  at  the  end  of  the  leaf,  which 
is  capable  of  inflicting  a  severe  wound,  and  which  soon 
teaches  the  incautious  traveller  to  give  them  a  wide 
berth.  While  some  have  no  stem  at  all,  others  have 
a  trunk  twenty -five  or  thirty  feet  high  and  from  two 
to  three  feet  in  diameter.  The  largest  specimens  we 
saw  were  near  Parras,  where  the  table-lands  are  cov- 
ered with  them.  This  species  throws  out  at  the  top 
ten  or  a  dozen  branches  which  are  bent  in  all  possible 
directions.  A  plain  covered  with  yuccas  presents  a 
beautiful  appearance  when  in  flower  with  their  pure 
white  blossoms  arranged  in  pyramidal  spikes  several 
feet  in  length.  The  Mexicans  and  Indians  put  the 
different  species  to  various  domestic  uses.  The  leaves 
of  the  narrower  kinds  are  made  into  baskets,  and  the 


TO    SALTILLO. 


491 


fibres  of  the  leaves  are  twisted  into  coarse  ropes.  The 
trunks  of  the  large  species  are  used  in  the  absence  of 
other  timber  as  palings  for  making  inclosures,  or  are 
split  into  slabs  to  serve  for  covering  the  rude  houses 
of  the  rancheros. 


Yucca  Tree. 


Some  species  bear  an  edible  fruit  cailed  by  the 
Mexicans  latiros.  These  are  about  the  size  and  shape 
of  the  banana,  and  when  fully  ripe  are  very  sweet  and 
palatable.  The  tender  portion  of  the  stem  near  where 
the  leaves  are  produced  is  roasted  and  eaten  under  the 
name  of  quiote  ;  but  it  is  rather  stringy  and  insipid. 
One  of  our  party  saw  at  an  Apache  camp  a  pot-full  of 


492  PARRAS 

the  flowers  boiling  for  food.  The  uncooked  flowers 
have  quite  a  bitter  taste ;  but  this  may  probably  be 
removed  by  boiling.  The  roots  of  a  narrow-leaved 
species  called  amole  are  used,  instead-  of  soap,  for  wash- 
ing clothes;  bruised  between  stones,  they  afford  a 
mucilage  when  rubbed  upon  the  clothes,  which  seems 
to  possess  considerable  detergent  properties.  The 
root  is  generally  kept  for  sale  in  the  towns,  and,  where 
soap  is  so  very  dear,  affords  an  economical  substitute. 
December  6th.  Our  intention  was  to  reach  the 
rancho  of  San  Juan  to-day.  Soon  after  leaving,  we 
saw  through  an  opening  in  the  hills  on  our  left,  about 
a  mile  distant,  the  Hacienda  de  Patos.  This  place  is 
the  property  of  Don  Jacobo  Sanchez,  and  is  said  to  be 
the  finest  in  the  State  of  Coahuila.  This  gentleman  is 
said  to  be  the  owner  of  three  quarters  of  the  landed  pro- 
perty in  the  State,  including  several  large  and  valuable 
haciendas,  well  stocked  with  cattle,  mules,  and  horses. 
He  has  lost  large  numbers  by  the  Indians,  and,  I  am 
told,  has  made  a  claim  on  the  United  States  for  a  mil- 
lion and  a  half  of  dollars  as  an  indemnification  for 
these  losses.  Yet  he  takes  no  pains  to  protect  his 
property,  not  even  arming  his  herdsmen,  and  never 
pursues  the  Indians  or  makes  any  efforts  to  recover 
what  he  has  lost.  In  entering  into  a  compact  with 
Mexico  for  the  protection  of  her  frontier,  the  United 
States  certainly  expected  either  the  Mexican  govern- 
ment or  the  proprietors  to  do  something  for  their  own 
protection.  The  lands  of  Don  Jacobo  extend  in  a  con- 
tinuous line  more  than  a  hundred  miles.  Such  a  land- 
holder could  well  afford  to  support  a  body  of  expert 
riflemen  or  rangers,  who  should  be  always  on  the  alert 


TO    SALTILLO.  493 

and  pursue  the  Indians  whenever  found  on  his  domain. 
Mules  are  extremely  plentiful  here,  and  are  valued  at 
twenty  dollars  a  head  on  an  average.  I  presume  Don 
Jacobo  estimates  his  mules  in  his  claim  on  the  United 
States  at  from  fifty  to  sixty  dollars  a  head.  This  is  about 
the  advance  that  Americans  put  upon  their  property, 
of  whatever  nature,  when  the  government  is  to  pay 
for  it ;  and  we  can  hardly  expect  the  Mexicans  to  be 
more  moderate  than  our  own  citizens. 

One  of  our  wagons  broke  down  to-day  and  so 
injured  the  axle-tree  that  it  would  not  retain  its  wheel. 
It  was,  therefore,  taken  off  and  the  axle  sustained  by  a 
long  pole. 

Our  road  ascended  gradually  until  we  reached  an 
elevated  plain  with  high  mountains  around  us.  Passed 
several  ranchos,  with  large  fields  of  maize.  These 
fields  were  in  the  depressions  of  the  plain,  and 
derived  sustenance  from  the  drainage  of  the  moun- 
tains. The  corn  looked  as  well  as  when  artificially 
irrigated.  Among  the  villages  passed  was  one  ex- 
clusively of  Peons.  It  consisted  of  a  cluster  of  ex- 
tremely rude  dwellings  or  huts  around  a  square,  many 
of  which  were  built  entirely  of  the  yucca  tree.  Its 
trunk  set  upright  formed  the  walls  and  doors,  while  its 
leaves,  placed  on  poles,  after  the  manner  of  thatching, 
made  the  roof.  Want  and  wretchedness  were  stamped 
upon  these  rude  hovels,  as  well  as  on  the  poor  cre- 
tures  who  occupied  them. 

We  tried  to  buy  corn-stalks  here,  but  they  had 
none  for  sale,  which  obliged  us  to  move  on.  When 
opposite  San  Juan,  a  cluster  of  miserable  huts  a  quar- 
ter of  a  mile  from  the  road,  I  sent  to  see  if  fodder 


494  PARRAS 

could  be  procured ;  but,  much  to  our  surprise,  the  peo- 
ple would  sell  none,  although  there  were  large  corn- 
fields near.  It  was,  therefore,  necessary  for  us  to  push 
on  and.  endeavor  to  reach  Encantada,  ten  miles  further. 
The  road  proving  very  good,  we  got  along  very  well 
after  dark  by  driving  cautiously,  and  arrived  at  our 
place  of  destination  in  safety — a  place  rendered  famous 
from  its  connection  with  the  campaigns  of  General 
Taylor  and  the  battle  of  Buena  Vista.  Distance  trav- 
elled to-day,  thirty -two  miles. 

December  7th.  Before  I  had  risen  this  morning,  I 
was  aroused  by  the  arrival  of  a  courier  bringing  me 
dispatches  from  Washington,  and  letters  announcing  the 
arrival  of  Major  Emory  and  his  corps  of  engineers  at 
Ringgold  Barracks,  Texas. 

Encantada  (Enchanted)  is  a  small  village,  where 
the  American  army  under  General  Taylor  was  en- 
camped at  the  time  of  the  approach  of  Santa  Ana 
with  his  army  of  twenty-five  thousand  men,  pre- 
vious to  the  battle  of  Buena  Vista.  Not  finding  the 
position  an  advantageous  one,  he  fell  back  and  took 
position  at  Angostura,  the  narrowest  portion  of  the 
valley  leading  to  and  beyond  Saltillo,  which  is  six 
miles  distant.  This  valley  or  pass  lies  between  two 
ridges  of  mountain  five  or  six  miles  apart,  which  ap- 
proach towards  the  north-east,  until  at  Angostura  the 
space  is  not  more  than  two  miles.  The  eastern  range 
is  much  the  highest,  rising  ten  or  twelve  hundred  feet 
above  the  plateau ;  the  western  is  about  half  that 
height.  The  plateau  from  the  eastern  ridge  extends 
about  a  mile,  or  half  way  across  the  valley,  when  it 
drops  off  abruptly  to  the  flat  or  alluvial  bottom.     In 


TO    SALTILLO.  495 

this  bottom  runs  a  small  rivulet,  which  takes  its  rise 
at  Encantada ;  but  at  times,  after  heavy  rains,  it  is  so 
much  swollen  that  it  has  cut  for  itself  a  deep  bed,  with 
perpendicular  banks,  from  twenty  to  thirty  feet  deep. 
This  bed  is  quite  inaccessible  from  above,  except  in  a 
few  places.  These  deep  gullies  or  ravines  are  called 
barrancas,  and  are  peculiar  to  the  country.  The  tena- 
city of  the  soil  prevents  it  from  crumbling,  except  at 
the  base,  where  the  water  washes  it  away.  The  upper 
portion  then  projects,  until  it  has  become  so  much 
undermined  that  it  cannot  sustain  itself,  when  it  breaks 
off,  leaving  perpendicular  walls.  These  barrancas  ex- 
tend for  more  than  a  mile  above  and  below  the  nar- 
row pass.  They  also  intersect  various  parts  of  the 
bottom,  rendering  it  impossible  for  a  body  of  troops 
to  traverse  it.  Hence  all  the  operations  were  confined 
to  the  plateau  above,  which  extends  to  the  eastern 
range  of  mountains.  The  battery  of  Colonel  Washing- 
ton was  stationed  between  the  barrancas  and  a  spur  of 
the  plateau,  a  narrow  pass  some  sixty  or  eighty  feet 
in  width. 

The  road  leads  directly  through  this  pass ;  and  on 
reaching  it,  we  stopped  within  the  redoubt  thrown  up 
by  Colonel  W.  I  told  the  men  to  fasten  their  teams, 
and  all  that  felt  disposed  to  visit  the  battle  field 
to  do  so.  We  walked  up  one  of  the  steep  hills  or 
spurs,  and  reached  the  plateau,  where  the  party 
strolled  about  in  all  directions  as  far  as  the  mountains. 
I  had  a  plan  of  the  battle  with  me,  which  enabled  us 
to  find  the  positions  occupied  by  our  several  bodies 
of  troops.  Many  relics  were  found,  such  as  grape  shot, 
bullets  of  lead  and  copper,   gun-flints,  fragments  of 


496  PARRAS 

gun-locks,  cap  trimmings,  etc.,  also  a  few  fragments  of 
human  bones.  I  took  two  sketches  of  the  battle  field, 
one  looking  south,  the  other  towards  Saltillo.  About 
two  miles  distant  is  the  small  village  of  Buena  Vista. 
The  Mexicans  call  the  place  where  the  battle  was 
fought  Angostura,  which  means  a  narrow  pass. 

Leaving  this  ever-memorable  spot,  we  pushed  for- 
ward, and  at  two  o'clock  reached  Saltillo.  The  town 
is  completely  hidden  from  view  until  one  reaches  the 
brink  of  the  hill  in  front  of  it.  We  drove  at  once  to  a 
court-yard  on  one  of  the  main  streets,  where  we 
found  accommodations  for  the  whole  party.  The  ani- 
mals were  placed  in  a  corral  near  by. 

We  had  been  in  town  but  a  short  time  when  our 
arrival  became  known  ;  for  our  train  of  six  large  wag- 
ons, five  ambulances  and  carriages,  and  about  forty 
long-bearded  men,  armed  to  the  teeth,  always  pro- 
duced a  sensation  when  we  entered  these  quiet  towns 
and  villages.  Several  Americans  residing  in  the  place 
made  their  appearance  before  we  had  got  stowed  away 
in  our  quarters,  and  brought  us  the  news  of  the  result 
of  the  Presidental  election. 

December  8th.  Having  some  repairs  to  make  on  a 
wagon,  we  applied  to  a  blacksmith,  but  he  declined 
working,  as  it  was  "El  dia  de  la  Purissima  Concep- 
cion,"  when  a  great  celebration  was  to  take  place  in 
the  church.  Before  this  man  could  work  or  allow  his 
shop  to  be  used,  we  were  obliged  to  ask  permission 
from  the  gefe  politico — a  privilege  that  was  readily 
granted.  This  being  done,  we  spent  the  remainder 
of  the  day  in  looking  at  the  town  and  its  fine  churches. 
The  principal  church,  which  occupies  one  side  of  the 


TO    SALTILLO.  497 

plaza,  is  a  noble  edifice,  though  its  exterior  is  yet 
unfinished.  Its  interior  surpassed  any  thing  we  had 
yet  seen,  not  excepting  the  cathedral  at  Chihuahua. 
It  abounds  in  pictures,  some  of  which  are  very  fine, 
and  are  doubtless  the  work  of  the  old  masters.  The 
architectural  ornaments,  sculptures,  gilding,  etc.,  ex- 
hibit much  taste,  and  are  in  fine  preservation.  We 
went  to  the  roof  and  towers,  which  enabled  us  to  see 
the  thorough  manner  of  its  construction.  Our  New 
York  builders  might  obtain  some  useful  hints  by  exam- 
ining this  edifice,  the  walls  of  which  are  double  in  thick- 
ness that  of  any  similar  building  in  New  York  city. 

December  9t7i.  I  rode  this  morning  with  Dr.  Hew- 
ison,  an  Irish  gentleman  long  resident  in  Mexico,  to 
visit  his  cotton  factory  about  three  miles  distant.  It  is 
a  neat  building  of  adobe  and  stone,  two  stories  high.  Its 
power  is  obtained  from  a  spring  of  water  about  a  mile 
distant,  in  the  direction  of  the  hills.  This  water  is 
first  collected  in  a  reservoir,  and  propels  a  grist-mill ; 
from  this  it  is  carried  through  an  aqueduct,  and  fur- 
nishes the  power  for  three  small  cotton  mills,  of  which 
that  of  Dr.  Hewison  is  one.  When  these  have  used  it, 
it  is  conducted  to  other  small  grist-mills  ;  and  when  it 
has  been  made  to  do  all  this  work,  and  has  reached  the 
level  plain,  it  is  led  by  acequias  to  irrigate  the  gar- 
dens and  fields  of  maize  and  wheat.  So  careful  are 
the  mill  owners  of  this  water,  that  it  is  not  allowed  to 
escape  and  run  off  at  night,  or  when  the  mills  are  not 
in  operation.  At  such  times  the  gates  are  closed,  and 
the  water  collected  in  a  stone  reservoir  above. 

I  was  enabled  to  ascertain  the  exact  quantity  of 
water  from  which  all  this  power  is   obtained.     The 

vol.  it. — 32 


498  P ARRAS   TO    SALTILLO. 

stone  aqueduct  through  which  it  ran  was  eighteen 
inches  broad,  and  the  water  between  ten  and  twelve 
inches  deep.  One  of  the  mills  was  carried  by  an  over- 
shot wheel  forty  feet  in  diameter;  the  others  by 
wheels  somewhat  less.  The  superintendent  of  Dr. 
Hewison's  mill  is  from  Rhode  Island.  The  operatives 
are  all  Mexicans,  and,  I  was  told  are  very  quick  at 
learning  the  art  of  weaving,  and  much  easier  to  man- 
age than  American  operatives.  The  cotton  used  is 
raised  in  the  valleys  near,  and  a  ready  market  is  found 
for  the  goods  as  fast  as  they  are  produced. 

This  factory  was  the  favorite  ride  of  General  Tay- 
lor while  in  Saltillo ;  and  it  was  a  source  of  gratifica- 
tion to  find  that  the  officers  of  the  American  army 
were  still  held  in  high  respect  by  the  citizens  of  the 
place. 

Saltillo,  the  capital  of  Coahuila,  is  a  well-built  city, 
with  paved  streets.  Many  of  its  houses  are  of  two 
stories,  and  all  of  them  painted  in  warm  colors.  The 
population  is  about  fifteen  thousand.  Besides  the 
churches  mentioned,  there  is  an  unfinished  edifice, 
which  was  commenced  by  the  Jesuits.  The  Alameda 
is  the  finest  place  of  the  kind  we  had  yet  seen.  It  is 
filled  with  large  trees,  and  its  walks  are  lined  with 
agaves  and  rose-bushes.  In  the  evening  I  called,  ac- 
companied by  the  gentlemen  of  the  Commission,  to  pay 
our  respects  to  Dr.  Hewison  and  his  lady. 


SALTILLO   TO   RINGGOLD   BARRACKS.  499 


CHAPTER  XLIII. 

SALTILLO   TO   RINGGOLD   BARRACKS. 

Leave  Saltillo — Accident  at  the  start — Enter  the  Rinconada  Pass — A  night 
in  the  defile — Los  Muertos — Ampudia's  redoubt — Magnificent  scenery 
— Hacienda  of  the  Einconada — Sierra  Mitra — Santa  Catarina — Suburbs 
of  Monterey — Loma  de  Independencia — Arrival  at  Monterey — Pronun- 
ciamentos — Visit  the  Bishop's  palace — Beautiful  valley — The  citadel — 
Prosperity  of  the  city — Its  climate — Elevation — Departure — Marin — 
Ramos — Oarrizitos — Dense  chapporal — Miss  the  road — Cerralvo — Pun- 
tiagudo — Bad  road — Mier — Trade  for  serapes — Texan  Mier  Expedition 
— Character  of  the  Rio  Grande  above  Mier — Ascent  of  a  steamboat  to 
Loredo — Ancient  oyster  beds — Rio  San  Juan — Mexican  brigade — Ca- 
margo — Cross  the  Rio  Grande — Arrival  at  Ringgold  Barracks. 

December  10th.  As  we  were  not  yet  out  of  the  reach 
of  the  Indians,  I  applied  to,  and  was  furnished  with 
an  escort  of  ten  mounted  men  by  the  authorities  here, 
who  were  promptly  on  the  ground  at  the  hour  named 
for  starting.  Our  repairs  being  completed,  we  left 
Saltillo  this  morning,  but  had  not  proceeded  more  than 
three  or  four  miles,  slowly  over  a  smooth  and  level 
road,  when  the  wheel  of  another  wagon  gave  way, 
without  any  apparent  cause.  On  examination  it  was 
found  that  most  of  the  spokes  and  the  rim  were  broken, 
so  that  the  wheel  was  utterly  ruined.  Fortunately, 
we  were  near  Dr.  Hewison's  factory,  to  which  I  rode 


500  SALTILLO 

immediately,  and  was  promptly  furnished  by  the 
superintendent  with  a  beam,  which  we  rigged  to  the 
end  of  the  axle  as  a  drag.  After  the  delay  of  an  hour 
or  two,  we  again  moved  forward.  "We  passed  many 
haciendas  and  ranchos,  and  after  proceeding  about 
twelve  miles  entered  the  famous  Rinconada  pass.* 
The  road  now  became  very  uneven  with  a  continuation 
of  hills  and  valleys,  while  mountains  rugged  and  lofty 
rose  on  either  side;  the  defile  averaging  about  two 
miles  in  width.  Passed  a  monument  erected  by  the 
ladies  of  Saltillo  on  the  spot  where  some  Americans 
had  been  murdered  by  robbers.  After  making  about 
twenty-five  miles,  we  reached  a  rancho  in  the  pass 
called  Los  Muertos  (The  Dead),  where,  just  at  sunset, 
we  encamped.  A  small  stream  flowed  by,  lined  with 
large  cotton-wood  trees. 

December  11th.  It  was  very  cold  when  we  left- 
camp  this  morning,  our  elevation  now  being  6104  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  sea,  so  that  all  wrapped  them- 
selves in  blankets  or  overcoats.  Our  escort,  who  put 
on  their  gaudy  serapes,  made  a  very  picturesque 
appearance.  Soon  after  leaving  we  reached  a  narrow 
and  steep  descent,  where  we  were  obliged  to  wait  for 
a  train  that  was  coming  up,  before  we  could  descend. 
Here  the  pass  did  not  exceed  five  hundred  yards  in 
width.  Near  this,  on  the  left,  is  a  spur  of  the  moun- 
tain which  overlooks  and  commands  the  defile,  where 
General  Ampudia  erected  a  battery  or  breastwork,  for 
the  purpose  of  checking  the  advance  of  the  American 
army.     While  the  train  was  waiting,  I  went  out   to 

*  Rinconada,  a  corner  or  lurking  place. 


TO    RINGGOLD    BARRACKS.  501 

examine  this  work,  which  was  but  a  few  rods  off,  and 
took  a  sketch  of  the  magnificent  defile.  Far  ahead, 
we  could  just  perceive  the  picturesque  summit  of  the 
Sierra  Mitra  (Mitre  Mountain),  so  named  from  the 
striking  resemblance  of  one  of  the  summits  in  the  range 
to  a  bishop's  mitre.  The  place  selected  for  the  Mexi- 
can battery  would  have  greatly  embarrassed  our  army 
had  it  been  maintained  ;  but  after  the  fall  of  Monterey, 
it  was  abandoned. 

Soon  after  descending  this  hill,  we  reached  the 
rancho  of  Rinconada  in  a  curious  little  nook  in  the 
mountain  resembling  a  horseshoe,  which  gives  its  name 
to  the  pass.  From  the  number  of  fruit  trees  and  cul- 
tivated grounds  it  had  doubtless  been  once  a  thriving 
place.  Every  thing  now  seemed  to  be  fast  going  to 
ruin. 

We  continued  to  descend  the  whole  day  ;  yet,  owing 
to  the  roughness  of  the  road,  and  our  three-wheeled 
wagon,  we  were  obliged  to  drive  with  great  caution, 
that  we  might  not  further  disable  ourselves.  Our 
escort  pointed  out  to  us  as  we  progressed  another 
rancho,  which  was  attacked  by  a  band  of  Indians  a 
few  months  before,  and  all  the  inmates  murdered. 

We  were  unable  to  reach  Monterey  as  we  had 
hoped  to  do,  and  it  was  long  after  dark  when  we 
reached  the  village  of  Santa  Catarina,  at  the  base  of 
the  Sierra  Mitra  and  about  twenty  miles  from  the  Rin- 
conada, where  we  encamped. 

December  12th.  Soon  after  leaving,  we  passed  the 
Molino  de  Jesus  Maria,  a  large  flouring  mill,  and  shortly 
after  reached  the  Loma  de  Independencia  upon  which 
stands  the  Bishop's  palace,  so  celebrated  in  the  opera- 


502  SALTILLO 

tions  of  the  American  army  during  the  investment  of 
Monterey.  Having  now  reached  the  valley  in  which 
stands  the  city,  we  passed  by  walled  inclosures  where, 
among  a  variety  of  fruit  and  ornamental  trees,  we  saw 
some  loaded  with  oranges  and  lemons.  Stone  houses 
with  high  thatched  roofs,  surrounded  by  pretty  gar- 
dens with  more  of  an  air  of  comfort  than  any  we  had 
seen,  lined  the  approach  to  the  city.  On  entering, 
we  drove  to  a  corral ;  and  after  putting  up  the  wagons 
and  animals,  we  took  up  our  quarters  at  Coindreau's 
Hotel ;  a  spacious  building  with  a  large  court,  in  the 
style  of  the  country.  One  might  have  imagined  that 
another  bombardment  was  going  on  from  the  roar  of 
cannon,  as  we  entered  the  town ;  but  it  proved  to  be 
nothing  more  formidable  than  the  celebration  of  the 
day  of  the  "  Holy  Lady  of  Guadalupe,"  one  of  the 
greatest  festivals  of  the  country. 

December  13th.  Lost  no  time  in  setting  the  black- 
smith and  carpenter  at  work,  and  in  the  mean  time 
sallied  forth  to  see  what  was  remarkable  in  and  about 
the  city.  We  found  several  Americans  in  the  place, 
although  the  number  had  greatly  diminished  within  a 
year.  There  are  a  great  many  shops,  and  every  de- 
scription of  goods  to  be  found  in  them.  In  many  of 
them  the  clerks  speak  English,  acquired  during  the 
occupation  of  the  city  by  the  Americans.  A  large 
commerce  has  now  grown  up  between  Monterey  and 
the  United  States,  which  will  tend  to  Americanize  the 
place.  At  the  time  of  our  visit,  the  singular  state  of 
the  frontier  had  greatly  contributed  to  increase  this 
commerce.  Pronunciamentos,  another  name  for  revo- 
lutions, were  then  in  vogue  at  Matamoras,  Camargo, 


TO    RINGGOLD    BARRACKS.  503 

Monterey,  and  other  towns,  under  various  political 
pretexts ;  while  the  real  object  was  to  destroy  the 
custom-houses,  for  the  purpose  of  introducing  mer- 
chandise without  duty.  Large  quantities  had  thus 
been  brought  in,  and  sent  into  the  interior  of  the 
country. 

Rode  out  to  the  Bishop's  palace ;  from  which,  as 
well  as  from  the  Loma  de  Independencia  in  the  rear, 
one  obtains  a  fine  view  of  the  city.  This  is  a  fine  old 
building  of  stone,  and  in  its  day  was  no  doubt  an  ele- 
gant structure ;  it  was  in  ruins,  however,  long  before 
General  Worth  took  it.  The  hill  on  which  it  stands  is 
about  one  hundred  and  twenty -five  feet  high  ;  but  the 
portion  where  the  American  forces  made  their  charge, 
is  some  fifty  feet  higher.  On  reaching  that,  they  com- 
manded the  palace,  where  the  Mexicans  had  entrench- 
ed themselves  behind  a  strong  battery,  but  which  they 
were  soon  compelled  to  evacuate. 

The  city  stands  on  a  plain  about  a  mile  distant, 
and  is  embosomed  among  beautiful  gardens  and  or- 
chards, its  white  houses  presenting  a  striking  contrast 
with  the  deep  green  of  the  foliage.  To  the  south, 
runs  a  small  stream,  a  branch  of  the  San  Juan  River, 
in  the  midst  of  a  broad  arroyo;  beyond  which  a  chap- 
poral  plain  interspersed  with  a  few  cornfields,  extends 
about  seven  miles  to  the  Saddleback  Mountain,  one 
of  the  most  singularly  shaped  eminences  in  the  coun- 
try. This  mountain  is  isolated,  and  forms  the  last  link 
of  the  great  chain  which  so  abruptly  terminates  here. 
To  the  north  and  east  of  the  city,  a  broad  plain  extends 
as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach,  with  here  and  there  fields 
of  corn  and  sugar  cane,  among  wider  fields  of  chappo- 


£04  SALTILLO 

ral.  About  half  a  mile  from,  the  city  on  this  plain, 
stands  the  "Black  Fort,"  or  citadel,  a  prominent  fea- 
ture in  its  fortifications.  I  went  to  this  fort,  but 
although  I  sent  my  card  to  the  commanding  officer, 
was  refused  admission.*  It  covers  an  area  of  about 
three  acres.  Its  walls  are  of  solid  masonry,  with  bas- 
tions commanding  the  approaches  from  the  northward. 
On  the  eastern  side  of  the  city,  are  several  redoubts, 
as  well  as  along  the  margin  of  the  arroyo.  It  was  in 
the  taking  of  these  that  our  army  suffered  most.  The 
old  tannery,  where  there  was  a  sharp  contest,  remains 
just  as  it  was  left  by  our  troops.  An  American  gen- 
tleman familiar  with  the  history  of  the  affair,  accompa- 
nied me  in  a  visit  to  this  quarter,  and  pointed  out  the 
several  localities. 

Monterey  is  the  capital  of  the  State  of  Nueva  Leon, 
and  has  a  population  of  from  fifteen  to  eighteen  thou- 
sand souls. f  It  is  the  only  city  I  visited  in  Mexico 
(Hermosillo  in  Sonora,  alone,  excepted)  which  is  in- 
creasing. Here  improvements  were  in  progress.  Many 
fine  houses  were  in  the  course  of  erection  ;  others  were 
undergoing  repairs,  and  every  thing  had  the  appear- 
ance of  a  thriving,  active  place.  The  streets  are  paved 
and  kept  clean.  Much  as  has  been  said  of  the  filth  of 
Mexican  towns,  I  can  testify  that  our  New  York  street 
inspectors  might  profit  by  the  example  of  Monterey. 

*  In  my  various  journeys  through  Mexico,  this  was  the  only  instance 
of  the  kind  that  I  met  with. 

f  My  estimates  of  the  population  of  this  and  other  towns,  are  from 
Mexican  authority,  and  are  not  always  reliable.  People  are  too  apt  to 
over  estimate  the  population  of  their  towns,  and  are  reluctant  to  confess 
their  decline. 


TO    RINGGOLD   BARRACKS.  505 

We  visited  the  church  on  the  plaza,  which  had  been 
the  hospital  for  our  troops.  It  contains  some  bad  pic- 
tures, and  a  large  quantity  of  massive  silver  plate.  Into 
this  plaza  the  Mexican  troops  were  driven  before  they 
capitulated. 

The  city  has  an  elevation  of  1626  feet  above  the 
level  of  the  sea.  We  had  therefore  descended,  since 
leaving  Encantada,  in  a  distance  of  seventy -six  miles, 
4478  feet.*  With  this  sudden  descent,  we  noticed  a 
striking  change  in  the  temperature.  As  long  as  we 
were  on  the  high  tableland,  the  mornings  and  evenings 
were  invariably  cool,  so  as  to  render  an  overcoat  neces- 
sary. We  were  all  glad  to  get  around  fires,  whenever 
there  was  fuel  enough  to  make  one ;  and  at  night,  three 
or  four  blankets  were  necessary.  Now,  on  the  contra- 
ry, we  experienced  the  genial  warmth  of  June,  with 
roses  in  bloom  in  the  open  air  ;  thin  clothing  felt  com- 
fortable, and  the  nights  were  mild. 

December  15th.  Resuming  our  journey  this  morn- 
ing, we  passed  near  the  citadel,  where  our  escort  of 
ten  dragoons,  kindly  sent  by  the  Governor,  joined 
us.  Our  route  was  now  across  a  broad  plain  unob- 
structed by  hill  or  mountain.  Passed  several  ranchos, 
where  the  people  were^engaged  in  boiling  sugar.  This 
region  produces  fine  cane,  though  its  cultivation  is  not 
so  extensive  as  would  be  supposed.  Passed,  also,  the 
small  towns  of  San  Domingo  and  San  Francisco  •  and 
three  miles  beyond  stopped  at  Aqua  Fria,  a  straggling 
town  built  upon  two  sides  of  a  deeD  arroyo. 


*  Encantada,  according  to   Dr.  Wislizenus,  is  6104  feet  above  the 


sea. 


506  SALTILLO 

December  16th.  The  road  descended  as  it  did  yester- 
day, and  was  lined  on  both  sides  with  dense  chapporal. 
Made  a  noon  halt  at  a  fine  stream,  the  Bio  Meter os,  just 
beyond  the  town  of  Marin.  Passed  AquaNegra,  where, 
during  the  war,  General  Canales,  with  a  guerilla  band, 
burned  a  train  of  United  States  wagons,  and  mur- 
dered the  unarmed  teamsters.  At  3  o'clock,  reach- 
ed Ramos,  a  small  agricultural  town,  eighteen  miles 
from  our  last  camp,  where  we  stopped.  The  people 
collected  around  us  soon  after  our  arrival ;  and  from 
them  we  learned  that  it  was  exceedingly  sickly  in  the 
place  ;  many  of  them  were  suffering  from  fevers. 

December  17 tli.  Our  road  to-day  was  very  hilly 
and  stony.  Chapporal  and  low  trees  closely  hemmed 
in  the  road,  rendering  the  march  dull  and  monotonous. 
At  4  p.  m.,  we  encamped  at  a  rancho  near  the  town  of 
Carrizitos,  where  we  obtained  corn  and  water. 

December  lSth.  Between  Monterey  and  the  Rio 
Grande,  the  chapporal  is  crossed  by  frequent  roads, 
some  running  to  Reynosa,  others  connecting  villages 
and  ranchos.  We  were  told  of  this  difficulty  ;  but  as 
the  courier  who  brought  my  letters  from  Camargo  to 
Encantada,  said  he  knew  all  the  roads,  I  was  induced 
to  let  him  act  as  our  guide.  To-day,  however,  he  mis- 
took his  way,  and  led  us  into  an  almost  impassable 
wood.  We  could  not  turn  around,  and  were  compel- 
led to  cut  our  way  for  some  distance  before  we  struck 
the  road  again.  Fortunately  we  extricated  ourselves 
without  accident,  after  the  delay  of  an  hour  or  two. 

Soon  after,  we  met  with  an  accident  that  might 
have  proved  more  serious.  This  was  the  loss  of  one  of 
the  iron  boxes  to  a  wheel  hub.     The  train  was  stopped 


TO    RINGGOLD    BARRACKS.  507 

and  men  sent  in  search  of  it,  who  found  it  four  miles 
back. 

Reached  Gerralvo  at  noon.  This  is  a  better  look- 
ing town  than  any  passed  since  leaving  Monterey. 
Many  of  its  houses  are  of  stone,  and  built  with  some 
taste.  Pushing  forward,  we  encamped  at  Puntiagudo, 
about  twenty-four  miles  from  our  last  camp.  This  is  a 
small  village,  which  still  exhibits  the  effects  of  the  late 
war  in  the  bare  walls  of  its  ruined  houses.  A  small 
stream  passes  here,  one  of  the  tributaries  of  the  Alcan- 
tra. 

December  19th.  Our  road  continued  over  low  hills 
with  deep  and  narrow  arroyos  at  the  bottom,  one  of 
which  cost  us  a  wheel  and  a  tongue.  An  occasional 
ravine  to  pass  with  abrupt  banks,  is  bad  enough ;  but 
to-day  the  whole  country  seemed  to  be  cut  up  with 
them,  requiring  the  utmost  care  to  prevent  accidents. 
After  thirty  miles  of  continuous  chapporal  and  a  bad 
road,  we  reached  the  town  of  Mier,  on  the  Rio  Grande 
at  8  o'clock,  though  it  was  midnight  before  we  could 
get  corn  for  our  animals,  and  reduce  our  camp  to  quiet- 
ness. 

Mier  is  an  old  town  on  the  banks  of  the  Alcantra, 
a  small  stream  which  empties  into  the  Rio  Grande  three 
or  four  miles  beyond,  and  appears,  like  most  other 
Mexican  towns,  to  be  on  the  decline.  In  1828  its 
population  was  two  thousand  eight  hundred  and  twen- 
ty-one. It  is  now  much  less.  Many  of  its  houses  are 
of  stone,  and  well  built.  It  has  no  lands  capable  of 
irrigation;  the  people,  consequently,  are  obliged  to 
depend  upon  other  occupations  than  agriculture  for 
support ;  and  this,  doubtless,  is  the  reason  of  their  indus- 


508  SALTILLO 

trious  character.  Mier  is  celebrated  for  its  fine  manu- 
factures of  serajpes  and  blankets  ;  and  there  was  scarce- 
ly a  house  in  which  we  did  not  see  the  women  occu- 
pied in  weaving  them.  These  serapes,  which  are  worn 
by  all  classes,  are  made  of  wool,  ornamented  with  a 
variety  of  figures  and  of  various  colors.  They  bring  from 
six  to  one  hundred  dollars  each,  according  to  their 
quality  and  ornaments. 

This  town  fills  an  important  place  in  the  annals  of 
the  Texan  revolution,  on  account  of  its  capture  by  the 
Texans,  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Fisher,  their 
surrender  afterwards  to  the  Mexicans,  and  their  subse- 
quent history.* 

Proceeding  up  the  Rio  Grande  above  Mier,  the 
character  of  the  country  changes  for  the  better,  the 
bottoms  becoming  more  fertile.  The  shores  are  for  the 
greater  part,  a  narrow  strip  of  sand  or  gravel,  sur- 
mounted by  river  bluffs  of  various  heights.  The  willow, 
and  occasionally  the  white  cypress,  occur  near  the  river, 
while  further  back  the  mezquit,  ebony,  etc.,  abound. 

*  This  party,  which,  consisted  of  261  men,  crossed  the  Rio  Grande, 
where  they  encountered  a  Mexican  force  of  2340  men,  with  whom  they 
had  a  severe  battle,  and  took  possession  of  Mier.  In  this  contest,  accord- 
ing to  the  statement  of  General  Green,  an  officer  at  the  time,  the  Texan 
loss  was,  ten  killed  and  twenty-three  wounded — that  of  the  Mexicans, 
between  seven  and  eight  hundred  killed  and  wounded.  The  Texans 
were  afterwards  induced  to  surrender  to  General  Mejia,  on  certain 
pledges  being  given  them  by  General  Ampudia.  They  were  placed 
under  a  guard  of  three  hundred  men,  and  marched  off  to  the  City  of 
Mexico.  After  they  had  passed  Saltillo  and  were  crossing  the  desert  to 
San  Luis  Potosi,  they  rose  on  their  Mexican  guard  at  a  place  called  Sa- 
lado,  overpowered  them,  and  made  their  escape.  Had  they  kept  toge- 
ther and  followed  the  roads,  they  would  have  found  water  and  food,  and 


TO    RINGGOLD    BARRACKS.  509 

In  October,  1846,  a  successful  attempt  was  made  to 
ascend  the  Rio  Grande  in  the  United  States  steamer  Ma- 
jor Brown,  by  order  of  General  Patterson,  with  a  view 
to  ascertain  whether  or  not  it  were  possible  to  open  a 
communication  between  Camargo  and  the  Presidio  del 
Norte.  This  vessel  drew  but  two  feet  of  water.  She 
experienced  few  obstacles  in  reaching  the  river  Salado, 
nearly  a  hundred  miles  by  water  above  Mier.  Above 
this,  there  was  a  series  of  continued  shoals,  rocks,  and 
rapids,  among  which  the  boat  repeatedly  grounded. 
She  at  length  reached  Laredo,  a  town  about  six  hun- 
dred miles  by  water  from  the  mouth  of  the  river.  Up 
to  this  point  it  was  believed  that,  with  the  expendi- 
ture of  one  hundred  thousand  dollars,  in  removing  ob- 
structions, the  river  might  be  made  navigable  for  boats 
drawing  four  feet  of  water.* 

December  20th.  The  bad  road  of  yesterday  gave 
us  considerable  patching  up  to  do,  and  caused  several 
hours  detention.  The  good  people  of  the  town  availed. 
themselves  of  this  delay,  and  soon  thronged  the  camp, 

would  doubtless  have  gained  the  Texan  frontier.  They,  however,  scat- 
tered and  sought  the  mountains,  where  they  suffered  extremely  for  the 
want  of  water  and  food.  The  whole  population  was  roused  in  pursuit 
of  them  ;  the  small  parties  were  picked  up,  and  the  main  body  reduced 
by  starvation,  finally  surrendered.  They  were  again  marched  back  to 
Salado,  where,  by  order  of  General  Santa  Ana,  they  were  decimated. 
Out  of  176  prisoners,  17  were  shot,  the  remainder  were  sent  to  the 
city  of  Mexico.  Of  these,  35  died  from  suffering  and  starvation.  Seven 
were  released  through  the  intercession  of  the  American  Minister,  and 
four  through  the  intercession  of  the  British  minister,  &c. — Green's  His- 
tory of  the  Texan  Mier  Expedition. 

*  "  Tilden's  Notes  on  the  Upper  Rio  Grande,"  of  an  exploration 
made  by  order  of  Major  General  Patterson. 


510  SALTILLO 

each  bearing  on  his  or  her  arm  a  serape  for  sale ;  and 
I  doubt  whether,  since  the  occupation  of  the  country 
by  the  Americans,  they  have  found  so  good  a  market 
for  their  productions.  Many  gentlemen  of  the  party 
had  been  desirous  to  take  home  with  them  one  of  these 
articles ;  and  the  opportunity  now  presented  of  buy- 
ing them  fresh  from  the  loom,  and  at  prices  much 
lower  than  we  had  seen  them  in  the  shops  of  Monterey 
and  Saltillo,  induced  many  to  secure  specimens. 

In  walking  round  the  camp,  my  attention  was  at- 
tracted to  some  large  oyster  shells,  which  protruded 
above  the  clay  bank ;  and,  on  extending  my  examina- 
tion about  seventy  yards  to  the  south,  to  a  deep  arroyo, 
I  noticed  thick  beds  of  shells  of  the  genus  Ostrea,  in 
its  sides  and  on  its  bottom.  According  to  Dr.  Til- 
den,  these  beds  extend  up  to  near  Loredo ;  and  Dr. 
Wislizenus  found  them  two  miles  below  Mier  on  the 
immediate  banks  of  the  river.  Our  camp  was  near 
the  town,  and  the  surface  of  the  clay  bank  where  we 
found  them,  was  at  least  fifty  feet  above  the  river. 

We  now  set  out  for  Camargo,  twenty-five  miles  dis- 
tant, keeping  the  western  bank  of  the  river,  through  a 
forest  of  chapporal.  About  several  miles  distant  on 
the  opposite  bank,  we  saw  the  town  of  Roma,  and  soon 
after  were  cheered  with  the  sight  of  a  small  steamboat, 
which  occasionally  works  its  way  as  far  as  this.  It  is 
evident  that  the  navigation  is  attended  with  difficulties, 
as  we  saw  her  more  than  once  ^.st  on  sandbars,  which 
here  begin  to  obstruct  the  navigation. 

Finding  that  the  train  would  not  reach  Camargo 
before  dark,  and  being  anxious  to  get  to  Ringgold 
Barracks  as  soon  as  possible,  I  set  off  in  advance,  ac- 


TO   RINGGOLD   BARRACKS.  511 

companied  by  Mr.  Radziminski  and  our  guide.  On 
reaching  the  river  San  Juan,  a  large  stream  which  en- 
ters the  Rio  Grande,  three  miles  from  Camargo,  and  on 
which  that  town  stands,  we  found  a  body  of  three  or 
four  hundred  Mexican  troops,  cavalry  and  infantry, 
waiting  to  cross.  This  stream  is  quite  deep,  and  is 
crossed  by  a  ferry  boat  attached  to  a  rope  extend- 
ing from  one  bank  to  the  other.  As  the  boat  would 
hold  but  a  few  horses,  it  was  evident  that,  if  I  waited 
for  the  whole  to  cross,  I  should  not  get  over  for  hours. 
I  sent  my  guide  (who  it  appeared  was  a  soldier  belong- 
ing to  the  command  at  Camargo),  with  my  compli- 
ments to  the  commanding  officer,  Colonel  Cruz,  to  per- 
mit me  to  cross  at  once.  This  gentleman  very  polite- 
ly acceded  to  my  request,  and  directed  the  boat  to 
take,  over  me  and  my  party  immediately.  On  reach- 
ing the  opposite  side,  I  rode  to  the  quarters  of  Colonel 
Cruz,  to  pay  my  respects  to  him,  and  request  permis- 
sion of  him  to  allow  the  train  of  the  Boundary  Com- 
mission to  pass  unmolested.  He  assured  me  that  every 
facility  should  be  afforded  the  train  to  cross  the  San 
Juan,  and  thence  to  the  American  line.  There  was  some 
danger  here ;  for  this  officer  was  in  arms  against  the 
Mexican  government ;  and  but  for  the  character  of  my 
party,  it  would  not  have  been  suffered  to  pass  so  quietly. 
We  had  had,  too,  a  narrow  escape  from  the  rebel  chief 
Caravajal,  who,  with  a  band  of  some  two  hundred  des- 
perate characters,  had  been  devastating  the  frontier. 
We  had  heard  of  them  at  various  places  after  leaving 
Monterey ;  and  at  one  village,  we  learnt  that  they  had 
passed  but  the  day  before. 

The   population  of  Camargo  is  about  the  same  as 


512  SALTILLO    TO    RINGGOLD   BARRACKS. 

that  of  Mier.  Its  houses  are  built  of  stone  or  adobe. 
There  is  more  arable  land  here,  and  the  same  manufac- 
tures are  carried  on  as  at  Mier.  Before  the  Indian  wars 
and  the  wars  of  Texas,  there  were  numerous  ranchos  on 
both  sides  of  the  Rio  Grande.  Their  occupants  were 
chiefly  employed  in  raising  of  cattle,  of  which  at  one 
time,  they  possessed  not  less  than  forty  thousand  head. 
These  establishments  have  now  been  destroyed,  or 
abandoned.  During  the  late  war,  the  American  army 
had  a  large  depot  at  this  place.  The  steamboat  which 
navigate  the  Rio  Grande,  finds  no  difficulty  in  coming 
up  as  far  as  Camargo.  At  high  water,  boats  drawing 
five  feet,  ascend  it  with  safety. 

A  ride  of  three  miles,  after  leaving  Camargo, 
brought  us  to  the  Rio  Grande,  which  we  crossed  in  a 
scow.  Its  width  here  is  from  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
five  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  yards,  with  steep  banks. 
On  the  American  side  is  a  considerable  settlement, 
known  as  Davis'  rancho ;  and  about  half  a  mile  below 
is  the  military  post,  known  as  Ringgold  Barracks. 
Hither  I  drove  at  once,  and  was  met  by  Major  Paul, 
the  commanding  officer,  and  the  members  of  the  Com- 
mission, who  with  Major  Emory,  the  United  States 
Surveyor,  had  been  awaiting  my  arrival. 

December  21st.  Our  train  reached  the  opposite 
banks  of  the  San  Juan  last  evening,  and  was  occupied 
the  whole  of  to-day  in  getting  across  the  two  rivers, 
when  the  party  encamped  near  the  barracks. 


RINGGOLD    BARRACKS    TO    CORPUS    CHRISTI.  513 


CHAPTER  XLIY. 

RINGGOLD    BARRACKS    TO    CORPUS    CHRISTI. 

Eio  Grande  surveying  parties — State  of  the  Survey — Despatches  from 
Washington — Proviso  affixed  by  Congress  to  the  appropriation  for  the 
Commission — Letter  of  the  Hon.  Alex.  II.  H.  Stuart,  Secretary  of  the 
Interior — Money  withheld — Compelled  to  disband  the  Commission  and 
return  home — Unfortunate  situation  of  the  party — Send  the  train 
and  government  property  to  San  Antonio — Leave  for  the  coast — The 
grassy  prairies  of  Texas — Sal  Colorado — Wells  at  Santa  Teresa — 
Ravages  of  the  Comanches — Night  alarm  from  mustangs — Abundance 
of  deer  and  antelope — Los  Olmos — Immense  drove  of  mustangs — 
Exciting  race  over  the  prairie — Horse  lost — The  prairie  on  fire — Rio 
San  .Francisco — Agua  Dulce — Arrival  at  Corpus  Christi. 

December  22&  At  Ringgold  Barracks.  When  I  left 
El  Paso,  it  was  for  the  purpose  of  joining  Major  Emory 
at  this  place,  in  order  to  complete  the  survey  of  the 
Rio  Grande.  I  now  learned  from  this  officer  that  the 
survey  had  been  carried  as  far  down  the  river  as 
Loredo,  with  the  exception  of  a  small  space  still  to  be 
covered  between  the  great  Chizo  Canon  and  the  Rio 
San  Pedro,  on  which  two  parties  were  then  operating. 
It  was  believed  that  the  small  portion  extending  from 
Loredo  to  the  mouth  of  the  river  might  be  finished  in 
three  or  four  months.  The  season  was  the  most  favor- 
able for  engineering  operations,  and  the  parties  were 

vol.  ii. — 33 


514  EINGGOLD    BARRACKS 

all  on  the  spot  with  their  instruments,  camp-equipage, 
wagons,  animals,  provisions,  etc.  In  fact  every  thing 
required  to  ensure  the  speedy  completion  of  the  work 
was  at  hand,  except  boats,  which  would  be  necessary 
when  near  the  Gulf.  But  all  my  plans  were  frustrated 
by  the  despatches  from  Washington. 

The  despatch  of' the  15th  October,  1852,  received 
by  me  at  Encantada,  advised  me  that  to  the  appropria- 
tion of  one  hundred  and  twenty  thousand  dollars  made 
by  Congress  for  defraying  the  expenses  of  the  Boundary 
Commission,  a  proviso  was  added  that  it  should  not  be 
used  "until  it  should  be  made  satisfactorily  to  appear 
to  the  President  of  the  United  States  that  the  southern 
boundary  of  New  Mexico  is  not  established  by  the 
•Commissioner  and  the  Surveyor  of  the  United  States  fur- 
ther north  of  the  town  called  Paso  than  the  same  is  laid 
down  in  DisturneH's  map,  which  is  added  to  the  treaty." 

In  communicating  to  me  this  act  of  Congress,  the 
Secretary  of  the  Interior  says,  that  the  President  and 
himself  "  have  been  forced  to  the  conclusion  that,  in 
view  of  this  restriction,  the  money  cannot  legally  be 
drawn  from  the  treasury."  The  Honorable  Secretary 
expressed  a  strong  desire  that  the  work  shall  go  on  if 
I  already  have  the  means  of  maintaining  the  parties 
long  enough  to  complete  the  survey  of  the  river; 
but  if  otherwise,  the  Commission  must  retire  from  the 
field.* 

*  Here  folllows  the  despatch  itself: 

Department  of  the  Interior, 
Washington,  Oct.  15,  1852. 

Sir  : — In  the  Deficiency  Bill  of  the  last  session,  which  was  approved 
'21st  July,  Congress  appropriated  for  the  Mexican  Boundary  Survey  the 


TO    CORPUS    CHRISTL  515 

The  course  I  had  to  pursue  was  plain.  Congress 
nad  said  that  if  the  southern  boundary  of  New  Mexico 
had  been  established  further  north  of  the  town  of  El 
Paso  than  it  is  laid  down  in  Disturnell's  map,  the 
money  appropriated  to  carry  on  the  survey  could  not 
be  used.  This  was  a  new  interpretation  of  the  treaty, 
and  one  not  required  either  by  my  instructions  or  by  the 
words  of  the  treaty  itself.     The   boundary  line  was 

sum  of  eighty  thousand  dollars.  This  was  immediately  absorbed  by  the 
drafts  and  liabilities  which  were  then  outstanding,  and  the  additional 
sum  of  twenty-five  thousand  dollars  for  like  demands  was  obtained  by 
the  act  approved  31st  August,  which  has  also  been  nearly  exhausted, 
and  other  debts  still  remain  unpaid.  In  this  latter  the  sum  of  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  thousand  dollars  was  appropriated  for  the  present  fiscal 
year,  with  a  proviso  that  it  should  not  be  used  "  until  it  shall  be  made 
satisfactorily  to  appear  to  the  President  of  the  United  States  that  the 
southern  boundary  of  New  Mexico  is  not  established  by  the  Commis- 
sioner and  Surveyor  of  the  United  States  further  north  of  the  town 
called  '  Paso '  than  the  same  is  laid  down  in  Disturnell's  map,  which  is 
added  to  the  treaty."  Inclosed  I  send  you  a  printed  copy  of  my  report 
to  the  President  in  regard  to  this  proviso,  and  of  his  indorsement 
thereon.  You  will  perceive  that  the  President  and  myself  have  been 
forced  to  the  conclusion  that,  in  view  of  this  restriction,  the  money  can- 
not legally  be  drawn  from  the  treasury.  It  will  not  be  proper,  therefore, 
for  you  to  make  any  further  drafts  upon  the  department.  *  *  * 
No  exception  has  been,  or  could  possibly  be,  taken  to  the  river  portion 
of  the  boundary ;  and  it  is  much  to  be  regretted  that  the  department 
has  not  authority  to  use  the  appropriation  for  that  portion  of  the  survey. 
*  *  *  You  may,  possibly,  already  have  the  means  of  maintaining 
your  respective  parties  long  enough  to  complete  the  survey  of  the  river, 
or  until  you  shall  have  been  advised  of  further  action  by  Congress  on 
the  subject.  The  withdrawal  of  the  Commission  is  not  imperatively 
called  for  by  the  action  of  Congress,  except  in  so  far  as  the  withholding 
of  funds  may  render  it  necessary.  It  would  be  very  desirable  to  avoid 
it,  if  possible ;  as  Congress  will  again  be  in  session  in  the  course  of  about 
six  weeks,  and  possibly  as  soon  as  you  will  receive  this  communication. 


516  RINGGOLD    BARRACKS 

established  at  32°  22'  north  latitude,  where  it  stands 
on  the  treaty  map.  El  Paso  is  placed  on  that  map 
about  seven  minutes  of  latitude  south  of  the  boundary ; 
but  when  this  town  is  removed  to  its  true  position  at 
31°  45',  the  distance  between  the  town  and  the  boun- 
dary is  of  course  increased  to  the  extent  of  the  error 
of  the  map. 

I  had  not  money  sufficient  to  continue  the  work,  or 

Such  a  movement  would  also  be  attended  with  much  delay  in  the  com- 
pletion of  the  survey,  and  greatly  increased  expenses  to  the  United 
States  and  to  the  government  of  Mexico,  besides  embarrassment  and 
hardship  to  the  employes  of  the  Commission,  whose  sole  dependence 
is  upon  their  individual  labors.  It  would  likewise  be  a  cause  of  further 
dissatisfaction  on  the  part  of  the  Mexican  government.  It  will  not  be 
proper  for  you  in  any  event  to  continue  operations  on  the  disputed  por- 
tion of  the  boundary  (the  southern  and  western  limits  of  New  Mexico), 
nor  to  make  any  further  drafts  upon  the  department ;  and  if  you  have  not 
the  means  already  acquired  in  the  manner  indicated  for  completing  the 
survey  of  the  Rio  Grande,  you  will  of  course  cease  operations  altogether, 
and  return  to  the  United  States  with  your  surveying  parties.  But  not 
knowing  precisely  your  situation  in  these  respects,  your  return  or  con- 
tinuation in  the  field  must,  with  these  views  of  the  department  before 

you,  be  left  to  your  own  sound  discretion. 

****** 

In  the  event  of  your  being  obliged  to  return  from  the  field,  you  will 
make  the  best  possible  disposition  of  the  government  property  in  the 
service  of  the  Commission.  *  *  *  j}ut  }n  a]j  these  matters  you 
will  be  governed  by  considerations  of  economy  to  the  United  States, 
and  convenience  and  expedition  in  the  future  resumption  of  the  work. 
I  am,  Sir,  very  respectfully, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

ALEXANDER  H.  H.  STUART, 

Secretary. 
John  R.  Bartlett,  Esq., 
JJ.  S.  Commissioner, 

Mexican  Boundary  Survey. 


TO    CORPUS    CHRISTI.  517 

even  to  defray  the  expenses  of  the  officers  and  men  to 
their  homes.  The  money  was  tendered  to  me  on  my 
drafts  by  several  houses  to  the  amount  of  seventy-five 
thousand  dollars,  if  I  decided  to  go  on  with  the  sur- 
vey ;  but  the  instructions  sent  me  on  this  point  were 
clear,  and  however  desirous  I  was  to  complete  the 
work,  the  will  of  my  government  must  be  obeyed,  no 
matter  at  how  great  a  sacrifice.  The  Honorable  Se- 
cretary directed  me,  if  I  already  had  the  means,  to  con- 
tinue operations  on  the  Rio  Grande,  if  not,  to  cease 
altogether  and  return  home.  The  intention  of  Con- 
gress was  doubtless  to  break  up  the  survey,  and  my 
duty  was  to  submit. 

The  next  step  was  to  disband  the  Commission  as 
soon  as  possible,  to  get  the  officers  and  men  to  their 
homes,  and  to  place  the  valuable  property  of  the  go- 
vernment where  it  could  be  taken  care  of  at  the  least 
expense,  and  where  it  would  be  convenient,  should 
Congress,  on  further  reflection,  remove  the  proviso  and 
order  the  survey  to  be  resumed. 

To  reach  Washington  or  New  York  from  this  dis- 
tant place  would  cost  a  considerable  sum ;  and  I  found 
my  means  quite  insufficient  to  defray  the  expenses  of 
more  than  one  half  of  those  whom  the  government 
was  bound  to  transport  back  to  the  places  from  which 
they  came.  Here  was  a  sad  dilemma  for  a  large  body 
of  men  to  be  placed  in  by  an  act  of  Congress,  without 
any  fault  on  their  part — men  who  had  been  most  ardu- 
ously engaged  on  a  toilsome  and  dangerous  service  for 
two  years  and  a  half,  risking  life  and  health  in  the 
faithful  performance  of  their  duties.  I  would  have 
been  justified  in  selling  off  at  once,  at  public  auction, 


518  RINGGOLD    BARRACKS 

all  the  government  property,  and  appropriating  the 
proceeds  to  the  pay  of  the  men,  and  to  enabling  the 
officers  to  reach  their  homes.  Such  a  course  would 
have  been  adopted  by  most  officers  placed  in  my  posi- 
tion ;  but  I  was  willing  to  submit  to  inconveniences 
if  the  laboring  men  could  be  relieved. 

I  determined,  therefore,  to  divide  the  money  in  my 
possession  among  the  officers,  as  far  as  it  would  go,  to 
meet  the  expense  of  reaching  their  homes.  It  was 
enough  for  about  one  half.  I  then  directed  the  quar- 
ter-master and  commissary,  Mr.  George  Thurber,  to 
take  the  entire  train  of  animals  and  wagons  (including 
those  used  by  Major  Emory  and  his  parties),  together 
with  all  the  public  property,  except  the  instruments, 
and  proceed  with  the  same  to  San  Antonio.  That 
place  was  a  convenient  point  from  which  the  survey 
could  again  be  resumed  whenever  it  would  be  the 
pleasure  of  Congress  to  order  it ;  and  it  was  a  place 
where  the  animals  could  be  kept  at  the  least  expense. 
I  also  desired  Mr.  Thurber  to  reserve  twelve  of  the 
best  wagons,  one  hundred  mules,  and  a  portion  of  the 
equipments  and  camp  equipage,  and  to  sell  the  re- 
mainder at  public  auction,  and  apply  the  proceeds  to 
the  payment  of  the  men.  And  I  further  directed  him  to 
make  arrangements  with  some  mercantile  house  in  San 
Antonio  to  advance  the  sum  necessary  to  pay  off  the 
laboring  men  and  teamsters,  as  well  as  to  enable  the 
remaining  officers  to  return  to  their  homes,  and  to 
draw  on  me  at  Washington  for  the  same.*    The  instru- 


'§> 


*  The  train  continued  to   Corpus  Christi ;   after  which  Mr.  Thur- 
ber  proceeded  to    San  Antonio,    as    directed.     He    there   raised    the 


TO    CORPUS    CHRISTL  519 

merits,  both  astronomical  and  surveying,  were  in 
charge  of  the  principal  surveyor,  Major  W.  H.  Emory. 
Having  made  these  arrangements,  we  prepared  to  con- 
tinue our  journey  to  the  coast.  A  steamer  ran  to  Ma- 
tamoras  ;  but  as  there  was  no  communication  between 
that  place  and  IScsv  Orleans,  I  thought  it  the  surer 
way  to  proceed  by  land  to  Corpus  Ghristi,  on  the  Gulf 
of  Mexico,  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  distant, 
and  thence  by  land  or  water  to  Indianola,  where  a 
line  of  steamers  connected  with  New  Orleans. 

December-  27th.  Left  Ringgold  Barracks  at  one,  p.  m., 
with  a  portion  of  the  train,  accompanied  by  Major 
Emory  with  his  officers  and  several  wagons.  Mr. 
Thurber  remained,  intending  to  follow  the  next  day 
with  the  rest  of  the  train.  The  country  for  five  or  six 
miles  is  undulating,  with  low  hills  and  a  gentle  ascent 
from,  the  river  until  the  plain  is  reached.  For  this  dis- 
tance it  is  covered  with  the  same  dense  chapporal  as 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  and  is  equally  desti- 
tute of  grass.  Passing  this  belt,  a  higher  level  is 
reached,  where  there  is  better  soil.  Here  grass  be- 
gins to  appear,  with  larger  shrubbery ;  the  mezquit 
reaching  a  height  of  from  fifteen  to  twenty  feet,  and  | 

necessary  funds,  through  the  kindness  of  Messrs.  Vance  &  Brother, 
merchants  at  that  place  ;  which  enabled  him  to  discharge  and  pay  off  all 
the  teamsters,  laboring  men,  and  mechanics,  some  sixty  or  seventy  in 
number,  as  well  as  to  furnish  the  means  to  the  rest  of  the  officers  of 
returning  to  their  homes.  He  then  remained  with  three  or  four  men, 
barely  sufficient  to  take  care  of  the  hundred  animals  he  had  reserved 
and  the  other  property,  until  the  following  June,  when  he  was  released 
by  the  parties  sent  out  to  resume  the  work.  The  interruption  of 
the  survey  delayed  its  completion  about  eight  months,  at  an  additional 
expense  of  fifty  thousand  dollars. 


520  RINGGOLD    BARRACKS 

forming  thick  woods.  In  passing  a  gully  where 
the  road  was  much  washed  away,  the  tongue  of  one 
of  the  wagons  was  broken  and  had  to  be  repaired  with 
ropes.  Encamped  after  dark  on  the  open  plain,  amid 
an  abundance  of  grass. 

December  28th.  The  prairie  continued  grassy,  in- 
terspersed with  the  prickly  pear  and  low  mezquit, 
opening  occasionally  for  a  few  miles  without  shrubbery. 
The  road  became  quite  sandy  and  heavy  for  the  ani- 
mals. In  the  afternoon,  stopped  at  Sal  Colorado,  a 
miserable  cattle  rancho  with  a  well,  where  we  stopped 
to  water  our  animals.  This  place  is  called  forty  miles 
from  Ringgold,  which  is  a  large  estimate.  There  are 
pens  and  corrals  here,  used  for  catching  and  securing 
mustangs,  in  which  this  portion  of  Texas  abounds. 
Continued  our  journey  to  Santa  Teresa,  five  miles  fur- 
ther, where  we  encamped.  Here  was  a  deserted  ran- 
cho in  ruins,  with  three  wells  near.  It  had  been  used, 
like  that  at  Sal  Colorado,  for  ensnaring  wild  horses. 
Last  year  the  Comanches  attacked  it,  murdered  the 
occupants,  burned  the  houses,  and  took  away  all  the 
cattle,  mules,  and  horses.  It  has  not  since  been  occu- 
pied. In  two  of  the  wells,  which  were  about  fifteen 
feet  deep,  the  water  was  brackish ;  but  from  the  third 
we  procured  good  water  with  some  difficulty. 

December  29th.  The  mustangs  came  around  our 
camp  in  great  numbers  last  night.  They  so  alarmed 
the  mules  that,  fearing  a  general  stampede,  the  guard 
was  obliged  to  fire  upon  them,  which  drove  them  off. 
The  road  to-day  was  heavy  ;  the  country  an  open  roll- 
ing prairie,  covered  with  luxuriant  grass,  and  dotted 
with  clusters  of  mezquit  and  oak.    Now  and  then  would 


TO    CORPUS    CHRISTI.  521 

appear  a  long  line  or  belt  of  these  trees,  extending  a 
mile  or  more.  At  noon,  stopped  in  a  grove  of  mez- 
quit,  and  sent  our  animals  to  a  lagoon  half  a  mile  to 
our  left  for  water.  After  letting  them  graze  an 
hour,  we  resumed  our  march.  We  reached  a  pond  four 
miles  further,  and  a  little  beyond  a  second  and  larger 
one.  This  water  was  covered  with  wild  ducks  and 
geese ;  but  they  took  the  alarm  at  the  first  appearance 
of  the  train,  and  were  off  before  we  could  get  a  shot 
at  them.  Keeping  on  a  few  miles,  we  encamped  on 
the  open  prairie.  Large  numbers  of  deer,  antelope, 
and  wild  horses  were  seen  during  the  day;  but  the 
latter  kept  at  a  respectful  distance.  Two  deer  were 
killed. 

December  30th.  Off  by  break  of  day.  The  rolling 
prairie  continued  without  trees  or  shrubbery,  save 
here  and  there  a  little  mot  or  group.  As  we  approach- 
ed Loma  Blanca  (White  Hill),  some  low  hills  appeared, 
whose  sides  showed  banks  of  white  sand.  Herds  of 
mustangs,  going  at  full  speed,  crossed  and  recrossed 
the  broad  prairie,  presenting  a  beautiful  spectacle  as 
they  stretched  for  a  mile  or  more,  with  their  long  bushy 
tails  streaming  in  the  wind.  They  did  not  venture 
within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  us.  Deer  and  antelope 
were  also  seen  in  great  numbers  bounding  over  the 
broad  plain  or  feeding  in  herds.  They  too  were  shy, 
and  had  evidently  come  in  contact  with  man  before. 
As  there  was  neither  tree  nor  bush  to  be  seen,  and  no 
cover  of  any  sort,  all  our  efforts  to  get  within  rifle-shot 
were  unavailing. 

Near  Loma  Blanca  is  the  bed  of  a  laguna,  which 
extends  for  more  than  a  mile  on  both  sides  of  the  road. 


522  RINGGOLD    BARRACKS 

There  was  every  indication  that  it  had  recently  been 
filled  with  water ;  but  we  sought  for  some  in  vain. 
Deeply  worn  paths  made  by  the  mustangs  were  seen 
in  every  direction,  showing  that  it  was  a  place  of  re- 
sort for  these  animals.  After  travelling  eight  hours 
we  reached  a  chain  of  lagunas  called  Los  Olmos,  which 
crossed  our  path.  Having  travelled  more  than  twenty 
miles  over  a  sandy  road,  and  our  animals  showing 
signs  of  great  fatigue,  we  encamped.  The  water  was 
sweet  and  the  grass  abundant. 

December  31st.  A  portion  of  our  journey  yesterday 
was  over  the  prairie,  where  there  was  no  trace  of  a 
road.  To-day  continued  the  same ;  yet  the  man  who 
pretended  to  guide  us  seemed  familiarly  acquainted 
with  it.  A  few  hours  after  leaving,  the  prairie  near 
the  horizon  seemed  to  be  moving,  with  long  undu- 
lations, like  the  waves  of  the  ocean.  Unable  to  account 
for  this  singular  appearance,  I  looked  with  my  tele- 
scope, when,  to  my  surprise,  I  discovered  the  whole 
prairie  towards  the  horizon  alive  with  mustangs.  Soon 
after  they  could  be  seen  coming  towards  the  train. 

Major  Emory  at  this  time  was  in  advance  of  me 
about  half  a  mile  with  his  portion  of  the  wagons.  We 
saw  the  long  line  of  mustangs  approach  him,  and  soon 
after  pass  before,  the  whole  herd  following  after,  and 
extending  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach  across  the 
prairie.  The  mules  became  restive,  and  we  could  see 
the  teamsters  hurrying  forward  the  wagons  for  protec- 
tion behind  each  other.  On  went  the  great  stream, 
and  the  next  moment  one  of  the  mule  teams  in  ad- 
vance sprang  from  the  train  and  dashed  off  at  full 
speed  after  and  among  the  wild  horses.     The  teamster 


TO    CORPUS    CHRISTI.  523 

in  vain  tried  to  restrain  them.  It  was  all  to  no  pur- 
pose. Away  they  went,  John  Gilpin  like,  the  wagon 
with  six  mules,  followed  by  all  the  loose  animals  that 
were  driven  with  the  train,  which  had  also  partaken 
of  the  stampede.  The  herdsmen,  in  order  to  check  the 
runaways,  left  the  train  and  went  in  pursuit,  making 
altogether  the  most  exciting  spectacle  we  had  yet  wit- 
nessed. The  chase  continued  for  a  mile ;  for  the 
mules  in  the  wagon  had  become  perfectly  frantic  with 
fear,  surrounded  as  they  were  by  equally  frightened 
mustangs,  and  all  bounded  over  the  prairie  at  their 
utmost  speed.  Seeing  the  danger,  our  men  put  on 
the  lash,  and  we  hurried  forward  to  render  such  aid  as 
lay  in  our  power.  The  men  of  the  other  party  fired  at 
the  herd,  which  had  the  effect  of  breaking  the  line, 
and  turning  it  in  another  direction. 

The  frightened  herd  made  directly  for  us,  in  the 
same  Ions;  line,  the  termination  of  which  we  could 
not  see,  as  it  lost  itself  far  in  the  distance.  I  now 
became  alarmed,  fearing  a  general  stampede  among 
our  mules;  for  nothing  can  restrain  these  timid  crea- 
tures  when  frightened.  If  they  cannot  take  their 
wagon  with  them,  they  become  so  frantic  that  they 
will  tear  themselves  from  their  harness  and  flee  away. 
Our  first  precaution  was  to  close  up  the  wagons,  so 
that  only  those  in  the  first  one  would  see  the  mustangs. 
The  mules  of  the  second  were  placed  alongside  of  the 
foremost  wagon,  the  next  by  the  side  of  the  second, 
and  so  on  to  the  last,  each  wagon  thus  protecting  the 
team  that  followed  it.  We  now  locked  the  wheels  of 
all,  and  men  stood  by  the  leaders  to  restrain  and  quiet 
them.    As  I  had  no  inclination  to  be  carried  off  against 


524  RINGGOLD    BARRACKS 

my  will  among  a  herd  of  frantic  wild  horses  after  the 
fashion  of  Mazeppa,  I  dismounted  and  hitched  my 
mule  to  a  wagon,  and  with  several  others  ran  with  my 
fire-arms  to  meet  the  advancing  steeds,  which  were 
now  nearly  upon  us,  led  off  by  a  fearless  stallion.  We 
discharged  our  arms  at  them  as  they  approached,  and 
fortunately  with  good  effect.  The  leader  was  turned, 
and  the  avalanche  of  wild  animals  swept  by  us  like  a 
tornado,  much  to  our  relief.  We  held  in  for  a  few 
minutes  until  the  herd  had  passed,  when  we  unlocked 
our  wheels  and  hastened  forward  to  the  first  of  the 
train,  which  had  halted. 

By  the  time  we  reached  it,  the  runaway  wagon 
and  mules,  with  those  who  had  been  in  pursuit,  were 
just  coming  up  after  a  most  exciting  chase.  Fortu- 
nately no  one  was  injured,  and  our  animals  were  all 
captured  and  brought  back,  except  one,  and  that  one 
of  the  most  valuable  horses  belonging  to  the  party. 
This  animal  was  ridden  by  the  wagon-master,  and 
when  in  full  pursuit  of  the  runaways,  he  stepped  into 
one  of  the  burrowing  places  which  abound  on  the 
prairies,  fell,  and  threw  his  rider  over  his  head.  Thus 
freed  from  restraint,  he  joined  his  wild  brethren  and 
disappeared  on  the  prairie,  with  his  saddle,  bridle,  and 
trappings. 

As  we  continued  our  journey  other  herds  of  mus- 
tangs were  seen  coming  from  the  east,  but  none  ap- 
proached us.  Large  numbers  of  deer  and  antelope 
were  also  perceived  as  we  jogged  along.  In  the  after- 
noon we  crossed  a  deep  ravine,  the  dry  bed  of  the 
Escondida,  which  bore  the  traces  of  recent  water ;  and 
just  beyond  this  the  great  prairie  was  on  fire. 


TO    CORPUS    CHRISTI.  525 

We  had  for  hours  noticed  the  huge  volumes  of 
smoke  as  they  ascended  from  the  plain,  and  attributed 
the  flight  of  animals  towards  us,  which  we  had  seen 
during  the  day,  to  this  fire.  It  stretched  for  miles  in 
both  directions,  and  was  sweeping  directly  towards  us. 
Whenever  it  reached  a  patch  of  high  grass,  volumes 
of  dense  smoke  rose  up,  while  the  vivid  flames  leaped 
with  greater  rapidity  over  the  plain.  We  rode  up 
and  down  for  some  distance,  but  could  find  no  open- 
ing through.  At  length  a  place  was  seen  where  the 
fire  raged  with  less  fury.  Here  the  horsemen  led  the 
way  ;  whereupon  the  teamsters  put  the  whips  to  their 
animals,  and  uttering  a  loud  whoop  dashed  through 
the  flames. 

A  short  distance  beyond  we  passed  another  chain 
of  lagunas,  or  small  ponds,  known  as  Santa  Gertrude. 
The  water  was  good  here  ;  but  finding  that  we  could 
make  a  few  more  miles,  I  hurried  forward.  Five  miles 
further,  over  an  excellent  road,  brought  us  to  San 
Francisco  River,  which  unfortunately  had  no  water 
in  it. 

The  prairie  had  been  more  level  to-day,  and,  ex- 
cept where  burned,  was  covered  with  excellent  grass. 
The  bed  and  banks  of  the  San  Francisco  were  lined 
with  large  trees  overhung  with  moss.  We  made 
thirty  miles  to-day,  for  about  half  of  which  distance 
the  road  was  excellent. 

January  1st,  1853.  At  an  early  hour  breakfast  was 
despatched ;  and  the  tents  were  struck,  and  the  party 
was  in  motion  at  the  break  of  day.  The  prairie  was 
now  a  dead  level,  the  grass  short,  and  the  road  very 
good.     Not  a  bush  or  a  tree  was  to  be  seen ;  yet  there 


526  RINGGOLD    BARRACKS 

was  no  lack  of  prominent  objects ;  for  thousands  of 
deer  and  antelope  were  scattered  over  it.  Never 
before  had  we  seen  such  numbers.  Droves  of  mus- 
tangs also  appeared.  The  deer  and  antelope  were 
usually  grazing  in  herds  of  from  ten  to  fifty  ;  and  as 
we  approached  they,  leisurely  trotted  off  to  a  short  dis- 
tance, and  again  stopped.  We  shot  none  ;  for  as  I  was 
desirous  to  reach  Corpus  Christi  before  night,  we  were 
pushing  forward  on  the  run,  and  could  not  be  delayed 
for  the  sake  of  game,  tempting  as  it  was.  Among  the 
antelope  I  noticed  several  of  a  pure  white. 

Ten  miles  brought  us  to  Agua  Dulce  (Sweet 
Water),  where  there  were  some  filthy  pools  of  water 
and  several  ranchos ;  and  twelve  miles  further  to  the 
Oso,  a  small  pond,  or  rather  mud-hole,  the  water  in 
which  was  so  bad  that  the  animals  would  not  drink  it. 
The  road  being  good  and  the  weather  cool,  we  again 
dashed  off  on  a  run,  when  an  additional  nine  miles 
gladdened  our  sight  with  the  blue  waters  of  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico,  which  stretched  out  before  us  in  a  long  line, 
bounding  the  horizon  for  many  miles.  This  was  a  de- 
lightful spectacle  to  us  after  an  absence  of  two  years 
and  a  half,  and  especially  as  it  was  the  termination  of  a 
land  journey  of  nearly  two  thousand  three  hundred 
miles.  At  three  o'clock,  p.  m.,  we  reached  Coiyus 
Christi,  and  drove  to  the  excellent  hotel  of  Mr.  Noes- 
ler.  Here  we  met  Captains  Gibbs  and  Rhett,  Dr.  Jar- 
vis,  and  other  officers  of  the  United  States  army,  from 
whom  we  were  gratified  »with  late  news  from  home. 

My  first  inquiry  was  for  the  means  of  reaching 
New  Orleans ;  and  finding  there  was  no  steamer  run- 
ning, and  no  means  of  reaching  there  except  by  tak- 


TO    CORPUS    CHRISTI.  52^ 

ing  an  open  boat  through  the  lagunas  to  Indianola,  a 
distance  of  about  one  hundred  and  forty  miles,  or 
making  a  land  journey  around  the  shore  to  the  same 
place,  I  chose  the  former.  I  had  had  quite  enough  of 
land  journeys  for  the  present ;  and  hearing  there  was 
a  small  boat  at  the  wharf,  I  lost  no  time  in  chartering 
her  to  transport  me  and  such  others  as  chose  to  ac- 
company me.  She  could  stow  away  four  persons  be- 
neath a  piece  of  deck  over  the  bow,  by  crawling  in 
on  the  hands  and  feet ;  but  there  was  not  sufficient 
height  to  sit  up.  However,  it  was  a  change,  and  I 
determined  to  try  it.  The  Captain  agreed  to  leave  in 
the  morning. 


528  CORPUS    CHRISTI 


CHAPTER  XLV. 

CORPUS    CHRISTI   TO    WASHINGTON. 

Corpus  Christi— Its  fine  position — Geographical  features  of  the  country — 
Nueces  Bay  and  River — A  norther — Its  effects  on  the  fish  in  the  lagu- 
nas — Leave  Corpus  Christi  in  an  open  boat — Shallow  bays  and  lagunas 
of  the  Gulf — Vast  numbers  of  water-fowl — Bays  of  Aransas  and  Espiri- 
tu  Santo — Reach  Decrow's  Point — Matagorda  Bay  and  its  commerce — 
Embark  for  New  Orleans — Galveston — Arrival  at  New  Orleans — Voy- 
age up  the  Mississippi,  and  by  way  of  Louisville,  Cincinnati,  Cleveland, 
Buffalo,  and  Albany  to  Providence — Arrival  at  home — Proceed  to 
"Washington. 

The  town  of  Corpus  Christi  is  more  pleasantly  situated 
than  any  place  I  had  yet  seen  on  the  Gulf  of  Mexico, 
having  the  advantage  of  a  bluff  from  eighty  to  one 
hundred  feet  high  above  the  shores  of  the  Gulf.  The 
business  portion  of  the  town  stands  chiefly  on  the 
beach  below  ;  but  the  bluff  is  now  being  covered  with 
dwelling  houses,  and  is  by  far  the  most  pleasant  situa- 
tion. Like  other  places  on  the  northern  shores  of  the 
Gulf,  it  is  separated  from  the  sea  by  a  broad  bay. 
Here  there  is  plenty  of  water ;  but  on  the  bar  which 
connects  it  with  the  Gulf  there  is  only  about  six  feet. 

Corpus  Christi  Bay  is  about  forty  miles  from  north  to 
south,  and  twenty  from  east  to  west.     Connected  with 


TO    WASHINGTON.  529 

it,  and  making  far  up  into  the  land,  is  Nueces  Bay, 
about  ten  miles  long  and  five  wide,  which  receives  at 
its  head  the  Nueces  River.  This  river  has  its  rise  in 
the  Guadalupe  Mountains  about  three  hundred  miles 
distant  The  stream,  which  is  deep,  narrow,  and  rapid, 
with  very  steep  banks,  is  navigable  for  small  boats, 
about  forty  miles  from  its  mouth  ;  and  with  some  im- 
provement the  navigation  might  be  extended  to  the 
point  of  confluence  with  the  Rio  Frio,  its  principal 
tributary.  The  latter  has  a  course  of  about  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  miles,  and  has  for  its  tributaries  the  San 
Miguel,  Atascoco,  La  Parida,  and  Tordillo  rivers.  The 
San  Miguel  is  about  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles  in 
length,  and  runs  nearly  parallel  with  the  Rio  Frio.  The 
Laguna,  the  Leona,  the  Arroyo  Saco,  and  the  Arroyo 
de  Uvalde,  are  also  branches  of  this  stream— the  last 
named  "  being  formed  of  nearly  a  hundred  springs  of 
crystal  water,  that  gush  from  the  munificent  soil  of  the 
valley,  which  is  headed  by  a  singularly  difficult  defile, 
named  the  Canon  de  Uvalde."  West  of  Corpus  Christi 
Bay,  several  small  streams  enter  the  Laguna  del  Madre, 
among  them  the  AguaDulce,  Las  Pintas,  San  Fernando, 
Santa  Gertrude,  Los  Olmos,  and  Escondida.  Most  of 
these  we  passed  in  crossing  from  the  Rio  Grande ;  but 
the  water  in  them  was  so  low  that  we  hardly  recog- 
nised them  as  running  streams,  and  some  were  entirely 
dry. 

The  land  near  Corpus  Christi  is  very  fertile.  Groups 
and  belts  of  timber  are  found  near  the  coast ;  but  after 
leaving  this,  a  vast  undulating  prairie  extends  from  the 
Nueces  to  within  three  or  four  miles  of  the  Rio  Grande. 
This  plain  is  covered  with  the  richest  grass,  and  abounds 

vol.  ii. — 34 


530  CORPUS    CHRISTI 

in  mustangs,  deer,  antelope,  and  large  herds  of  beef- 
cattle. 

Opposite  Corpus  Christi  Bay,  separating  it  from 
the  Gulf,  is  Mustang  Island,  about  thirty-five  miles 
long  and  from  two  to  four  in  width.  Further  south, 
another  long  and  narrow  sound  opens,  called  the  La- 
guna  del  Madre,  about  ninety  miles  in  length  and  from 
three  to  six  in  width  ;  an  island  about  the  same  length, 
and  from  two  to  four  miles  in  width,  separates  it  from 
the  Gulf.  This  laguna  is  so  shallow  as  to  be  unavail- 
able for  navigation,  even  for  vessels  of  light  draft. 

The  position  of  Corpus  Christi  renders  it  very 
healthy  ;  and  when  many  other  places  on  the  coast  suf- 
fer from  fevers,  this,  owing  to  its  elevation,  is  exempt. 
It  is  at  present  the  Head  Quarters  of  the  Military  Di- 
vision in  Texas ;  and  from  the  facility  of  entering  the 
harbor,  it  is  destined  to  be  one  of  the  most  important 
places  on  the  coast. 

January  2d.  There  was  a  dead  calm  to-day,  which 
prevented  us  from  leaving. 

January  3c?.  A  violent  norther  arose  during  the 
snight,  and  we  had  it  piercing  cold  to-day.  When  in 
;the  house,  we  were  seated  by  fires,  and  when  outside 
lihe  door,  wrapped  in  our  overcoats.  Yet  in  spite  of 
all  our  efforts,  it  seemed  almost  impossible  to  keep 
warm,  so  penetrating  are  these  winds  to  systems  which 
have  become  relaxed. 

When  these  winds  blow  so  violently,  they  drive 
:the  water  from  the  shallow  lagunas  into  the  Gulf,  and 
increase  the  difficulty  of  navigating  them.  Many  of 
the  bars  are  then  nearly  dry.  There  is  one  in  particu- 
lar, across  the  mouth  of  the  Nueces  Bay,  which   de- 


TO    WASHINGTON.  531 

serves  to  be  noticed.  When  the  tide  comes  into  this 
bay,  as  well  as  in  all  others,  it  is  resorted  to  by  large 
numbers  of  fish  from  the  Gulf,  to  feed.  The  water  may 
then  be  from  five  to  ten  feet  deep,  and  is  of  the  same 
temperature  as  that  of  the  Gulf.  But  after  a  norther 
has  blown  for  twelve  or  twenty-four  hours,  its  tempera- 
ture is  so  much  reduced,  that  the  fish  become  chilled, 
and  not  having  strength  enough  to  make  their  way 
over  the  bar,  now  more  shallow  than  ever,  they  often 
lie  there  in  heaps.  At  these  times  the  people  go  to 
the  bar  with  their  wagons,  and  with  a  spear  or  fork 
pick  up  the  finest  fish,  weighing  from  ten  to  a  hundred 
pounds,  and  thus  carry  away  loads.  Many  were 
brought  in  to-day,  and  they  proved  a  great  luxury  to 
us.* 

To-day,  again,  it  was  impossible  to  sail,  for  we 


*  In  the  remarkable  journey  of  Alvar  Nuiies  Cabeca  de  Vaca  from 
Florida  to  Cinaloa,  on  the  Pacific  coast,  between  the  years  1527  and 
1535,  he  remained  for  eight  months  among  a  tribe  of  Indians  on  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico,  whom  he  calls  the  Avavares.  "  They  were  all,"  he  says, 
"  ignorant  of  time,  either  by  the  sun  or  moon,  nor  do  they  reckon  by 
the  month  or  year ;  but  they  better  know  and  understand  the  differences 
of  the  seasons,  when  the  fruits  come  to  ripen,  the  fish  to  die,  and  the 
position  of  the  stars,  in  which  they  are  ready  and  practised." 

The  season  when  the  fish  come  to  die,  has  never  been  understood. 
When  Mr.  Buckingham  Smith,  the  learned  translator  and  commentator 
of  the  "  Narrative  of  Cabeca  de  Vaca,"  asked  me,  on  my  return  from 
Mexico,  whether  in  my  journeys  along  the  northern  shores  of  the 
Gulf,  I  had  seen  or  heard  any  thing  that  would  enable  me  to  elucidate 
the  passage  in  question,  the  incident  I  have  named  as  happening  annu- 
ally on  the  bars  of  the  lagoons,  when  the  northers  blow,  at  once  occur- 
red to  me  ;  and  on  explaining  what  I  had  witnessed,  Mr.  Smith  at  once 
agreed  with  me  that  this  was  the  true  solution  of  the  passage. 


532  CORPUS    CHRISTI 

should  have  perished  in  an  open  boat ;  so  we  kept  as 
close  as  possible. 

January  Ath.  The  wind  blew  violently  during  the 
whole  night,  and  the  morning  opened  upon  us  as  cold 
as  ever.  The  buckets  of  water  that  stood  outside  the 
door  were  covered  with  ice  an  inch  thick.  During 
the  forenoon,  the  wind  began  to  subside,  so  that  I  was 
enabled  to  take  a  ride  to  some  of  the  beautiful  places 
in  the  vicinity.  Several  of  the  party,  including  Dr. 
Webb,  Major  Emory,  and  Mr.  Radziminski,  set  out  in 
wagons  for  Indianola,  preferring  that  mode  of  convey- 
ance. Mr.  Henry  Jacobs  and  two  of  the  servants  were 
all  that  would  undertake  the  boat  voyage  with  me. 

About  noon  a  light  breeze  sprung  up  from  the  land, 
when  we  embarked  in  our  little  craft  for  Saluria,  a 
small  port  on  the  Gulf,  at  the  entrance  to  Matagorda 
Bay,  about  one  hundred  and  forty  miles  distant.  We 
had  not  proceeded  more  than  ten  or  twelve  miles,  be- 
fore the  wind  died  away  and  left  us  becalmed.  Creep- 
ing beneath  the  deck  that  covered  the  forward  part  of 
the  boat,  we  stretched  ourselves  on  our  blankets  in  a 
space  about  three  feet  wide,  where  we  contrived  to  get 
a  little  sleep. 

January  5  th.  The  morning  found  us  on  the  oppo- 
site side  of  Corpus  Christi  Bay,  a  light  breeze  wafting 
us  eastward  towards  Aransas  Pass.  The  navigation 
here  is  carried  on  with  boats  of  light  burden  through 
the  shallow  bays  or  lagunas,  which  line  the  west  and 
north-west  shores  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  These 
bays  are.  exceedingly  shallow,  sometimes  presenting  a 
breadth  of  ten  or  fifteen  miles,  by  a  hundred  or  more 
in  length.     Yet  these  broad  spaces  of  water  are  often 


TO    WASHINGTON.  533 

not  more  than  three  or  four  feet  deep,  even  in  the  mid- 
dle. This  depth  would  admit  flat-bottomed  vessels  of 
large  capacity,  were  it  not  for  the  numerous  bars  which' 
intersect  them,  sometimes  leaving  but  a  few  inches  of 
water;  hence,  none  but  flat -bottomed  boats  can  navi- 
gate these  waters,  and  even  these  may  be  suddenly 
arrested  in  their  progress,  should  a  norther  occur  and 
drive  the  water  out  of  the  bays. 

Our  course  lay  through  a  channel  less  than  twenty 
yards  wide  for  miles,  with  bars  of  sand  on  both  sides 
but  an  inch  or  two  above  the  water.  These  were 
covered  with  myriads  of  water-fowl,  including  cranes, 
swans,  herons,  ibises,  geese,  ducks,  curlews,  plover, 
sand-pipers,  etc.  The  large  cranes  and  swans  stood 
in  lines  extending  for  miles,  appearing  like  a  light 
sandy  beach  or  white  cliff;  and  it  was  impossible  to 
dispel  the  delusion,  until  the  vast  flock,  with  a  simul- 
taneous scream  that  could  be  heard  for  miles,  rose  from 
their  resting  place.  Occasionally,  we  would  round  a 
point  which  concealed  a  bay  the  surface  of  which  was 
filled  with  ducks  and  geese ;  these,  taking  the  alarm, 
would  rise  in  one  continuous  flock,  making  a  noise  like 
thunder,  as  they  flapped  their  wings  on  emerging  from 
the  water.  Notwithstanding  the  vast  numbers  of  these 
birds,  I  shot  but  few ;  for  the  water  was  so  shallow 
that  we  could  not  get  within  gun  shot  of  them  with  our 
boat.  With  a  light  skiff,  and  a  few  bushes  or  a  bunch 
of  grass,  a  gunner  would  have  such  sport  as  no  other 
portion  of  the  world  can  surpass. 

We  ran  ashore  on  a  beach  of  shells,  knocked  up  a 
fire  of  drift-wood,  and  got  breakfast ;  after  which  we 
entered  Aransas  Bay,   separated  from  the  Gulf  by  St. 


534  CORPUS    CHRISTI 

Joseph's  Island.  This  island  is  less  than  two  miles 
wide,  and  about  twenty-five  in  length.  South-west  of 
this,  between  Aransas  Pass  and  Corpus  Christi  Inlet, 
is  Mustang  Island,  already  spoken  of. 

Aransas  Bay  extends  about  twenty-five  miles  from 
north-east  to  south-west,  and  is  about  twelve  miles 
wide.  It  has  a  general  depth  of  from  eight  to  twelve 
feet,  but  is  obstructed  by  a  shoal  and  range  of  islands 
extending  across  it,  over  which  there  is  less  than 
three  feet  of  water.  Connected  with  Aransas  is  Co- 
pano  Bay,  twenty  miles  in  length  by  three  in  width. 
The  shores  of  these  bays  are  extremely  low  and  flat. 

We  made  but  little  progress  to-day,  the  wind  hav- 
ing died  away  ;  and  finding  ourselves  fast  on  a  bar, 
there  was  no  occasion  to  anchor.  So  we  again  turned 
in,  and  lay  by  till  morning. 

January  Qth.  One  of  the  sailors  carried  me  on 
shore  on  his  back,  that  I  might  have  a  shot  or  two  at 
the  shoals  of  ducks  near  by ;  but  as  there  was  no  shel- 
ter behind  which  they  could  be  approached,  the  few 
that  I  shot  hardly  repaid  the  trouble.  We  lay  here 
several  hours,  when  at  length  a  light  breeze  sprung 
up  from  the  west  which  wafted  us  onward,  and  across 
Espiritu  Santo  Bay,  about  twenty  miles  in  length  and 
ten  in  width.  At  its  head,  it  receives  the  waters  of 
two  considerable  rivers,  the  San  Antonio  and  Guada- 
lupe. It  is  separated  from  the  Gulf  by  Matagorda 
Island,  about  thirty  miles  in  length. 

An  amusing  incident  occurred  when  we  were  about 
midway  across  the  bay.  We  had  left  Corpus  Christi 
with  but  a  single  keg  of  water,  expecting  to  make  our 
voyage  in  twenty-four  hours.      But  we  had  now  been 


TO    WASHINGTON.  535 

out  forty-eight  hours ;  and  unless  a  good  breeze  should 
favor  us,  we  could  not  expect  to  reach  our  place  of  des- 
tination before  the  next  day.  Our  water  was  gone ; 
and  there  was  none  to  be  found  on  the  beach.  Seeing  a 
small  craft  approaching  from  an  opposite  direction,  we 
stood  for  her ;  and  when  within  two  hundred  yards, 
our  captain  hailed  her,  and  asked  if  they  could  spare 
us  any  water.  The  reply  was  in  the  affirmative  ;  but 
when  I  expected  we  should  pull  for  her,  to  my  utter 
surprise,  a  sailor  composedly  stepped  into  the  water, 
and,  with  a  bucket  on  his  arm,  walked  to  the  other  boat, 
where  he  got  it  filled.  The  bay  was  less  than  three 
feet  deep,  although  we  were  many  miles  from  the 
shore,  which  was  barely  visible.  Did  one  not  know 
where  he  was,  he  might  imagine  himself  at  sea. 

At  the  eastern  end  of  the  bay,  the  water  was  so 
shallow  that  the  passengers  were  carried  on  the  backs 
of  the  men  to  a  small  island  near  by,  while  the  captain 
and  sailors  jumped  into  the  water,  and  lifted  and  push- 
ed the  boat  over.  A  little  further  we  came  to  a  "dug 
out" — that  is,  a  passage  cut  or  dug  across  a  bar,  about 
twenty  yards  through.  Here  the  men  got  into  the 
water  again ;  and  each  of  fhe  passengers  taking  an 
oar,  we  managed  to  force  the  boat  through.  The  shal- 
lowness of  the  water  and  the  consequent  difficulties  of 
navigating  these  lagoons  after  a  norther,  may  be  judg- 
ed of,  when  I  state  that  our  little  craft  drew  less  than 
fifteen  inches. 

January  7th.  After  a  third  night  passed  in  the 
open  boat,  we  emerged  from  these  shallow  waters  soon 
after  day-light ;  and  crossing  Paso  Cavallo,  with  the 
town  of  that  name  on  our  right,  we  landed  at  8  o'clock 


536  CORPUS    CHRISTl 

at  Decrow's  Point  We  breakfasted  at  a  hotel,  where 
we  learned  that  the  steamer  Louisiana,  from  Indianola 
for  New  Orleans,  would  pass  here  to-morrow. 

Decrow's  Point  forms  the  western  termination  of 
Matagorda  Peninsula,  a  neck  of  land  about  sixty  miles 
in  length,  and  from  one  to  two  in  width.  Within  this 
is  Matagorda  Bay,  another  shallow  body  of  water,  from 
six  to  ten  miles  wide.  Paso  Gavallo  (Horse  Pass)  is 
the  entrance  to  this  bay  from  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and 
is  always  considered  safe  for  vessels  drawing  from  eight 
to  nine  feet  of  water.  The  principal  and  most  accessi- 
ble port  within  Matagorda  Bay  is  Indianola,  where 
steamers  drawing  eight  feet  of  water  enter.  Many 
rivers  empty  into  the  bay  ;  the  largest  of  which,  the 
Colorado,  rises  in  the  Guadalupe  Mountains,  and  has  a 
course  of  about  eight  hundred  miles  before  it  reaches 
the  Gulf.  Among  the  other  streams,  are  the  La  Vaca 
and  Navidad  rivers.  Within  this  bay  is  La  Vaca,  which 
is  reached  by  small  vessels.  A  railway  is  now  in  the 
course  of  construction  from  Saluria  to  San  Antonio, 
which  will  render  this  the  most  important  port  on  the 
Gulf,  it  being  accessible  for  large  vessels,  and  affording 
a  safe  harbor.  An  extensive  commerce  is  now  carried 
on  between  Indianola  and  New  Orleans,  with  steamers 
of  a  large  class ;  besides  which,  vessels  run  direct  to 
New  York  and  Boston.  The  number  of  passengers 
and  the  quantity  of  merchandise  coming  hither,  are 
evidences  of  the  thriving  condition  of  this  portion  of 
the  State. 

January  8th.  The  steamer  Louisiana  came  to,  this 
morning,  off  the  Point,  when  I  took  passage  in  her  for 
New  Orleans.     Major  Emory,   Dr.  Webb,  Mr.  Radzi- 


TO    WASHINGTON.  537 

minski,  and  the  other  gentlemen  who  had  taken  the 
land  route  from  Corpus  Christi,  were  on  board.  We 
stood  out  to  sea  with  a  light  wind,  and  soon  after  head- 
ed to  the  north-east  for  Galveston. 

January  dth.  Entered  the  port  of  Galveston  this 
morning,  where  we  remained  until  4  o'clock,  p.  M.  This 
city  had  greatly  increased  since  August,  1850,  when 
we  stopped  here.  Its  commerce,  too,  judging  from 
the  number  of  ships  and  steamers,  must  have  augment- 
ed in  proportion. 

January  10th.  Late  in  the  afternoon  we  reached 
New  Orleans,  where  I  took  up  my  quarters  at  the  St. 
Louis  Hotel. 

January  lltJi.  On  my  journey  from  Texas,  I  learned 
by  a  newspaper  that  the  United  States  Senate  had,  on  the 
assembling  of  Congress,  removed  the  restriction  which 
prevented  the  use  of  the  appropriation  under  certain 
conditions ;  so  that  the  survey  might  now  be  permitted  to 
go  on  again.  But  the  commission  had  been  broken  up  ; 
the  injury  had  already  been  inflicted  upon  its  mem- 
bers, who  were  now  scattered  and  on  their  way  to 
their  homes ;  and  it  was  too  late  to  return  to  the  field 
of  operations.  I,  therefore,  sent  a  telegraphic  despatch 
to  the  Hon.  Alex.  H.  H.  Stuart,  Secretary  of  the  Inte- 
rior, advising  him  of  my  arrival  at  New  Orleans,  with 
a  portion  of  the  officers  of  the  Commission,  and  request- 
ing information  respecting  the  funds  at  my  disposal,  as 
well  as  instructions  as  to  further  proceedings. 

January  14th.  After  waiting  four  days  for  an 
answer  to  my  despatch,  the  necessity  of  my  being  in 
Washington  as  soon  as  possible  required  that  I  should 
delay  no  longer;    particularly  as  I  now  learned  that 


538  CORPUS    CHRISTI    TO    WASHINGTON. 

the  telegraph  wires  were  broken,  and  the  communica- 
tion consequently  interrupted.  I  therefore  took  pas- 
sage on  the  steamer  Chancellor,  to  sail  this  evening  for 
Louisville,  accompanied  by  Dr.  Webb  and  Messrs.  Ja- 
cobs and  Force.  Major  Emory  and  the  other  officers 
of  the  Commission  were  to  take  the  land  route  ;  but 
having  caught  a  cold  in  my  boat  voyage  along  the 
Texan  coast,  from  which  I  was  suffering  severely, 
I  deemed  it  most  prudent  to  take  a  more  easy  though 
longer  route  by  the  Mississippi  River. 

Our  boat  was  deep  and  consequently  slow,  so  that 
it  was  ten  days  before  we  reached  Louisville  :  the  day 
after,  we  took  another  steamer  for  Cincinnati,  which 
we  reached  the  following  morning,  and  immediately 
took  the  railway  cars  for  Cleveland,  on  Lake  Erie, 
where  we  arrived  the  same  evening.  I  felt  keenly 
the  change  of  temperature  to-day,  as  the  ground  was 
covered  with  snow,  and  we  found  ourselves  in  the 
midst  of  a  northern  winter.  After  an  hour's  delay 
at  Cleveland,  we  took  the  shore  railroad  for  Buffalo, 
which  should  have  arrived  at  that  place  the  following 
morning  in  time  to  connect  with  the  eastern  train  for 
Albany ;  but  we  got  fast  in  a  snow  bank,  which  de- 
tained us  for  six  hours.  Our  fire  went  out,  and  there 
was  no  wood  to  supply  it.  At  length  the  train  from 
Buffalo  opened  the  track,  which  enabled  us  to  push 
our  way  through,  so  that  we  arrived  in  that  city  at 
noon.  Having  missed  all  the  morning  trains,  we  were 
obliged  to  wait  until  five  o'clock  before  we  could  start 
for  Albany,  when  the  ice  and  snow  on  the  rails  so  re- 
tarded us  that  we  arrived  there  too  late  for  the  morn- 
ing cars.     We   had,  therefore,  to  lie  over  a  day ;  but 


LABORS  OF  THE  BOUNDARY  COMMISSION.     539 

this  was  not  unacceptable,  as  we  had  been  out  the  two 
previous  nights.  The  next  morning  we  took  the  rail- 
way for  Providence,  (Dr.  Webb  leaving  us  at  Worces- 
ter,) where  we  arrived  the  same  evening,  and  where  I 
had  the  happiness  of  again  meeting  my  family  and 
friends,  from  whom  I  had  been  separated  two  years 
and  a  half. 

I  remained  with  my  family  two  days,  and  then  left 
for  Washington,  and  presented  myself  at  the  Depart- 
ment of  the  Interior. 


RESULTS  OF  THE  LABORS  OF  THE  BOUNDARY 
COMMISSION. 

Before  closing  this  narrative,  it  seems  proper  that  I 
should  speak  of  the  work  acomplished  while  the  Boun- 
dary Commission  was  under  my  charge.  This  I  do, 
not  so  much  to  lay  claim  to  any  merit  for  the  same  on 
my  own  account,  as  that  the  labors  of  the  officers  who 
performed  these  duties  may  be  made  known,  and  pro- 
per credit  be  given  to  them. 

1.  A  reconnaissance  and  survey  from  Indianola, 
on  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  to  El  Paso  del  Norte. 

The  plan  of  this  operation  was  based  upon  astro- 
nomical observations,  for  the  latitude  and  longitude  of 
points,  by  means  of  a  sextant,  chronometers,  and  a 
four-feet  telescope  for  observing  occultations  of  stars 


540  RESULTS    OF    THE    LABORS 

by  the  nioon.  These  points  were  connected  by  a  chain 
and  compass  survey,  accompanied  by  a  line  of  levels,  as- 
far  as  San  Antonio.  From  El  Paso  the  survey  was 
continued  to  the  Initial  Point  of  the  southern  boundary 
of  New  Mexico  on  the  Rio  Grande,  making  altogether  a 
distance  of  between  nine  hundred  and  a  thousand 
miles  surveyed. 

At  nearlv  all  the  astronomical  stations  on  this  line, 
upwards  of  fifty  in  number,  observations  were  made 
by  a  Fox  dip  circle  for  magnetic  inclination,  declina- 
tion, and  intensity. 

An  accurate  meteorological  register  was  kept 
through  the  whole  line  of  march.  An  interesting  com- 
parison of  the  aneroid  and  ordinary  barometer  was 
made,  extending  over  elevations  varying  from  the  level 
of  the  sea  to  an  altitude  of  six  thousand  feet.  A  com- 
plete set  of  barometrical  and  aneroid  observations  were 
taken  for  the  construction  of  a  profile,  which  shows 
the  contour  of  the  whole  country  from  San  Antonio 
to  San  Eleazario,  on  the  Rio  Grande,  exhibiting  not 
only  the  most  prominent  points,  but  likewise  the  ele- 
vations and  depressions  in  each  day's  march. 

The  astronomical  and  magnetic  observations  were 
made  by  Lieutenant  A.  W.  Whipple,  of  the  corps  of 
topographical  engineers,  acting  chief  astronomer  in 
charge  of  the  party,  and  under  whose  direction  the 
whole  work  was  carried  on. 

The  survey  was  performed  by  John  Bull,  Esq.,  first 
assistant  surveyor. 

The  map  of  this  survey  was  plotted  on  a  scale  of 
one  inch  to  the  mile,  and  the  topography  accurately 
laid  down  by  M.  Von  Hippel. 


OF    THE    BOUNDARY    COMMISSION.  541 

The  meteorological  observations,  including  the 
barometrical  profile  of  the  comparison  of  the  aneroid  and 
barometer,  and  the  temperatures  of  the  different  springs, 
etc.,  etc.,  met  with  on  the  route,  were  by  Marine  T. 
W.  Chandler,  Esq. 

The  sketches  exhibiting  the  characteristic  features 
of  the  country,  were  made  by  Henry  C.  Pratt,  and  A. 
de  Vaudricourt,  Esqs.* 

2.  At  the  Presidio  of  San  Eleazario,  El  Paso,  Fron- 
teras,  Dona  Ana,  and  the  Initial  Point  on  the  Rio 
Grande,  a  more  extensive  series  of  astronomical  and 
magnetic  observations  were  made,  and  the  latitude 
and  longitude  of  these  several  places  determined  by 
Lieutenant  Whipple  personally.  Lieutenant  W.  also 
erected  an  astronomical  observatory  at  Fronteras,  where 
a  most  interesting  and  elaborate  series  of  astronomical, 
magnetic,  and  meteorological  observations  were  made, 
the  latter  by  Mr.  Chandler,  who  continued  them  after 
Lieutenant  Whipple  had  taken  the  field  to  conduct  the 
survey  westward. 

3.  At  the  Copper  Mines,  in  the  Rocky  Mountains 
(afterwards  Fort  Webster),  at  an  elevation  of  six 
thousand  two  hundred  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea, 
the  latitude  and  longitude  were  determined  by  Lieu- 
tenant Wliipple,  and  the  meteorological  observations 
continued  by  Mr.  Henry  C.  Force,  assisted  by  Mr. 
James  H.  Houston. 

While  the   Commission  was  waiting   for   Colonel 


*  The  latter  accompanied  the  parties,  and  soon  after  his  arrival  at 
El  Paso  left  the  Commission.  Mr.  Pratt  came  up  with  a  train  a  few 
months  later,  and  took  a  large  number  of  sketches. 


542  RESULTS    OF    THE    LABORS 

Graham,  a  party  under  the  charge  of  John  Bull,  Esq.  first 
assistant  surveyor,  made  a  reconnaisance  of  the  coun- 
try between  the  Rio  Grande  and  the  Gila,  in  which  a 
more  direct  road  was  opened  from  Dona  Ana  to  the 
Copper  Mines.  This  reconnaisance  was  extended  to 
the  Presidio  of  Janos,  in  the  State  of  Chihuahua. 

5.  The  southern  boundary  of  New  Mexico,  ex- 
tending west  three  degrees  from  the  Initial  Point  on 
the  Rio  Grande  at  32°  22"  north  latitude,  and  from 
the  western  termination  of  the  line  due  north  to  the 
Gila,  was  surveyed  exclusively  by  Lieutenant  A.  W. 
Whipple  and  his  assistants.  This  officer  also  surveyed 
the  river  Gila,  from  the  point  where  it  is  intersected 
by  the  before-mentioned  line  to  its  junction  with  the 
Colorado,  a  distance,  including  the  sinuosities  of-  the 
river,  of  about  four  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  making 
together  between  six  and  seven  hundred  miles  from 
the  Rio  Grande  to  the  Colorado.  The  boundary 
along  this  parallel  was  the  most  difficult  part  of  the 
whole  survey. 

Astronomical  observations  were  made  during  the 
survey  of  the  Gila  every  night  but  two,  which  were 
cloudy.  The  whole  number  of  astronomical  and  me- 
teorological stations  was  about  sixty ;  nearly  all  of 
which  were  also  magnetic  stations.  To  these  it  is 
proper  to  add  that  there  were  three  astronomical  and 
magnetic  stations,  besides  several  made  by  Lieutenant 
Whipple  on  his  trip  from  San  Diego  to  the  Colorado, 
in  September,  1849,  thus  completing  a  consecutive 
chain  of  points  of  observation  by  this  officer  extending 
from  the  Atlantic  coast,  via  San  Antonio,  El  Paso  del 
Norte,  and  the  mouth  of  the  Gila,  to  the  Pacific  Ocean. 


OF    THE    BOUNDARY    COMMISSION.  543 

At  most  of  these  stations  the  three  elements  of  inclina- 
tion, declination,  and  intensity  were  observed. 

6.  A  chain  and  compass  survey  was  made  by  A.  B. 
Gray,  Esq.,  Principal  Surveyor,  his  first  assistants 
being  John  Bull  and  J.  H.  Prioleau,  Esqs.,  from  the 
point  where  the  southern  boundary  of  New  Mexico 
strikes  the  river  Gila  to  a  point  about  seventy  miles 
above  its  junction  with  the  Colorado,  about  four  hun- 
dred miles.  This  survey  was  independent  of  that 
made  by  Lieut.  Whipple.* 

7.  In  returning  from  San  Diego,  California,  the 
unfinished  portion  of  the  survey  of  the  Gila  was  com- 
pleted by  Lieut.  Whipple ;  after  which  our  parties 
again  united  at  the  Pimo  Villages,  on  the  Gila.  We 
then  returned  together  to  El  Paso  by  a  different  route 
from  that  taken  on  our  journey  out,  thereby  enabling 
us  to  collect  much  valuable  information  in  the  north- 
ern portions  of  Sonora  and  Chihuahua  not  previously 
explored  by  a  scientific  party.  On  this  journey  or 
reconnoissance  (to  use  a  military  term),  of  which  a 
detailed  account  is  given  in  this  work,  an  elaborate 
series  of  astronomical  and  meteorological  observations 
were  made  by  Lieut.  Whipple  in  the  same  manner 
as  those  before  mentioned.  The  true  position  in  lati- 
tude and  longitude  of  Tucson,  Tubac,  Santa  Cruz,  Gua- 
dalupe Pass,  Janos,  and  Correlitos,  besides  intermediate 
points,  was  then  first  determined  by  this  officer ;  and 
the  mountains,  streams,  and  other  geographical  features 


*  I  regret  that  I  am  unable  to  speak  more  fully  of  this  survey,  as 
Mr.  Gray  has  never  furnished  me  the  details  or  made  any  official  report 
to  me. 


544  RESULTS    OF    THE    LABORS 

of  this  hitherto  unknown  region,  were  accurately  deli- 
neated upon  the  maps. 

The  barometrical  profiles  constructed  by  Lieut. 
Whipple,  and  the  minute  topography  of  the  maps  laid 
down  in  the  two  extensive  journeys  in  which  this 
officer  accompanied  me  between  the  Rio  Grande  and 
the  Pacific,  are  of  the  highest  importance  as  showing 
the  practicability  of  a  route  for  a  railroad  or  other 
public  highway  south  of  the  Gila.  In  order  to  render 
this  information  immediately  available,  a  reduction  of 
the  astronomical  and  meteorological  observations  has 
already  been  made,  as  well  as  barometrical  profiles  of 
these  several  reconnoissances. 

The  surveys  of  Mr.  Gray  and  Lieutenant  Whipple, 
and  the  astronomical  observations  made  by  the  latter 
in  the  journeys  to  and  from  California,  have  enabled 
the  Commission  to  lay  down  with  accuracy  for  the  first 
time  the  geography  of  the  Gila  and  of  the  vast  region 
between  the  Rio  Grande  and  the  shores  of  the  Pacific. 

The  plot  and  topographical  sketches  of  the  survey 
between  the  Rio  Grande  and  the  Colorado  were  mostly 
completed  in  California  and  transmitted  to  Washing- 
ton. At  the  same  time  reports  of  various  reconnois- 
sances made  along  the  line,  with  tables  of  astronomical, 
magnetic,  and  meteorological  observations  by  Lieut. 
Whipple  were  forwarded.  These  plottings,  reports, 
and  tables  were  placed  by  me  in  the  hands  of  Major 
Emory,  Principal  Surveyor,  on  my  return  to  Washing- 
ton ;  and  engineers  and  draughtsmen  have  since  been 
engaged  in  completing  the  maps,  and  reducing  the 
observations,  under  his  direction. 

8.   Along  this  line  an  extensive  series  of  sketches 


OF    THE    BOUNDARY    COMMISSION.  545 

and  drawings  were  made  by  Henry  C.  Pratt,  Esq., 
draughtsman  and  artist  to  the  Commission,  which  ex- 
hibit the  characteristic  features  of  the  regions  visited, 
including  the  mountain  passes,  outlines  of  the  mountain 
chains  as  they  presented  themselves  to  us  from  different 
points,  etc.,  etc. ;  and  convey  a  far  more  comprehen- 
sive idea  of  the  physical  geography  of  the  zone  of 
country  traversed  than  can  be  given  in  any  written 
description.  To  this  department  of  our  work  I  de- 
voted some  of  my  leisure  moments,  particularly  in  jour- 
neys on  which  I  was  not  accompanied  by  Mr.  Pratt. 

Of  the  labors  of  the  parties  on  the  Rio  Grande  or 
Bravo  Del  Norte,  I  have  now  to  speak.  These  parties 
were  all  placed  by  me  under  charge  of  Brevet  Lieut. 
Col.  J.  D.  Graham,  of  the  Topographical  Engineers, 
Principal  Astronomer  and  Head  of  the  Topographical 
Scientific  Corps,  a  programme  of  which  will  be  found 
in  Appendix  F.  This  officer  was  detailed  for  ser- 
vice on  the  Boundary  Survey,   on  the  23d  October, 

1850,  and  reached  the  Head  Quarters  of  the  Commis- 
sion at  the  Copper  Mines,  New  Mexico,  the  nearest 
point  to  our  field  of  operations,  on  the  2d  of  August, 

1851.  He  was  recalled  by  the  Hon.  Alex.  H.  H.  Stu- 
art, Secretary  of  the  Interior,  on  the  13th  of  Septem- 
ber of  the  same  year ;  and  on  the  same  day,  Brevet 
Major  W.  H.  Emory  was  appointed  to  his  place.  The 
latter  reached  El  Paso  on  the  25th  of  November,  and 
delivered  the  order  of  recall  to  his  predecessor. 

Major  Emory,  in  his  letter  to  me  under  date  of 
June  1st,  1852,*  informing  me  of  the  work  performed 

*  Senate  Document,  No.  6,  Special  Session,  1853,  p.  42. 
vol.  ii. — 35 


546  RESULTS    OF    THE    LABORS 

by  his  predecessor,  says,  "  A  survey  of  the  river  had 
been  commenced  by  Colonel  Graham,  at  the  Initial 
Point,  and  prosecuted  as  far  as  the  Paso  del  Norte,  and 
an  observatory  partially  erected  at  Frontera,  and  infor- 
mation given  me  by  Colonel  Graham  that  Frontera, 
a  cardinal  point  in  the  survey,  had  not  yet  been  deter- 
mined. /  also  found  it  necessary  to  resurvey  the  river 
down  to  Frontera."  * 

Deducting,  therefore,  the  re-survey  which  Major 
Emory  deemed  necessary,  there  remain  the  eight  miles 
from  Frontera  to  El  Paso,  to  be  placed  to  the  credit 
of  Colonel  Graham.  The  results  of  the  labors  of  Major 
W.  H.  Emory,  after  taking  charge  of  the  Survey  of  the 
Rio  Grande,  were  reported  to  me  by  that  officer  as 
follows,  f 

The  determination  of  the  latitude  and  longitude  of 
San  Eleazario  and  Frontera,  which  had  previously  been 
-determined  by  one  of  his  predecessors,  Lieutenant 
Whipple,  while  acting  as  Chief  Astronomer. 

The  determination  of  the  latitude  and  longitude  of 
the  canon  one  hundred  miles  below  San  Eleazario,  the 

*  I  should  do  injustice  to  Mr.  Prioleau,  a  meritorious  officer,  did  I 
not  state,  that  when  directed  to  make  a  survey  of  the  Rio  Grande  from 
El  Paso  to  the  Initial  Point,  he  declared  it  would  be  impossible  to  per- 
form the  work  correctly  with  the  instruments  at  his  command.  Another 
undertook  it ;  the  Survey  was  made  and  set  aside.  On  Colonel  Gra- 
ham's arrival,  another  survey  was  made  under  his  immediate  direction, 
and  afterwards  rejected  by  his  successor  Major  Emory.  The  latter 
-placed  the  work  in  the  hands  of  Mr.  Radziminski,  Principal  Assistant 
Surveyor,  by  whom  it  was  executed  in  a  highly  satisfactory  manner,  and 
accepted  as  the  official  Survey. 

\  See  Letter  from  Major  Emory  to  J.  R.  Bartlett.  Senate  Doc. 
Special  Session,  1853,  No.  6,  p.  58. 


OF    THE    BOUNDARY    COMMISSION.  547 

Presidio  del  Norte,  Eagle  Pass,  and  Loredo  ;  the  latitude 
of  various  intermediate  points  was  determined  by  the 
sextant,  and  the  approximate  longitude  by  the  passage 
of  chronometers. 

"  The  survey  of  the  river  from  El  Paso  to  the  Pre- 
sidio del  Norte,  was  completed  by  Assistant  Von  Hip- 
pel. 

"  The  survey  of  the  river  from  Eagle  Pass  to  Loredo, 
under  the  orders  of  Lieutenant  Michler. 

"  The  survey  of  the  river  from  Eagle  Pass  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Pecos,  by  Assistant  Schott. 

"  The  survey  of  the  river  from  Presidio  del  Norte  to 
Fort  Vicente  by  Assistant  M.  T.  W.  Chandler. 

"The  re-survey  of  the  river  from  Frontera  to  32° 
22',  by  Principal  Assistant  Charles  Radziminski." 

The  length  of  these  several  surveys,  may  be  stated 
approximately  at  one  thousand  miles. 

The  following  recapitulation  will  show  the  extent 
of  the  surveys,  and  by  whom  performed,  during  the 
period  the  Commission  was  under  my  charge. 


By  Lieutenant  A.  W.  Whipple. 

Indianola  to  El  Paso  and  the  Initial  Point,     - 
The  Southern  Boundary  of  New  Mexico,  con- 
necting the  Rio  Grande  with  the  Gila, 
The  River  Gila  to  the  Colorado,      -     -     -     - 


By  Lieut.  Colonel  J.  D.  Graham. 

On  the  Rio  Grande,  near  El  Paso, 
By  Major  W.  H.  Emory. 

On  the  Rio  Grande,     -     -     -     - 


850  miles. 

200 

do. 

450 

do. 

1500 

8 

do. 

1000 

do. 

2,508. 


548  RESULTS   OF    THE    LABORS 

My  successor,  General  Robert  B.  Campbell,  took 
the  field  in  May,  1853  ;  and  under  his  orders,  the  sur- 
vey of  the  Rio  Grande  from  Loredo  to  its  mouth,  and  a 
portion  in  the  canon  of  that  river,  was  completed  be- 
fore the  close  of  the  year. 

In  the  department  of  Zoology,  much  has  been 
accomplished  by  officers  of  the  Commission.  The  col- 
lectors were  Mr.  J.  H.  Clark,  Dr.  Thomas  H.  Webb, 
and  Mr.  Arthur  Schott. 

A  large  collection  of  fishes  was  made  in  the  waters 
of  the  Rio  Grande,  and  in  the  tributaries  of  the  Gila 
and  the  streams  to  the  south  of  it,  by  Mr.  Clark,  a 
large  portion  of  which  have  proved  new  to  science. 
Many  of  these  have  already  received  a  sort  of  publicity 
through  the  proceedings  of  the  Academy  of  Natural 
Sciences.  Among  them  are  some  new  genera.  Repre- 
sentatives of  the  families  Ldbridae  and  Characini,  were 
detected  in  the  waters  of  the  Rio  Grande. 

A  considerable  number  of  reptiles  were  collected 
by  Messrs.  Clark  and  Schott,  embracing  new  genera 
and  species,  which  have  already  been  described  by 
Professors  S.  F.  Baird  and  Charles  Girard,  in  the 
Proceedings  of  the  Academy,  and  their  "  Catalogue  of 
North  American  Serpents,"  published  by  the  Smithso- 
nian Institution.  In  speaking  of  the  collection  sent 
home  by  Mr.  Clark  in  the  spring  of  1852,  these  dis- 
tinguished naturalists  remark,  that  "It will  be  perfect- 
ly safe  to  say,  that  one  hundred  undescribed  species  of 
North  American  vertebrate  animals  have  been  added 
to  our  fauna.  The  entire  annals  of  zoological  history 
scarcely  present  a  parallel  to  this  case." 

Dr.  Webb  made  an  interesting  collection  of  fishes, 


OF   THE    BOUNDARY    COMMISSION.  549 

reptiles,  and  insects,  the  particulars  of  which  are  un- 
known to  me.  Mr,  Schott,  also,  collected  many  in- 
teresting insects  of  the  orders  orthoptera  and  coleop- 
tera,  part  of  which  have  been  described  by  Dr.  John 
L.  Leconte.  In  birds,  and  the  smaller  mammalia, 
some  interesting  specimens  were  collected  by  each  of 
the  gentlemen  named. 

When  fully  studied  and  described,  these  collec- 
tions, it  is  expected,  will  furnish  new  and  interesting 
facts  respecting  the  distribution  of  animal  life  in  the 
country  explored ;  and  if  properly  illustrated  by  figures, 
they  will  constitute  a  most  valuable  contribution  to  our 
knowledge  of  the  animals  of  that  portion  of  the  United 
States. 

Botanical  collections  were  made  by  Dr.  J.  M.  Bige- 
low,  Mr.  Charles  Wright,  Mr.  George  Thurber,  and 
Dr.  C.  C.  Parry.  Dr.  Bigelow's  collections  were  made 
upon  the  road  between  Indianola  and  El  Paso,  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  Copper  Mines,  and  upon  the  Rio  Grande. 
He  also  made  an  excursion  to  Lake  Guzman  and  other 
points  in  pursuit  of  specimens  in  his  branch  of  natural 
science.  His  collection  has  not,  to  my  knowledge, 
been  reported  upon ;  but  from  the  zeal  and  enthusiasm 
with  which  that  gentleman  prosecuted  his  researches, 
there  is  no  doubt  that  it  contains  much  that  is  valuable. 
Mr.  Wright  accompanied  Colonel  Graham  in  his  trav- 
els; and  his  connection  with  the  Commission  ceased 
soon  after  the  removal  of  that  officer.  A  portion  of 
Mr.  Wright's  collection  has  been  published  by  Dr. 
Gray  among  the  Memoirs  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution, 
and  contains  many  new  genera  and  species.  Mr.  W., 
whose  name  is  identified  with  the  botany  of  Texas  and 


550  EESULTS    OF    THE    LABORS 

Northern  Mexico,  is  now  engaged  in  the  Ringgold 
Exploring  Expedition,  and,  by  his  devotion  to  the 
botany  of  the  regions  visited,  will  doubtless  contribute 
largely  to  the  value  of  the  scientific  results  of  that  en- 
terprise. 

Mr.  Thurber,  though  for  the  greater  part  of  the 
time  acting  as  quarter-master,  made  a  large  collection, 
the  examination  of  which  has  not  yet  been  completed. 
Some  six  or  seven  unpublished  genera  have  been  de- 
termined, and  a  corresponding  number  of  new  species. 
As  he  collected  in  localities  afterwards  passed  over  by 
Mr.  Wright,  and  a  portion  of  the  time  in  company 
with  that  gentleman,  many  of  the  novelties  in  his  col- 
lection have  been  anticipated  in  the  memoir  alluded 
to.  As  Dr.  Parry  was  engaged  with  a  portion  of  the 
Commission  under  Major  Emory,  I  had  no  opportunity 
of  acquiring  a  personal  knowledge  of  his  labors ;  but 
from  his  reputation  as  a  botanical  observer,  I  have  no 
doubt  that  he  improved  successfully  the  opportunities 
his  field  presented. 

The  geological  collection  was  made  by  Dr.  Thomas 
H.  Webb,  Secretary  of  the  Joint  Commission.  This 
officer  was  indefatigable  in  his  labors  to  collect  a  series 
of  specimens  that  should  illustrate  the  structure  and 
mineral  resources  of  the  vast  region  traversed  by  the 
Commission ;  but  the  collection  made  on  the  journey 
from  the  Copper  Mines  of  New  Mexico  to  California 
was  mostly  lost,  in  consequence  of  the  abandonment 
of  the  wagons  and  the  perishing  of  the  animals.  A 
few  boxes  of  minerals,  were,  however,  collected  in 
California  and  sent  home  in  safety  by  water.  On  the 
journey  from  the   Pacific  coast,  by  the  Gila  and  El 


OF    THE    BOUNDARY    COMMISSION.  551 

Paso,  and  thence  through  Chihuahua  and  the  Mexican 
States  to  the  south,  Dr.  Webb  was  enabled  to  make  a 
collection  of  fossils  and  minerals,  including  some  choice 
specimens  of  gold  and  silver  ores,  which  were  brought 
home  in  safety  A  collection  of  fossils  and  minerals  in 
the  valley  of  the  Rio  Grande  was  also  made  by  Mr. 
Arthur  Schott. 

In  ethnology  the  collection  was  made  almost  ex- 
clusively by  myself.  This  consists  of  vocabularies, 
each  embracing  two  hundred  words,  in  upwards  of 
twenty  Indian  languages.  Many  of  these  had  never 
been  taken  down  before,  and  few  as  fully  as  by  me. 

Further  to  illustrate  the  aboriginal  tribes,  I  have 
obtained  accurate  and  characteristic  portraits  of  many 
individuals  seen,  both  male  and  female,  with  sketches 
exhibiting  their  manners  and  customs,  their  arts,  hus- 
bandry, etc. 

I  had  prepared  an  extended  disquisition  on  the 
semi-civilized  tribes  occupying  the  vast  basin  between 
the  Rocky  Mountains,  or  rather  the  Rio  Grande,  and 
the  Colorado  of  California  ;  but  the  subject  was  found 
to  be  so  extensive  and  so  deeply  interesting,  that  I 
determined  to  reserve  it  for  a  special  report,  which  I 
intend  to  prepare  on  the  ethnology  of  the  Indian  tribes 
of  the  extensive  region  explored  by  the  Boundary 
Commission,  in  which  also  my  Indian  vocabularies 
will  be  embraced. 

By  the  preceding  statement  it  will  be  seen  that  no 
exertions  were  spared,  and  no  suitable  opportunities 
omitted,  to  do  all  in  my  power  to  advance  the  cause  of 
science.  It  now  remains  for  the  government  to  take 
such  measures  as  it  may  deem  proper  to  lay  the  results 


552         RESULTS  OF  THE  LABORS,  ETC. 

of  the  Commission,  obtained  with  so  much  labor,  with 
so  much  expense,  and  with  so  much  personal  suffering 
and  privation,  before  the  American  people  and  the 
scientific  world. 


NOTES. 


NATURAL    HISTORY.  555 


NATURAL  HISTORY. 

The  Natural  history  of  the  regions  traversed — Animal  life  on  the  deserts 
— Quadrupeds — Keptiles,  their  great  variety  and  numbers — Peculiar 
vegetation  of  the  deserts — The  "  Prairie  Dog  "  and  its  habits — The 
antelope,  etc. 

Having  but  incidentally  spoken  of  the  Natural  History  of  the 
countries  I  passed  through,  I  now  propose  to  give  some  brief 
notices  of  the  most  remarkable  animals  that  were  seen  from 
time  to  time. 

In  a  region  as  barren  as  the  greater  portion  of  that  tra- 
versed, animal  life  would  hardly  be  expected  to  abound. 
Nevertheless,  there  was  no  spot,  however  barren,  or  however 
distant  from  water,  where  rabbits  and  wolves  were  not  seen. 
On  these  plains,  whether  desert  or  grassy,  there  are  fewer 
birds.  Often,  for  days  together,  nothing  of  the  feathered 
tribe  was  seen  except  the  omnipresent  crow.  Living  equally 
well  on  animal  food,  seeds,  or  roots,  there  is  no  place  where  he 
may  not  thrive. 

In  the  mountains  and  along  the  water-courses,  where  there 
are  more  or  less  forest  trees  and  shrubbery,  both  quadrupeds 
and  birds  are  found  in  greater  variety.  Among  the  former 
may  be  mentioned  the  leopard,  cougar,  ocelot,  lynx,  panther  ; 
the  brown,  black,  and  grizzly  bear ;  the  fox,  antelope,  and  various 
kinds  of  deer  ;  the  large  wolf  (lobo),  and  the  coyote,  raccoon, 
skunk,  marmot,  weasel;  a  great  variety  of  moles,  rats,  and  mice, 


556  NATURAL    HISTORY. 

which  harhor  in  the  ground  ;  hares,  rabbits,  squirrels,  Rocky 
Mountain  sheep,  etc.  These  several  animals,  of  course,  have 
their  particular  localities.  The  elk  is  not  found  south  of  the 
Gila.  The  beaver  is  still  met  with  on  the  Pecos,  the  Rio 
Grande,  the  Gila  and  its  northern  tributaries  ;  and  within  a 
mile  of  El  Paso  I  saw  evidences  of  his  labors.  In  the  Copper 
Mine  region,  which  is  in  the  Rocky  Mountains,  almost  every 
animal  that  I  have  named  may  be  found  ;  bears  in  particular 
are  extremely  abundant. 

But  while  the  parched  and  desert  plains  are  so  destitute  of 
quadrupeds  and  birds,  they  abound  in  reptiles  and  insects  in 
the  greatest  variety.  Lizards  of  every  size  and  color,  from  one 
and  a  half  to  eighteen  inches  in  length,  are  found  here  ;  all  of 
which  are  harmless.  Then  comes  the  family  of  "horned  frogs" 
which  are  allied  to  the  chameleon  and  lizard.  Of  these  harm- 
less little  creatures,  all  covered,  as  a  means  of  defence,  with 
sharp  horny  projections,  there  is  also  a  great  variety.  Next  to 
these,  come  the  poisonous  reptiles.  First  is  the  horrid  taran- 
tula, with  his  hairy  body  as  large  as  a  pigeon's  egg,  and  with 
legs  as  long  as  one's  finger,  striding  over  the  ground  and  nest- 
ling under  one's  blankets  at  night.  His  sting,  or  bite,  some- 
times causes  death.  His  habitation  is  in  the  ground,  the  open- 
ing to  which  he  covers  over  with  a  trap-door.  There  are  other 
large  spiders  that  also  harbor  in  the  earth,  and  protect  the  en- 
trance to  their  abodes  in  the  same  manner.  Next  are  the 
white  and  the  black  scorpions,  the  former  of  which  are  very 
abundant.  These  are  from  one  and  a  half  to  two  inches  in 
length.  The  sting  of  the  black  variety  is  sometimes  fatal.  The 
white  ones  were  often  found  in  the  boots  of  the  men,  into  which 
they  crept  at  night,  and  were  not  discovered  until  they  stung 
the  foot.  A  sharp  pain  was  the  consequence  for  a  few  hours, 
or  perhaps  a  day,  when  it  passed  off.  These  creatures  were 
sometimes  found  in  our  beds  in  the  morning. 

But  perhaps  there  is  no  more  hideous-looking  reptile  infest- 
ing the  plains  than  the  centipede.     These  are  from  three  to  ten 


NATURAL    HISTORY.  557 

inches  in  length,  and  are  exceedingly  poisonous,  sometimes 
fatal.  Then  there  is  the  venagron,  as  the  Mexicans  call  it,  a 
black  insect  about  two  inches  in  length,  also  very  poisonous  ; 
and  lastly,  the  alacran,  a  species  of  scorpion,  the  most  venomous 
of  all.  These  last,  fortunately,  are  chiefly  confined  to  the  city 
of  Durango  ;  where,  owing  to  their  numbers,  and  the  fatality 
which  attends  their  sting,  a  bounty  of  six  cents  is  given  by  the 
government  for  every  one  killed.  We  close  this  catalogue 
with  the  rattlesnake,  which  needs  no  description.  This  creature 
is  found  every  where,  from  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  to  the  Pacific, 
alike  in  grassy,  rocky,  and  desert  regions.  Hundreds  of  them 
were  killed  by  our  party  ;  yet  I  am  not  aware  that  any  of  us 
were  bitten.  Two  horses  that  were  bitten  died.  All  the 
other  reptiles  and  insects  of  which  I  have  spoken  are  found 
throughout  the  countries  contiguous  to  the  Boundary,  and  were 
seen  almost  daily.  Thus  has  nature  adapted  a  numerous  class 
of  animals  for  the  otherwise  solitary  desert,  where  they  enjoy 
undisputed  sway.  These  plains  also  abound  in  moles,  rats, 
mice,  rabbits,  and  other  burrowing  animals  ;  sometimes  to  such 
an  extent,  that  it  is  dangerous  to  pass  over  them  with  horses 
and  mules.  Many  specimens  of  the  lesser  mammalia  were 
brought  home  by  the  Commission,  as  well  as  a  collection  of 
reptiles  and  insects.  Of  reptiles,  a  very  large  number  was 
discovered  which  are  entirely  new.  This  collection  is  now  in 
the  cabinet  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution  at  Washington. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  animals  met  with  on  the  prai- 
ries and  high  table-lands,  is  the  "  prairie  dog,"  which  is  in 
fact  no  other  than  a  marmot,  having  no  character  in  common 
with  dogs.  Its  look  and  habits  are  totally  different.  The 
Canadian  trappers  used  to  call  it  a  "  petit  chien ;"  and  this,  to- 
gether with  the  noise  it  makes,  which  however,  is  more  of  a 
chirp  or  yelp  than  a  bark,  has  caused  it  to  receive  the  name 
of  'prairie  dog.' 

The  first  community  of  these  little  creatures  we  met  with 
was  in  Texas,  near  Brady's  Creek,  a  branch  of  the  Colorado 


558  NATURAL    HISTORY. 

of  the  east.  This  was  the  largest  we  ever  saw,  nor  have  I 
ever  heard  of  one  as  extensive.  For  three  days  we  travelled 
through  this  colony,  during  which  time  we  did  not  lose  sight 
of  them.  On  either  side,  as  far  as  we  could  see  over  the  plain, 
their  habitations  extended,  standing  out  in  bold  relief  in  the 
little  hillocks  they  had  raised  with  the  earth  brought  from 
their  subterranean  abodes.  Their  habitations  are  usually 
about  ten  yards  apart,  and  the  hillocks  contain  from  one  to 
two  cartloads  of  earth  each.  Some  have  one  entrance,  others 
two,  which  incline  at  an  angle  of  about  forty-five  degrees. 
To  what  depth  they  extend  I  could  never  learn,  and  only 
know  that  the  frequent  attempts  to  drown  the  animals  out  by 
pouring  large  quantities  of  water  in  them,  have  rarely  suc- 
ceeded.* 

A  well-beaten  track  extends  from  one  to  the  other  of  these 
hillocks,  showing  that  a  close  intimacy  exists  between  their 
occupants,  or  perhaps  family  connection.  We  supposed  this 
community  or  "  dog-town,"  as  it  is  called,  extended  at  least 
sixty  miles,  as  we  travelled  at  that  time  twenty  miles  a  day. 
As  to  its  width,  we  could  not  form  a  decided  opinion  ;  but 
presuming  it  to  have  been  only  half  as  wide  as  it  was  long,  an 
idea  may  be  formed  of  the  vast  number  of  animals  it  con- 
tains.f 

For  the  greater  part  of  this  distance  the  country  was  flat, 
and  covered  with  short  grass,  kept  so  probably  by  these  ani- 


*  Lieutenant  Abert  mentions  an  instance  -where  several  were  obtained  by 
pouring  water  into  their  burrows.  They  afterwards  became  quite  tame. — 
Report,  p.  421. 

f  If  we  suppose  that  this  community  extended  fifty  miles  in  one  direction 
and  but  ten  in  another,  we  have  a  superficies  of  five  hundred  square  miles; 
and  allowing  them  to  be  thirty  feet  apart,  or  nine  hundred  square  feet  for 
each  (a  large  allowance),  it  would  give  about  thirty  thousand  habitations  to 
the  square  mile,  or  15,000,000  in  the  five  hundred  miles.  Estimating  but  two 
of  these  little  creatures,  which  is  the  smallest  supposable  number  to  a  habita- 
tion, we  have  a  total  of  thirty  millions  in  this  community.  I  think  it  would  be 
quite  safe  to  reckon  three  or  perhaps  four  animals  to  each  hillock. 


NATURAL    HISTORY.  559 

nials  feeding  on  it.  A  few  scattered  mezquit  trees  also  grew 
among  them.  Rivers  did  not  limit  the  colony  ;  for  they  were 
found  on  both  sides  of  several  streams.  In  several  places  I 
noticed  a  colony  on  the  summit  of  elevated  plateaus  or  hills, 
where  the  country  was  exceedingly  barren,  and  the  herbage  so 
scant  as  to  appear  entirely  inadequate  to  their  subsistence. 
In  this  case  it  was  evident  that  the  colony  was  not  in  a  flou- 
rishing condition,  as  many  of  the  habitations  were  deserted. 

Of  the  habits  of  these  animals  I  can  say  little  from  obser- 
vation, although  I  saw  thousands  of  them.  I  would  gladly 
have  taken  a  day  to  conceal  myself  near  them  for  the  purpose 
of  watching  their  actions,  but  when  in  the  most  interesting 
places  we  were  moving  forward.  Major  Long,  in  his  Expedition 
to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  says  they  pass  the  winter  in  a  lethar- 
gic state.  Other  travellers  deny  this,  and  say  that  they 
come  from  their  holes  during  the  winter  whenever  the  weather 
is  mild.  I  saw  them  out  on  some  pretty  cold  days  in  Novem- 
ber. Even  in  the  plains  further  to  the  north,  where  snow  lies 
on  the  ground  for  weeks,  and  where  the  cold  is  severe,  they 
are  seen  out  during  the  winter. 

Where  they  obtain  water  has  puzzled  naturalists.  Some 
travellers  say  that  they  dig  down  until  they  find  it.  This  can- 
not be  the  case  ;  for  I  have  seen  them  on  dry  elevated  plains, 
twenty  miles  from  water,  and  where  there  was  no  dew. 

The  color  of  the  prairie  dog  is  light  brown.  The  lower 
part  of  its  body,  with  the  face  and  neck,  are  of  a  whitish  yel- 
low. Its  size  varies  from  that  of  a  gray  squirrel  to  that  of  a 
northern  woodchuck,  which  it  resembles  in  form  more  than 
any  other  animal.  The  body  of  a  full-grown  specimen  is 
about  twelve  inches  in  length  ;  its  tail,  which  is  bushy,  be- 
tween three  and  four.  It  stands  erect  like  a  squirrel,  with  its 
tail  in  constant  motion,  particularly  when  seated  upon  the  top 
of  its  hillock  chirping  to  its  companions.  As  we  drew  near 
their  villages,  an  alarm  seemed  to  be  given  by  one  placed  as  a 
sentinel  on  a  hillock  in  the  outskirts.     As  soon  as  the  signal 


560  NATURAL    HISTORY. 

was  made,  a  general  scampering  to  get  home  took  place 
among  them,  some  running  in  one  direction,  some  in  another. 
When  they  reached  their  habitations,  they  would  stand  erect 
at  their  entrances,  with  their  heads  just  peeping  above,  and 
keep  up  an  incessant  chirping  and  frisking  of  their  tails  until 
we  passed.  As  we  drew  quite  near,  some  of  them  would  turn  a 
somerset  into  their  holes  and  disappear. 

We  found  it  difficult  to  secure  them ;  for  they  always 
stood  at  the  entrance  of  their  burrows,  so  that,  if  shot,  they 
fell  within.  I  do  not  think  that  out  of  twenty  shots  sometimes 
fired  at  these  creatures,  more  than  one  specimen  was  obtained. 

This  marmot  is  said  to  be  good  food  ;  but  at  the  time  we 
killed  those  referred  to,  our  provisions  were  abundant,  and  no 
one  could  be  induced  to  try  them.  Subsequently,  when  we  got 
on  short  allowance,  I  do  not  think  any  one  would  have  hesi- 
tated to  eat  them. 

Eabbits  often  burrow  with  these  animals,  or,  what  is  more 
probable,  they  occupy  habitations  made  by  the  latter.  The 
habits  of  a  rabbit  lead  him  to  places  where  there  are  more 
shrubs,  and  not  a  bare  plain.  It  is  probable,  therefore,  that 
the  rabbits  seen  among  the  prairie  dogs  are  merely  wanderers, 
who  have  strayed  away  from  their  proper  abodes,  and  finding 
comfortable  quarters  already  .provided,  without  the  labor  of 
burrowing  themselves,  have  driven  away  the  weaker  animals 
and  taken  possession  of  their  dwellings. 

A  small  brown  owl  also  resides  with  the  prairie  clogs, 
and  is  almost  always  found  standing  on  their  hillocks,  acting 
perhaps  as  a  sentinel,  for  which  the  community  has  to  pay 
clear.  He  is  undoubtedly  an  interloper  ;  as,  from  the  known 
habits  of  this  bird,  one  of  which  is  its  fondness  for  ground  mice, 
moles,  and  other  small  quadrupeds,  it  doubtless  seeks  the  ha- 
bitations of  the  prairie  dogs  to  feed  on  their  young.  The  parent 
dogs  can  have  little  courage  to  permit  a  diminutive  bird  like 
this  to  prey  upon  their  offspring. 

But  the  most  serious  interloper  in  the  dog-towns  is  the 


NATURAL    HISTORY.  561 

rattlesnake.  I  had  often  heard  that  this  reptile  was  found 
among  them,  and  thought  it  must  be  accidental,  until  I  wit- 
nessed how  frequently  it  occurs.  On  one  occasion  I  saw  sev- 
eral of  those  revolting  creatures  enter  a  single  hole  in  the  very 
midst  of  a  dog-town.  JSTo  one  can  believe  that  any  friendship 
exists  between  animals  of  such  opposite  natures  ;  and  it  can- 
not be  doubted  that  the  rattlesnake  takes  up  his  abode  among 
them  for  sinister  purposes.  They  cannot  drive  him  away,  and 
are  therefore  compelled  to  give  him  quiet  possession  of  any 
habitation  he  may  enter,  and  allow  him  occasionally  to  feed 
upon  the  junior  members  of  the  fraternity. 

I  have  seen  the  prairie  dogs  in  Texas,  New  Mexico,  Chi- 
huahua, Sonora,  and  California. 

During  our  various  journeys  we  encountered  numerous 
herds  of  antelopes  on  the  plains.  Several  were  shot  and  found 
to  be  excellent  eating.  They  are  more  timid  than  the  deer, 
and  a  good  deal  of  stratagem  is  necessary  to  secure  one. 

The  antelope  is  considered  a  more  beautiful  animal  than 
the  deer.  Its  legs  are  more  slender,  and  its  body  of  different 
colors,  light  and  dark  brown,  red  with  a  white  belly,  spotted, 
and  sometimes  pure  white.  Their  horns  are  quite  short  and 
consist  of  a  simple  curved  stem  without  branches.  Catlin,  I 
think,  in  his  Wild  Sports  of  the  West,  speaks  of  the  curiosity 
of  the  antelope's  disposition,  and  of  a  method  resorted  to  by 
hunters  to  entrap  or  shoot  it.  This  is  to  affix  a  piece  of  red 
cloth  to  a  pole  and  insert  it  in  the  earth.  The  animals  see  it 
as  they  bound  over  the  prairie,  turn  from  their  course,  and 
timidly  approach  it,  some  venturous  buck  leading  the  way. 
The  rest  of  the  herd  follow  him  in  single  file,  after  the  old  es- 
tablished custom  of  the  prairies.  In  the  mean  time  the  hunt- 
er has  concealed  himself  in  the  grass,  so  that,  when  the  herd 
approaches,  he  selects  the  fattest  for  his  mark.  It  sometimes 
happens  that  several  are  thus  killed  from  a  single  herd.  One 
of  the  members  of  the  Commission  tried  the  experiment  of 
lying  in  wait  for  a  passing  herd.  As  they  approached  he  shot 
vol.  ii. — 3G 


562  NATURAL    HISTORY. 

one.  The  frightened  animals  ran  a  short  distance,  and  then 
stopped  and  turned  round  to  see  what  the  mysterious  noise 
was  that  had  so  alarmed  them.  They  even  returned  to  the 
spot  where  their  dead  comrade  lay.  A  second  shot  brought 
another  to  the  ground.  The  herd,  again  startled  at  the  report 
of  the  rifle,  loped  slowly  away  a  short  distance,  and  once  more 
returned  to  t\e  fatal  spot,  when  another  was  brought  down. 
The  sportsman  now  rose  from  his  place  of  concealment  and 
secured  his  three  animals.  How  long  they  would  have  con- 
tinued to  return,  I  know  not.  He  had  but  three  bullets  with 
him. 

In  some  parts  of  Texas  deer  are  so  abundant  that  it  ceases 
to  be  a  sport  to  kill  them.  Neither  skill  nor  ingenuity  is  re- 
quired, and  even  the  usual  caution  of  the  practised  sportsman 
is  unnecessary.  Such  is  the  case  on  the  lower  road  from  San 
Antonio  to  El  Paso,  at  a  stream  called  Turkey  Creek.  Here 
the  train  stopped  one  day  to  rest,  when  twenty  deer  were  killed 
and  brought  to  camp.  After  leaving  the  Bio  Grande  we  found 
none  until  we  reached  the  Bio  Mimbres,  where  again  they 
became  numerous.  Beyond  that  we  found  them  in  the  moun- 
tains and  along  the  bottom-lands  of  the  Gila,  but  not  in  large 
numbers. 

On  the  whole,  game,  both  animals  and  birds,  was  scarce 
throughout  the  broad  regions  traversed  by  us,  except  in  the 
mountain  districts,  where  it  was  abundant.  In  California, 
however,  after  reaching  the  rich  valleys  and  timbered  country, 
it  is  found  in  still  greater  quantity  and  variety;  but  my 
•stay  was  so  short  there,  and  my  journeys  confined  to  so  limited 
a  district,  that  I  am  unprepared  to  testify  except  to  the  general 
fact. 

In  noticing  the  distribution  of  animals  over  the  desert 
regions  which  occupy  so  large  a  space  of  the  interior  of  our  con- 
tinent, it  will  have  been  observed  how  beautifully  nature  has 
adapted  them  for  these  districts.  Here  man,  the  terror  of  all 
animals,   cannot  live  ;  for  there  is  no  soil  that   he  can  cul- 


NATURAL    HISTORY.  563 

tivate,  no  water  to  slake  his  thirst,  no  wood  to  supply  him 
with  fuel ;  nor  can  the  domestic  animals  so  necessary  to  him 
exist.  But  while  these  inferior  animals  have  such  undisputed 
sway  unmolested  by  man,  their  lives  are,  nevertheless,  attended 
with  other  dangers.  It  might  be  supposed  that  the  venom  of 
the  tarantula,  the  centipede,  the  scorpion,  and  the  rattlesnake 
would  effectually  preserve  them  from  all  enemies.  But  such 
is  not  the  case.  A  most  voracious  bird  is  found  here,  called 
by  the  Mexicans  the  " paysano"  and  by  the  Americans  the 
"  chcvpporal  cock,"  which  feeds  on  these  hideous  creatures.  He 
even  ventures  to  attack  the  rattlesnake,  and,  as  if  aware  of 
the  latter's  venom,  protects  himself  from  its  fangs  by  using  his 
wing  as  a  shield.  Many  instances  have  been  related  to  me  by 
eye-witnesses  of  contests  between  the  rattlesnake  and  this  bird, 
in  which  the  latter  always  came  off  conqueror.  His  aim  is  to 
seize  the  reptile  by  the  back  of  his  neck,  when  he  may  be  con- 
sidered as  vanquished.  With  the  exception  of  this  bird  and 
the  hog,  every  animal  has  an  instinctive  dread  of  rattle- 
snakes, and  will  fly  at  their  approach.  The  hog  eats  them  with 
impunity.  Other  dangers  attend  these  reptiles  from  crows, 
buzzards,  and  hawks  ;  wdiile  the  serpent  tribe  get  their  living 
on  the  lizards  and  frogs. 

Another  peculiarity  of  the  desert  is  its  remarkable  vegeta- 
tion ;  every  thing  being  armed  with  thorns.  First  comes  the 
endless  variety  of  cacti,  to  look  at  some  of  which  will  make 
one  shudder.  These  are  seen  from  the  tiny  plant  not  larger 
than  the  finger  to  the  giant  petahaya  raising  its  tall  stem  to 
the  height  of  fifty  feet.  Then  come  the  mezquit  or  acacia, 
the  tornilla,  the  fouquiera,  the  agaves,  and  yuccas,  all  armed 
with  the  most  terrific  spikes  or  thorns.  Even  among  the  tender 
grasses,  the  mezquit  has  its  minute  thorns.  But  these  thorny 
and  angular  forms  are  not  confined  to  animal  and  vegetable 
life  :  they  seem  to  be  extended  to  nature  even  in  the  grandest 
aspect  in  which  she  here  appears.  The  mountain  ridges, 
as  I  have  before  observed,  present  the  most  singular  summits, 


564  NATURAL    HISTORY. 

terminating  in  pyramidal  points,  or  resembling  towers,  mina- 
rets, etc,  Thus  is  every  thing  in  these  regions  peculiar.  To 
indemnify  man  for  the  inhospitable  deserts  and  barren  soil 
which  occupies  so  large  a  space,  nature  furnishes,  embowelled 
in  her  innumerable  mountains,  the  greatest  variety  and  abund- 
ance of  precious  metals.  The  vast  riches  embedded  in  the 
great  "Sierra  Madre"  are  as  yet  little  dreamt  of;  but  I  do 
not  hesitate  to  say  that  for  wealth  of  this  description  even 
California  will  yet  have  to  yield  the  palm  to  these  mountains. 

Without  entering  into  particulars  about  the  variety  of 
fishes  brought  home,  I  will  merely  observe,  that  while  at  San 
Diego,  California,  in  May,  1852,  Dr.  Webb  caused  a  seine  to 
be  drawn  in  the  bay,  which  brought  to  light  some  exceedingly 
interesting  specimens,  and  among  them  several  which,  on  being 
opened  for  the  purpose  of  better  preserving  them  in  alcohol, 
were  found,  to  our  great  surprise,  to  contain  each  ten  or  twelve 
living  young.  They  excited  much  attention  at  the  time, 
being  the  first  evidence  brought  to  light,  as  far  as  we  were 
aware,  of  the  existence  of  viviparous  fishes. 

The  public  has  been  informed  of  the  subsequent  discovery 
of  similar  fishes  in  the  Bay  of  San  Francisco  ;  but  of  those 
found  by  us  in  the  Bay  of  San  Diego  no  description  has  yet 
been  given.  Our  specimens,  after  being  kept  alive  in  water 
several  days,  were  sent  with  other  objects  of  natural  history  to 
Boston,  where  they  safely  arrived. 


ADAPTATION  OF  THE  COUNTRY  FOR  A  RAILWAY.  565 


ADAPTATION  OF  THE  COUNTRY  FOR  A  RAILWAY. 

Brief  remarks  on  the  Geography  of  the  countries  traversed  oy  the  Boun- 
dary Commission,  and  upon  their  adaptation  for  a  Railroad  connecting 
the  Atlantic  with  the  Pacific. 

Feom  the  Kio  Grande  eastward,  between  the  parallels  of  30 
and  34  north  latitude,  lies  the  great  plateau  of  Texas,*  extend- 
ing more  than  three  hundred  miles.  Further  north  it  is  known 
as  the  Llano  Estacado,  or  Staked  Plain.  This  broad  district 
is  destitute  of  forest  trees  and  shrubbery,  except  along  the 
immediate  margin  of  the  water-courses.  The  belt  of  forest 
even  here  is  exceedingly  limited,  being  often  confined  to  the 
very  banks,  and  never  extending  a  hundred  yards  from  the 
stream.  In  this  region  the  Ked  Kiver,  the  Brazos,  and  the 
Colorado  have  their  rise  ;  but  it  is  not  until  they  have  coursed 
for  some  hundreds  of  miles  that  their  banks  present  any  con- 
siderable extent  of  bottom  land  with  its  accompanying  forests. 
As  they  descend  from  the  high  table,  the  valleys  expand,  the 
land  becomes  more  fertile,  luxuriant  valleys  appear,  and  for- 
ests of  oaks  extend  for  miles. 

The  plateau  bears  but  little  grass,  and  this  a  short  stunted 
variety,  which,  after  rains,  shoots  rapidly  up,  and  as  speedily 
becomes  dry,  affording  but  little  sustenance.  Without  water 
and  grass  this  arid  belt  is  an  effectual  barrier  to  the  progress 
of  the  buffalo,  which  otherwise  would  cover  in  myriads  the 
plains  of  Lower  Texas. 

*  A  large  portion  of  this  desert  plateau  is  now  included  within  the  territory 
of  New  Mexico,  having  been  transferred  to  the  United  States  by  purchase. 


566  ADAPTATION  OF  THE  COUNTRY 

About  the  parallel  of  29°  30'  the  table-land  breaks  off  into 
numerous  spurs,  descending  to  the  great  plains  or  prairies, 
which  extend  to  the  shores  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  in  a  broad 
belt  from  one  hundred  and  fifty  to  two  hundred  miles  in 
width.  The  whole  of  this  district  consists  of  gently  undulat- 
ing plains  without  timber,  save  along  the  margins  of  the  streams, 
and  is  covered  with  the  most  luxuriant  grass.  The  eastern 
portion  of  this  plain  is  watered  by  numerous  streams,  and  in 
fertility  is  unsurpassed  by  any  portion  of  the  globe.  The 
western  and  south-western  portion  is  deficient  in  water-courses. 
The  Kio  Grande  possesses  few  tributaries  here  worth  notice  : 
and  south  of  the  Nueces,  the  streams  entering  into  the  Gulf 
are  quite  diminutive.  But  for  grazing  and  rearing  large  herds 
of  cattle,  the  land  is  unsurpassed  ;  and  it  is  evident,  from  what 
we  saw  of  wells  sunk  in  the  midst  of  these  plains,  that  water 
can  be  found  any  where  within  a  hundred  feet  of  the  surface. 

"  The  indigenous  j>rairie  grass  is  tall,  coarse,  full  of  seed 
at  the  top,  and  when  young  resembles  wheat  in  the  spring. 
But  in  grasses  the  glory  of  the  State  is  the  mezquit,  found 
only  in  Western  Texas.  It  yields  a  fine  soft  sward,  preserves 
its  verdure  in  the  winter,  and  beyond  all  comparison  affords 
the  best  wild  pasture  in  the  world.  It  has  also  the  peculiar 
property  of  retaining  its  nutritive  quality  after  it  has  become 
hard  and  dry." 

West  of  the  Eio  Grande,  from  about  the  thirty-fourth 
parallel  to  the  Gulf  of  California,  and,  I  may  add,  to  the 
shores  of  the  Pacific,  and  thence  south  for  eight  hundred  or  a 
thousand  miles,  this  vast  region  is  but  poorly  adapted  to  agri- 
culture. It  is  destitute  of  forests,  except  in  the  higher  regions 
of  the  Sierra  Madre,  or  great  chain  of  the  Cordilleras,  or  in  the 
defiles  leading  to  them.  Timbered  land  is  also  found  in  nar- 
row strips  along  the  water-courses  ;  but  these  cannot  with 
propriety  be  termed  forests.  There  are  also  valleys  between 
parallel  ranges  of  mountains,  sometimes  two  or  three  miles  in 
width,  which  derive  some  moisture  from  the  mountains,  where 


FOR   A    RAILWAY.  567 

the  mezquit  and  live-oak  attain  a  considerable  size.  Grass 
appears  only  at  intervals.  The  high  table-land  of  Chihuahua 
exhibits  it  in  the  greatest  quantity ;  but  even  there  it  is  not 
continuous.  Sometimes  it  is  found  spreading  over  districts 
fifty  or  more  miles  in  extent,  when  a  barren  interval  of  thorny 
chapporal  appears,  and  for  miles  a  blade  of  grass  is  not  to  be 
seen.  Upon  the  whole  I  feel  safe  in  saying  that  of  the  ele- 
vated plateau  not  more  than  two  thirds  can  be  called  a  graz- 
ing country.  But  even  this  presents  a  vast  surface,  extending 
from  about  the  parallel  of  32°  40',  where  the  Kocky  Moun- 
tains suddenly  drop  off  near  the  Copper  Mines  of  New  Mexico 
(now  Fort  Webster),  to  the  twenty-sixth  parallel.  The  water- 
courses here  run  towards  the  north,  and  discharge  themselves 
into  lakes  which  have  no  outlets.  The  Conchos  alone,  a 
stream  which  is  as  large  as  the  Eio  Grande,  and  has  many 
tributaries,  discharges  itself  into  that  river.  It  is  in  that  por- 
tion of  Chihuahua  which  forms  the  eastern  slope  of  the  Sierra 
Madre,  as  I  have  before  said,  that  the  best  arable  and  tim- 
bered land  is  to  be  found.  This,  for  a  mountainous  district,  is 
well  watered. 

The  district  south  of  the  river  Gila,  between  the  Bio 
Grande  and  the  Pacific,  for  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles 
in  width,  is  of  the  most  barren  character.  The  summit  of  the 
great  ridge  or  plateau  is  covered  with  a  short  grass.  On 
leaving  this  and  proceeding  westward  come  broad  plains, 
with  but  little  vegetation,  save  the  stunted  mezquit  and  other 
plants  common  to  these  arid  regions.  This  broad  belt  extends 
to  the  Pacific,  and  is  crossed  at  intervals  of  from  fifteen  to 
thirty  miles  with  short  and  isolated  ridges  of  mountains  from 
one  thousand  to  two  thousand  feet  above  the  plain,  running 
from  north-west  to  south-east.  These  at  a  distance  appear 
like  a  continuous  chain  ;  but  on  approaching  them,  they  are 
found  to  be  in  short  ridges  from  five  to  ten  miles  in  length,  over- 
lapping each  other  and  affording  easy  passages  across.  In  this 
respect  these  chains  differ  from  the  mountain  ranges  both  at 


568         ADAPTATION  OF  THE  COUNTRY 

the  north  and  at  the  south.  Coming  from  the  north,  they 
present  but  few  openings  until  they  reach  the  parallel  of  about 
32°  40',  where  they  suddenly  fall  off  eight  miles  south  of  Fort 
Webster  and  disappear  entirely.  At  Fort  Webster,*  between 
the  Gila  and  the  Eio  Grande,  these  mountains  attain  a  height 
of  more  than  eight  thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.f 
They  rise  in  peaks,  separated  by  narrow  and  intricate  valleys, 
and  maintain  this  character  until  they  terminate  on  the  pla- 
teau, as  stated.  This  plateau  extends  southwardly  through 
the  greater  portion  of  Mexico. 

In  about  the  latitude  of  31°  15'  north,  the  great  Cordillera 
range  again  begins  to  appear  on  the  western  border  of  the 
table-land,  and  is  as  it  were  the  concentration  of  many  lesser 
ridges  into  one  vast  chain,  elevated,  compact,  and  impassable, 
extending  through  the  entire  length  of  New  Mexico  to  the 
Cordillera  of  the  Andes  in  South  America.  The  wap;on  road 
of  Colonel  Cooke,  followed  by  the  Commission,  crosses  a  spur 
of  the  Sierra  Madre  here.  A  second  pass,  for  mules  only, 
exists  a  short  distance  further  south,  connecting  Correlitos 
with  Babispe  ;  after  which  there  is  no  passage  through,  nor  can 
these  mountains  be  crossed  again  with  mules  for  several  hun- 
dred miles. 

The  river  Gila,  from  its  source  to  a  point  about  fifty  miles 
below  where  the  San  Pedro  enters,  is  closely  hemmed  in  by 
lofty  and  impassable  mountains.  After  this  they  appear  only 
at  intervals,  and  not  in  continuous  chains.  The  rest  of  the 
valley  of  the  Gila  is  quite  open  to  its  junction  with  the  Colo- 
rado.   The  mountains  in  a  few  instances  reach  the  banks  of  the 

*  Fort  Webster  was  established  at  the  Copper  Mines,  or  Santa  Rita  del 
Cobre,  after  they  were  abandoned  by  the  Boundary  Commission  in  October,  1851. 

f  Mr.  Henry  C.  Force,  the  indefatigable  officer  in  charge  of  the  meteorologi- 
cal department  attached  to  the  astronomical  party  of  Lieutenant  Whipple,  as- 
cended to  the  highest  summit  of  the  Bufa  del  Cobre,  near  our  encampment, 
with  a  barometer,  and  ascertained  its  height  to  be  seven  thousand  nine  hun- 
dred and  ninety  seven  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  and  one  thousand  eight 
hundred  and  one  feet  above  the  valley  where  we  were  encamped. 


FOR   A    RAILWAY.  569 

river  ;  but  they  are  passed  by  following  the  valley  of  the  river 
or  other  openings  through  them. 

No  stream  enters  the  Gila  on  the  south  side  after  the  San 
Pedro  is  passed.  There  is  a  small  water-course  known  as  the 
Santa  Cruz  River,  which  rises  in  some  springs  near  the  sources 
of  the  San  Pedro,  and  which,  after  a  course  of  less  than  a 
hundred  miles,  is  lost  in  the  desert  near  Tucson.  Near  this 
are  good  lands,  which  by  irrigation  are  rendered  fertile.  We 
have,  therefore,  a  space  of  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles 
without  a  water-course  or  arable  valley  except  the  Santa  Cruz, 
and  nearly  one  hundred  and  sixty  miles  before  any  consider- 
able stream  is  reached  at  the  south,  in  the  State  of  Sonora. 
This  wide  region  is  of  the  most  barren  and  desert-like  character, 
consisting  of  arid  plains,  with  short  and  detached  ridges  of 
mountains  at  long  intervals. 

The  water-courses  of  Sonora  take  their  rise  in  the  Sierra 
Madre  and  in  the  mountains  at  the  north.  Those  which  rise 
in  the  former,  receiving  a  more  copious  and  constant  supply  of 
water,  reach  the  ocean  ;  while  the  streams  in  the  northern  por- 
tion of  the  State,  after  traversing  arid  deserts,  and  forcing 
their  way  through  lofty  mountains  for  three  or  four  hundred 
miles,  lose  so  much  by  evaporation  that  they  do  not  reach  the 
sea,  but  are  swallowed  up  in  the  sands  of  the  desert  or  ciene- 
gas  (marshes).  These  streams  lose  much,  too,  by  irrigating 
the  cultivated  valleys  through  which  they  run. 

Except  along  the  bottom-lands  of  these  streams,  there  is 
no  arable  land  in  Sonora.  What  there  is,  however,  is  exceed- 
ingly fertile,  and  yields  enormous  crops.  Owing  to  the  rapid 
descent  of  the  streams,  the  water  is  easily  controlled  and  con- 
ducted by  irrigating  canals  over  the  arable  lands  ;  so  that 
every  considerable  land-owner  may  have  his  own  canals.  In 
the  northern  portion  of  the  State,  near  the  Gila,  there  is  but 
little  tillable  land.  The  best  portion  of  it  is  that  occupied  by 
the  Pimo  and  Coco-Maricopa  Indians.  In  portions  of  the 
Santa  Cruz  and  San  Pedro  valleys  are  good  lands,  but  the 


570  ADAPTATION  OF  THE  COUNTRY 

quantity  is  small ;  and  the  latter  is  rather  a  grazing  than  an 
agricultural  district. 

In  about  the  latitude  of  31°  the  water-courses  of  northern 
Sonora  begin  to  appear,  and  with  them  the  luxuriant  valleys, 
through  several  of  which  I  found  my  way  across  the  country 
to  the  Gulf.  Those  streams,  though  denominated  rivers, 
would  scarcely  be  characterized  as  such  in  the  United  States  ; 
the  term  rivulet  would  be  far  more  appropriate. 

As  regards  the  construction  of  a  railway  through  Texas, 
the  country  is  entirely  open  and  generally  level.  The  first 
elevation  to  be  passed,  following  the  parallel  of  32  degrees,  is 
Castle  Mountain,  about  ten  miles  east  of  the  river  Pecos, 
which  may  be  avoided  by  diverging  either  to  the  north  or 
south.  After  crossing  the  Pecos,  the  route  should  be  south 
of  the  Guadalupe  range  of  mountains,  a  lofty  and  continuous 
chain,  which,  coming  from  the  north,  where  it  is  united  by  the 
Sacramento  range,  terminates  abruptly  in  about  31°  50;  north 
latitude.  South  of  these  mountains,  the  country  is  quite  open 
and  apparently  level,  with  isolated  mountains  at  long  inter- 
vals, but  no  connected  chains.  For  the  hundred  miles  which 
we  followed  the  Pecos,  there  were  neither  hills  nor  mountains, 
and  this  character  of  country  extends  to  the  Rio  Grande.  A 
mountain  chain,  called  the  "  Sierra  de  los  Organos,"  crosses  this 
river  near  El  Paso,  and  extends  north  for  some  eighty  miles. 
These  mountains  may  easily  be  passed  through  where  the  river 
has  opened  a  way  for  itself  near  El  Paso,  and  again  about  forty 
miles  to  the  north.  But  surveys  must  determine  whether,  in 
coming  from  the  Mississippi,  a  route  near  the  parallel  of  32 
degrees,  or  along  the  Colorado  or  Canadian  rivers,  will  be  more 
practicable. 

After  crossing  the  Rio  Grande,  should  a  point  north  of  El 
Paso,  between  the  latitude  of  31°  53'  and  32°  20'  be  selected, 
there  is  an  open  country  for  more  than  one  hundred  miles. 
Some  mountain  ranges  are  then  to  be  passed,  through  easy 
slopes  or  defiles,  and  in  no  case  by  surmounting  them.    In  fact, 


FOR   A    RAILWAY.  571 

so  gradual  are  the  ascents  and  descents,  that  they  are  scarcely 
perceived.  After  they  are  passed,  broad,  open,  and  level  plains 
occur,  where  for  miles  very  slight  embankments  or  excava- 
tions will  be  required  for  the  construction  of  a  road. 

If,  on  examination,  it  is  not  deemed  advisable  to  cross  the 
Eio  Grande  within  the  district  named,  we  must  then  strike  it 
about  twenty-five  miles  further  south,  near  San  Eleazario, 
thence  across  the  basin  of  that  river  to  the  table-land  beyond 
and  south  of  the  mountains  which  lie  west  of  El  Paso.  Broad 
level  plains  again  occur  here  without  any  continuous  moun- 
tain chain. 

An  idea  has  arisen  that  the  line  of  Colonel  Cooke's  road  is 
a  practicable  one  for  a  railway.  This  is  a  great  mistake.  That 
road  crosses  a  spur  of  the  Sierra  Madre  with  a  descent  of  from 
twelve  to  fifteen  hundred  feet  in  ten  miles,  all  of  which  is  avoid- 
ed by  keeping  some  ten  or  twenty  miles  to  the  north.  In  fact, 
my  route  with  the  engineering  parties  across  this  district,  as 
detailed  in  this  narrative,  diverging  occasionally  a  few  miles, 
will  be  found  a  practicable  one. 

The  first  barrier  of  consequence,  of  which  I  cannot  speak 
with  certainty,  is  a  range  of  mountains  beyond  the  San  Pedro 
river,  bounding  the  Santa  Cruz  valley  on  the  east.  They  termi- 
nate in  latitude  31°  15'  where  our  parties  passed  them.  Be- 
tween 32°  and  32°  22'  they  are  passed  by  wagons,  but  I  cannot 
state  with  what  facility.  If  an  opening  exists  any  where  between 
the  32d  parallel  and  the  Gila,  the  last  obstacle  to  reaching  the 
plateau  near  that  river  is  overcome.  Here  is  an  open  level  plain, 
from  one  hundred  to  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles  across,  to 
the  river  mentioned.  In  fact,  it  may  be  said  that  when  the  San 
Pedro  Mountains  are  passed,  we  shall  have  an  uninterrupted 
plain  of  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles  to  the  Colorado. 

It  will  thus  appear,  that  the  entire  district  from  the  Rio 
Grande  to  the  Colorado,  which  may  be  put  in  round  numbers 
at  five  hundred  miles,  consists  of  broad,  open,  gravelly  plains, 
from  fifteen  to  twenty- five  miles  in  width,  with  scarcely  an  un- 


572         ADAPTATION  OF  THE  COUNTRY 

dulation,  and  for  long  distances  requiring  but  slight  excava- 
tions and  embankments.  The  mountains  may  be  passed  through 
open  defiles  of  easy  ascent  and  descent.  When  the  Gila  is  reach- 
ed, either  the  bottom  or  the  table  land  may  be  followed  ;  though 
the  latter  will  doubtless  have  the  preference,  as  it  presents  a  per- 
fectly hard  and  level  surface.  In  a  few  instances,  ranges  of  moun- 
tains approach  the  bottom-land  of  the  Gila.  Openings  may 
doubtless  be  found  through  these,  or  they  may  be  passed  by 
cutting  away  near  the  river. 

The  Colorado  River  presents  no  difficulties  for  bridging. 
At  Fort  Yuma,  where  the  Grila  joins  it,  it  is  about  six  hun- 
dred feet  wide,  but  above  and  below  the  junction,  it  expands 
to  eight  hundred  and  twelve  hundred  feet.  In  dry  seasons 
there  is  between  four  and  five  feet  of  water  at  Fort  Yuma. 

After  this  river  is  passed,  we  reach  the  great  California 
Desert,  about  one  hundred  miles  across,  which  increases  in 
width  towards  the  north.  This  desert  is  destitute  of  wood, 
water,  and  grass  ;  it  presents  a  hard  level  surface  with  slight 
undulations,  and  seems  almost  graded  by  nature  for  a  railway. 
After  leaving  the  bottom  or  valley  of  the  Colorado,  and  before 
the  table-land  or  desert  is  reached,  there  is  a  belt  of  moving 
sand.  Its  southern  extremity  is  now  about  twelve  miles  below 
Fort  Yuma,  where  I  passed  it  with  my  parties  without  cross- 
ing it.  Its  breadth  is  about  four,  and  its  entire  length,  less 
than  twenty  miles.  This  is  the  only  belt  of  moving  sand  that 
I  know  or  within  the  district  referred  to,  west  of  the  Rio  Grande. 

On  passing  this  desert,  we  reach  the  Sierra  Nevada,  where 
a  pass  must  be  sought,  and  for  this  purpose  engineers  are  now 
in  the  field.  To  reach  San  Diego,  it  will  be  necessary  to  tun- 
nel the  coast  range  of  mountains  ;  and  it  is  probable  that  either 
a  tunnel  or  an  inclined  plain  with  stationary  engines  will  be 
indispensable  to  cross  the  Sierra  Nevada,  in  order  to  strike  the 
valleys  leading  to  San  Francisco. 

On  the  broad  desert  last  mentioned,  we  found  water  in  its 
very  centre  in   two  places  by  digging.     Sluices  or  basins    are 


FOR    A    RAILWAY.  573 

known  to  exist  in  several  places,  which  are  filled  with  water  at 
times,  by  the  overflows  of  the  Colorado.  In  these,  by  sinking 
wells,  a  plentiful  supply  of  water  can  doubtless  be  procured. 

Should  the  route  of  which  I  am  speaking  be  selected  for 
a  railway,  supplies  could  be  furnished  at  several  places  on  the 
line  after  leaving  the  settled  portions  of  Texas.  New  Mexico 
and  the  valley  of  the  Kio  Grande  would  furnish  cattle,  sheep, 
mules,  flour,  and  corn.  The  valley  of  the  Casas  Grancles  in 
Chihuahua,  is  one  of  the  finest  wheat  and  corn  districts  in  the 
country,  and  Sonora  could  furnish  an  abundance  of  cattle, 
wheat,  corn,  and  beans.  Supplies  may  also  be  taken  to  the 
line  of  the  road  by  the  Gulf  of  California  and  the  Colorado 
River.  The  latter,  although  it  has  from  four  to  five  feet  of 
water  near  the  junction  when  lowest,  is  somewhat  obstructed 
by  sand-bars  towards  its  mouth  ;  but  I  have  no  doubt  that 
steamers,  with  a  light  draught  of  water,  may  ascend,  the 
greater  portion  of  the  year,  even  for  a  distance  a  hundred  miles 
above  Fort  Yuma.  The  Gila  can  never  be  navigated  except 
in  time  of  floods  or  high  water,  when  fiat-bottomed  boats 
might  possibly  pass  up  to  the  Salinas,  one  hundred  and  eighty 
miles  above  its  mouth.  Supplies  might  be  sent,  as  is  now 
proposed,  to  Fort  Yuma,  by  sailing  vessels  to  the  head  of  the 
Gulf  of  California,  and  thence  by  a  small  steamer  up  the 
Colorado. 

I  have  spoken  of  desert,  woodless  plains  on  the  line  near 
the  parallel  of  32°.  It  is  proper  to  remark  that  any  route 
south  of  the  parallel  of  35°,  must  cross  the  great  Llano 
Estacado,  east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  which  increases  much 
in  width  above  the  32d  parallel.  I  crossed  it  about  31°  30' 
or  from  the  head  waters  of  the  Concho  to  the  Horse  Head 
Crossing  on  the  Pecos,  a  distance  of  seventy  miles,  without 
water  ;  but  a  degree  further  north,  its  width  is  more  than 
doubled.  Then  the  region  between  the  Pecos  and  the  Rio 
Grande  is  equally  barren  (so  far  as  known),  and  must  also  be 
crossed  by  any  route  south  of  the  35th  parallel. 


574  ADAPTATION  OF  THE  COUNTRY 

So  with  the  great  California  desert  west  of  the  Colorado ; 
all  routes  south  of  the  36th  parallel  must  cross  this,  even 
though  the  Mohavi  Eiver  be  followed,  unless  the  explorations 
now  being  made  should  discover  some  valley  or  stream  not  yet 
known. 

Some  observations  are  necessary  respecting  timber  and 
other  materials  requisite  for  the  construction  of  a  railway. 
Forests  and  timbered  lands  extend  from  the  basin  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi through  eastern  Texas,  and  on  the  slopes  leading  to 
the  table-land,  where  they  are  limited  to  the  margin  of  the 
streams.  The  next  are  found  in  the  Guadalupe  range  of 
mountains,  as  well  as  in  defiles  leading  to  it,  or  following  a  more 
northerly  line,  in  the  Sacramento  range.  Both  pine  and  oak 
exist  here  in  abundance.  Next,  we  have  the  open  plains  to 
the  Organ  Mountains,  a  chain  running  north  and  south  about 
fifteen  miles  east  of  the  Eio  Grande.  Here  both  oak  and  pine 
timber  are  found.  Proceeding  west  across  the  Eio  Grande,  the 
supply  of  timber  must  be  obtained  from  the  Eocky  Mountains  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  Copper  Mines  (FortWebster).  Beyond  this, 
north  of  the  32d  parallel,  there  are  no  elevated  mountains,  and 
hence  no  pines.  The  mountain  defiles  are  filled  with  oaks  of  a 
small  size,  and  the  margin  of  arroyos  and  streams  with  cotton- 
woods.  In  the  valley  of  the  Santa  Cruz,  between  Tubac  and  San- 
ta Cruz,  are  very  considerable  forests  of  mezquit,  the  best  mate- 
rial for  rail-ties  that  can  be  found.  Next  to  this  is  the  valley 
of  the  Gila,  which  is  only  wooded  at  intervals  with  cotton- 
woods  and  mezquit.  For  portions  of  the  distance,  the  use  of 
stone  for  sleepers  or  ties,  would  no  doubt  be  advisable.  This 
material  exists  in  most  of  the  mountains  ;  and  occasionally  iso- 
lated rocky  masses,  or  "buttes,"  rise  up  suddenly  from  the 
plain. 

I  have  suggested  to  civil  engineers  the  use  of  the  roots  of 
the  mezquit  for  sleepers.  These  roots,  even  when  mere  shrubs, 
are  as  solid  and  compact  as  lignum  vitas,  and  sometimes  con- 
tain as  much  wood  as  a  tree  of  twenty-five  feet  in  height.     If 


FOR   A    RAILWAY.  575 

these  could  be  smoothed  at  the  surface  and  inserted  firmly  in 
the  ground,  they  would  endure  longer  than  any  material  ever 
used  for  the  purpose,  except  stone  ;  and  the  desert  regions 
where  there  is  no  timber,  would  furnish  an  abundant  supply  of 
these  roots.     The  experiment  is  worth  trying. 

With  regard  to  water,  there  are  certain  indications,  even  in 
the  most  desert  regions,  by  which  experienced  travellers  gener- 
ally find  it  by  digging.  It  may  be  found,  too,  in  every  moun- 
tain range,  and  in  great  depressions  on  the  plains  by  digging 
or  boring.  An  examination  of  the  map,  or  of  this  narrative, 
will  show  what  running  streams  or  springs  exist,  from  which  to 
obtain  a  supply. 

From  these  brief  remarks,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  advan- 
tages of  the  southern  route  for  a  railway,  are  an  open  and 
remarkably  level  country  from  the  Mississippi  to  the  Sierra 
Nevada  of  California — a  summit  level  a  thousand  feet  less  than 
that  of  the  other  routes  (so  far  as  known) — entire  freedom  from 
snows — and  convenience  in  obtaining  supplies.  The  disad- 
vantages are  a  deficiency  of  timber,  water,  and  food  for  animals; 
and  the  want  of  tillable  lands  for  settlements  and  farms. 


576  INTRODUCTION    OF    CAMELS. 


INTRODUCTION  OF  CAMELS. 


Remarks  on  the  Introduction  of  Camels  as  a  means  of  Transportation  on  the 
Prairies  and  Deserts  of  the  Interior. 


In  traversing  the  broad  plains  and  deserts  of  the  interior  of  the 
continent,  the  subject  of  using  camels  as  a  means  of  transpor- 
tation oftened  occurred  to  me  ;  and  on  my  return,  I  learned 
that  the  subject  of  introducing  them  had  been  discussed  in  the 
newspapers,  and  that  a  resolution  had  been  offered  in  Con- 
gress, asking  for  an  appropriation  to  test  the  experiment. 

A  memoir  on  the  subject,  at  considerable  length,  written 
with  much  ability,  and  embracing  a  vast  number  of  curious, 
interesting,  and  important  facts,  by  George  R.  Grliddon,  Esq., 
was  laid  before  the  Committee  on  Military  Affairs  of  the  Sen- 
ate. This  committee  asked  for  an  appropriation  to  enable  the 
Secretary  of  War  to  import  thirty  camels  and  twenty  drome- 
daries of  various  breeds,  together  with  ten  Arabs,  familiar 
with  their  habits,  whose  services  might  be  retained  for  two  years. 
The  plan  proposed  was  to  send  an  efficient  agent  to  Egypt, 
who  was  to  proceed  to  the  interior  of  the  country,  as  far  as 
Nubia,  and  there  procure  the  finest  specimens  of  the  best  breeds  ; 
for  the  camel,  like  the  horse  and  the  ox,  presents  many  varie- 
ties. On  the  African  coast  these  animals  are  found  in  great 
numbers  ;  but  they  are  said  to  be  inferior  to  those  of  the  in- 
terior. If  the  experiment  is  to  be  fairly  tested,  and  made  a 
Government  undertaking,  of  course  the  very  best  breeds,  both 
from  Africa  and  Asia,  should  be  obtained 


INTRODUCTION    OF    CAMELS.  577 

There  is,  perhaps,  no  gentleman  in  the  United  States 
whose  opinion  on  this  subject  is  entitled  to  so  much  weight  as 
that  of  Mr.  Gliddon,  who  was  a  resident  in  the  Levant  for 
twenty-three  years,  eight  of  them  as  United  States  Consul  at 
Cairo,  and  who  grew  up  with  the  camel  and  the  Arab.  His 
early  days  were  connected  with  Oriental  life,  traversing  at 
various  times  the  deserts  of  Arabia  and  northern  Africa.  Mr. 
Gliddon,  knowing  the  interest  I  felt  in  this  subject,  and  that 
I  had  had  some  experience  in  my  various  journeys  across  the 
deserts  and  plains  of  the  interior  of  our  continent,  has  kindly 
placed  in  my  hands  the  results  of  his  inquiries  into  the  history 
of  tie  camel,  and  of  its  introduction  into  various  parts  of  Asia 
and  Africa,  from  which  he  has  permitted  me  to  make  such  ex- 
tracts as  I  deemed  suitable,  for  a  brief  paper  like  the  present. 

From  my  experience  of  nearly  three  years  with  horses, 
mules,  asses,  and  oxen,  and  with  wagons,  carts,  and  packs,  I 
do  not  hesitate  to  hazard  the  opinion,  that  the  introduction  of 
camels  and  dromedaries  would  prove  an  immense  benefit  to 
our  present  means  of  transportation,  that  they  would  be  a 
great  saving  to  animal  life,  and  would  present  facilities  for 
crossing  our  broad  deserts  and  prairies  not  possessed  by  any 
other  domestic  animals  now  in  use. 

Many  have  imagined  that  the  camel,  being  indigenous  to 
certain  parts  of  Africa  and  Asia,  would  not  thrive  in  America ; 
but  from  the  climate,  and  the  food  upon  which  he  would  be 
compelled  to  live  in  the  districts  where  he  would  be  required 
to  labor,  I  doubt  not  his  habits  will  be  found  to  be  as  well 
adapted  to  them,  as  to  one  half,  or  two  thirds,  of  the  region 
where  he  now  thrives.  Less  than  four  centuries  have  passed 
since  the  introduction  of  the  horse,  ox,  ass,  mule,  goat,  sheep, 
pig,  clog,  etc.,  into  America,  and  they  now  exist  in  myriads 
from  the  shores  of  the  Arctic  Sea  to  Cape  Horn.  Like  man, 
they  seem  to  adapt  themselves  to  every  clime  ;  nature  modify- 
ing them  to  the  heat  or  cold,  to  the  arid  plains  or  the  marshy 
lands,  where  they  become  domiciled.  The  camel  is  as  strict- 
vol.  ii. — 37 


578  INTRODUCTION    OF    CAMELS. 

ly  a  domestic  animal  as  the  horse,  his  existence  in  a  wild 
state  being  now  doubtful  ;*  and  there  is  no  reason  why  he  may 
not  as  well  adapt  himself  to  our  deserts  and  prairies  as  to  the 
steppes  of  Tartary  or  the  Sahara  of  Africa. 

On  the  forty  species  of  animals  reduced  at  this  day  to  a 
state  of  domestication,  Greoffroy  Saint  Hilaire,  a  distinguished 
French  naturalist,  remarks  that  "  of  these  thirty-five  are  now 
cosmopolitan,  as  the  horse,  dog,  ox,  pig,  sheep,  and  goat.  The 
others  have  remained  in  the  region  of  their  origin,  as  the 
lama  and  the  alpaca  on  the  plateau  of  Bolivia  and  Peru,  or 
have  been  transplanted  only  to  those  countries  which  most  ap- 
proximate to  their  birth-place  in  climatic  conditions,  as*  the 
Tongusian  reindeer  at  St.  Petersburg.  Out  of  the  thirty-five 
domestic  species  possessed  by  Europe,  thirty-one  originated  in 
Central  Asia,  Europe,  and  Northern  Africa.  Only  four  spe- 
cies have  been  contributed  by  the  two  Americas,  Central  and 
Southern  Africa,  Australia,  and  Polynesia;  although  these 
portions  of  our  globe  contain  the  greater  number  of  zoological 
types.  In  consequence,  the  great  majority  of  domestic  ani- 
mals in  Europe  are  of  exotic  origin,  and  hardly  any  are  deriv- 
ed from  countries  colder  than  France ;  on  the  contrary  almost 
all  were  primitively  inhabitants  of  warmer  climates/'f 

Widely  as  the  camel,  or  "shijj  of  the  desert,"  as  it  is  call- 
ed in  the  poetic  language  of  the  East,  is  now  dispersed  over  all 
parts  of  Asia  and  of  Central  and  Northern  Africa,  there  is  histo- 
rical evidence  to  show  that  there  was  a  period  when  he  was  a 

*  Humboldt  quotes  Chinese  and  Turkish  authors  who  affirm  that  the  wild 
camel,  as  well  as  wild  horses  and  asses,  is  still  to  be  found  in  Eastern  Turkis- 
tan  and  in  the  countries  north  of  China.  Cuvier  believes  that,  if  such  is  the 
case,  they  have  merely  become  wild  after  their  owners  had  given  them  their 
liberty.  In  the  interior  of  Sonora  are  thousands  of  wild  cattle  which  are 
fiercer  than  the  buffalo.  The  wild  horses,  or  mustangs,  of  Texas  and  Northern 
Mexico  are  also  known.  But  all  these  are  the  offspring  of  domesticated 
animals. 

f  La  domestication  du  Llama,  etc.  Projet  d'une  Menagerie  Nationale  d1  Ac- 
climation. 


INTRODUCTION    OF    CAMELS.  579 

stranger,  even  in  Africa,  and  when  his  sphere  in  Asia  was  com- 
paratively limited.*    Now,  his  geographical  diffusion  is  equal  to 

*  "The  camel,"  says  Humboldt,  "was  entirely  unknown  to  the  cultivated 
people  of  Carthage,  through  all  the  centuries  of  their  flourishing  existence, 
until  the  destruction  of  the  city.  It  -was  first  brought  into  use  for  the  armies 
by  the  Marusians,  in  Western  Lybia,  in  the  time  of  the  Cresars ;  perhaps  in 
consequence  of  its  employment  in  commercial  undertakings  by  the  Ptolemies, 
in  the  valley  of  the  Nile.  The  Guanches  inhabiting  the  Canary  Islands,  -who 
were  probably  related  to  the  Berber  race,  were  not  acquainted  with  the  camel 
before  the  fifteenth  century,  when  it  was  introduced  by  Norman  conquerors 
and  settlers.  In  the  probably  very  limited  communication  of  the  Guanches 
with  the  coast  of  Africa,  the  smallness  of  their  boats  must  necessarily  have  im- 
peded the  transport  of  large  animals.  The  true  Berber  race,  which  was  diffused 
throughout  the  interior  of  Northern  Africa,  is  probably  indebted  to  the  use  of 
the  camel,  throughout  the  Lybian  desert  and  its  oases,  not  onty  for  the  advan- 
tages of  internal  communication,  but  also  for  its  escape  from  complete  annihi- 
lation and  for  the  maintenance  of  its  national  existence  to  this  day.  The  use 
of  the  camel  continued,  on  the  other  hand,  to  be  unknown  to  the  negro  races  ; 
and  it  was  only  in  company  with  the  conquering  expeditions  and  proselyting 
missions  of  the  Bedouins  through  the  whole  of  Northern  Africa,  that  the  useful 
animal  of  the  Nedschd,  of  the  Nabatheans,  and  of  all  the  districts  occupied  by 
the  Aramean  races,  spread  here,  as  elsewhere,  to  the  westward.  The  Goths 
brought  the  camels  as  early  as  the  fourth  century  to  the  Lower  Istros  (the  Dan- 
ube), and  the  Ghaznevides  transported  them  in  much  larger  numbers  to  India 
as  far  as  the  banks  of  the  Ganges.* 

Other  authorities  agree  as  to  the  comparatively  recent  introduction  of  the 
camel  and  dromedary  into  Northern  Africa.  Baron  Humboldt  distinguishes 
two  epochs  in  their  distribution  there,  "the  first  under  the  Ptolemies,  which 
operated,  through  Cyrene,  on  the  whole  of  the  north-west  coast,  and  the  second 
under  the  Mohammedan  epoch  of  the  conquering  Arabs ;  "  f  while  the  dromeda- 
ry, now  so  much  in  use,  was  only  propagated  in  the  region  of  Algiers  as  late  as 
the  middle  of  the  sixteenth  century.:}: 

A  number  of  curious  facts  have  been  brought-1  together  by  Mr.  Gliddon,  to 
show  that  the  camel  was  not  used  in  the  earliest  Egyptian  times  ;  the  most  sat- 
isfactory evidence  of  which  is,  that  it  does  not  appear  on  any  of  the  Pharaonic 
monuments:  a  conclusion  to  which  Champollion-Figeac  had  arrived.  "But 
one  thing  worthy  of  remark,"  says  that  distinguished  archaeologist,  "  is  that 
there  is  not  found  on  any  monument  the  figure  or  mention  of  the  camel ;  a 
native  of  Arabia.  This  valuable  animal  appears  to  have  been  unknown  to  the 
ancient  Egyptians  for  service."  § 


*  Karl  Kilter,  Asien,  vol.  viii.,  Part  1,  p.  610,  757.  +  Views  of  Nature,  Lond.  ed.  p.  52. 

X  Bodickon,  Etudes  sur  VAlgerie  et  VAfrique,  p.  62.     §  Egypte  Ancienne,  p.  196. 


580  INTRODUCTION    OF    CAMELS. 

that  of  most  other  domesticated  animals.     "  He  has  followed," 
says  Mr.  Grliddon,  "  the  radiations  of  war,  commerce,  and  emi- 

In  the  journeys  made  by  the  patriarchs  of  the  Scriptures  into  Egypt  they 
were  accompanied  by  camels  ;  these  animals  were  also  employed  in  bearing 
the  productions  of  Arabia  to  that  country,  but  they  were  always  the  property 
of  aliens,  and  their  residence  there  was  but  temporary.  So  "  during  the  stay 
of  the  Hebrews  in  the  land  of  Goshen,  no  allusion  is  made  to  camels,  save  in 
Exodus,  ix.  3,  whether  owned  by  themselves  or  by  their  Egyptian  rulers.  On 
the  contrary,  the  especial  mention  of  asses  as  the  animals  on  which  Jacob's  sons 
carried  their  sacks  of  corn  over  the  desert  of  the  Isthmus  of  Suez* — of  wagons 
furnished  by  the  Egyptians  to  bring  up  Jacob  from  Canaan  f — of  cattle,  horses, 
flocks,  and  asses,  as  the  only  zoological  property  the  famishing  Egyptians  could 
give  in  exchange  for  bread,:): — combined  with  the  notable  fact  that,  in  the  ac- 
count of  the  Mosaic  exodus,  horses  attached  to  chariots  and  cattle  are  the  only 
quadrupeds  enumerated ; — ail  these  accumulated  evidences,  I  repeat,  amply 
confirm  hieroglyphical  and  historical  negatives  of  the  naturalization  of  camels 
in  Egypt,  at  any  time  prior  to  the  Persian  invasion,  B.  C.  525."  (Gliddo?i's 
Memoir,  MS.) 

One  of  the  most  elaborate  treatises  on  the  geographical  distribution  of  the 
camel  in  the  Old  World,  is  that  of  the  distinguished  geographer  and  ethnologist 
Karl  Ritter,  who  in  his  great  work  has  devoted  150  pages  to  the  history  of  this 
quadruped.  I  shall  merely  quote  the  results  of  his  investigations  to  show  the  wide 
extent  of  the  present  diffusion  of  the  camel.  These  natural  limits  are  established 
as  follows : — "Towards  eastern  and  south-eastern  Asia,  by  the  tropical,  sultry, 
maritime,  Indian,  and  Farther  Indian  climate  of  the  Elephant-land  and  fluvial 
zone  of  the  Cocoa-forests ; — towards  the  north  on  the  Upper  Jenesei,  Baikal, 
and  Irtysh,  by  the  Reindeer-zone  of  the  sub-polar  climate  of  58°  to  56°  North 
Latitude ; — beyond  the  flat  steppe-lands  of  the  nomadic  tribes,  by  agriculture 
upon  the  European  culture-ground,  with  the  fixed  dwellings  of  its  inhabitants. 
In  the  Maghreb,  or  northern  half  of  the  African  continent,  the  Lybian  camel- 
zone,  towards  the  north  (from  the  Erythrsean  East  to  the  Atlantic  West),  is 
exhibited  without  limit,  as  far  as  the  Berber  races,  as  well  as  Moors  and  Bedou- 
ins, inhabit  the  Sahara  and  the  Oases.  But  south  of  that  it  is  limited  by  the 
zone  of  tropical  rains,  or  the  wet  season,  along  the  valleys  of  the  Senegal,  the 
Niger  system,  and  the  Bahr  el-Abiad.  Here  the  expanse  of  sand  and  gravel 
changes  into  a  luxuriant,  thickly-wooded,  fruit-bearing  soil,  subject  to  inunda- 
tion, before  which  the  organization  of  this  desert-animal  shrinks  back,  and 
where  begins  the  belt  of  the  central  Negro  States  of  Soudan,  or  the  Land  of  the 
Blacks,  with  whom  asses  and  bullocks,  as  universal  beasts  of  transport,  thrive, 
being  better  suited  to  the  climate,  or  where  the  negro  has  become  his  own 
bearer  of  burdens."  § 

*  Genesis,  xlii.  27 ;  xliii.  18,  24.  t  Id.  xlv.  21,  2T ;  and  xlvi.  5.  J  Id.  xlyii.  17. 

§  Karl  Hitter,  Asien. 


INTRODUCTION    OF    CAMELS.  581 

gration  over  a  stupendous  segment  of  the  earth's  superficies," 
stretching  across  the  whole  of  Asia,  and  extending  as  far  north 
as  the  56th  parallel  of  latitude.  Amid  the  defiles  of  the  Cau- 
casus, the  Himalaya,  and  the  Kuenleen  ;  over  the  black  plateau 
of  Upper  Asia,  and  the  scorching  plains  of  Hindostan  ;  skirt- 
ing the  shores  of  the  Indian  Ocean,  the  Yellow,  the  Caspian, 
and  the  Black  sgas,  "winter  or. summer,  he  resignedly  plods 
his  weary  way,"  burdened  with  whatever  load  his  master  places 
on  his  back.  He  is  much  used  in  eastern  Europe  ;  and  in 
Africa,  across  its  entire  breadth,  from  the  shores  of  the  Medi- 
terranean to  the  region  of  the  tropical  rains. 

Taking  a  portion  of  the  North  American  Continent  cor- 
responding with  the  camel  zone  of  the  old  world,  the  most 
extreme  northern  limits  of  the  United  States  would  be  conge- 
nial to  him.  But  we  should  not  require  his  services  north  of 
Missouri,  or  about  the  40th  parallel.  From  thence,  southward 
to  the  Gi-ulf  of  Mexico,  but  particularly  in  Texas,  the  climate 
would  be  most  congenial  to  him.  The  high  table-lands  of 
Texas,  New  Mexico,  Utah,  Sonora,  Chihuahua,  Durango,  and 
portions  of  Central  Mexico,  are  equally  adapted  to  him.  The 
entire  route  from  the  Mississippi  to  California,  particularly 
that  south  of  Santa  Fe  by  the  Gila,  where  there  are  no  moun- 
tains to  cross  ;  and  also,  the  great  highway  over  the  table-lands 
of  Mexico,  are  well  adapted  to  his  habits.  But  he  would  be 
most  useful  on  those  long  jornadas  and  deserts  where  there  is 
either  no  water,  or  where  it  is  so  brackish  that  mules  and  horses 
will  not  drink  it. 

There  are  peculiarities  in  the  arid  plains  and  deserts  of 
North  America  which  seem  to  fit  them  for  the  habits  of  the 
camel.  His  favorite  food  in  Africa  is  beans  and  chopped 
straw.  Now,  it  is  a  well  known  fact,  that  however  barren  our 
deserts,  they  abound  in  mezquit  bushes  or  chapporal,  which 
shrub  bears  a  most  nutricious  bean.  Whether  this  plant 
attains  a  height  of  three  feet  on  the  desert  or  twenty  in  the 
bottom-lands,  it  is  equally  prolific.     Mules  and  cattle  feed  on 


582  INTRODUCTION    OF    CAMELS. 

them  when  they  cannot  get  grass  or  corn  ;  yet  they  never 
thrive  on  them,  but,  on  the  contrary,  lose  flesh.  Other  pecu- 
liarities are  the  salines  and  salt  lakes,  which  abound  on  the 
arid  plains  throughout  the  table-lands,  as  well  as  on  the  slopes 
towards  both  oceans.  When  driven  to  great  extremities, 
mules  will  sometimes  drink  this  salt  or  brackish  water  ;  but  I 
have  driven  them  fifty  or  sixty  miles  without  water,  yet  on 
reaching  a  saline  not  one  in  ten  would  touch  it.  To  camels 
brackish  water  is  as  acceptable  as  if  from  the  purest  foun- 
tains. 

"  Frugal  in  appetite/'  says  Mr.  Gliddon,  "  the  camel's  epi- 
curism never  rises  above  a  sufficiency  of  split  beans  and  chop- 
ped straw  ;  but  while  in  the  vernal  season  he  relishes  clover 
and  grasses,  his  massive  grinders,  cutting  like  cold  chisels, 
masticate  alike  the  dryest  stalks  or  the  toughest  thorns  ;  and 
his  '  cast-iron '  stomach  digests  and  converts  into  nutriment 
stems  otherwise  so  devoid  of  succulence,  that  the  camel  sub- 
sists where  every  other  gramnivore  must  starve.  When  neces- 
sary, he  can  go  five  days  without  water." 

With  us,  the  food  we  shall  have  to  give  them  will  be  vari- 
ous kinds  of  grasses,  in  particular  those  popularly  known  as 
mezquit,  the  grama,  and  the  buffalo  grass,  which  grow  on  the 
prairies,  the  elevated  table-lands,  and  the  mountains.  For 
more  solid  food  we  have  the  Mexican  frijoles  and  maize,  with 
other  cereals.  On  the  deserts  there  are  plants  which  mules 
will  not  touch,  which  the  camel  would  doubtless  feed  upon. 

With  regard  to  the  capacities  of  camels  for  carrying  bur- 
dens all  depends  upon  the  breed.  "  Six  hundred  pounds," 
says  Mr.  Gliddon,  "  is  a  fair  estimate  for  the  best  Arabian 
well  fed  animal,  with  which  he  will  travel  twenty  miles  a  day. 
The  Bactrian  camel,  which  is  less  capable  of  enduring  heat, 
will  carry  ordinarily  eight  hundred  pounds.  Dromedaries, 
which  are  not  employed  for  carrying  burdens,  but  for  riding, 
can  travel  freely  fifty  or  sixty  miles  every  twenty-four  hours 
(including  eight  to  twelve  hours  for  rest  and  stoppage),  and 


INTRODUCTION    OF    CAMELS.  583 

this  too  with  a  rider  estimated  to  weigh  one  hundred  and 
seventy-five  pounds  and  one  hundred  pounds  weight  of  saddle, 
baggage,  etc.  His  average  gait  is  five  miles  an  hour,  at  which 
he  will  continue  for  weeks.  On  an  emergency  he  may  be 
pushed,  with  this  same  weight,  double  the  distance  ;  but  then 
the  jolting  is  increased  with  the  speed  of,  the  animal,  and 
could  only  be  borne  by  experienced  riders."  Colonel  Shiel,  an 
experienced  British  officer,  long  versed  in  military  service  in 
Hindostan,  says,  the  dromedary  "  is  able  to  travel  in  all  situa- 
tions :  mountains  and  plains,  blazing  sun,  frost  and  snow, 
seem  alike  to  him."* 

It  is  proper  to  state  that  in  hot  countries  the  camel's  hair 
is  clipped  close,  while  in  the  cold  it  is  permitted  to  grow, 
according  to  the  temperature  he  is  exposed  to,  when  it  attains 
a  length  of  six  inches.  Hence  he  can  live  in  the  region  of  the 
reindeer  as  well  as  in  that  of  the  lion. 

This  animal  is  therefore  used  exclusively,  from  the  Nile  to 
the  Granges,  for  the  purpose  of  war  and  expresses,  or  duties 
requiring  expedition  ;  and  instances  are  on  record  where  war 
parties  of  Bedouin  Arabs,  lightly  equipped,  with  a  small  supply 
of  provisions,  have  been  known  to  traverse  a  space  of  three 
hundred  miles  in  four  days.f 

I  have  devoted  more  space  to  this  subject  than  I  intended  ; 

*  Journey  through  Kurdistan. — Jour.  Royal  Geog.  Soc,  vol.  viii.  p.  97. 

\  "  The  female  camel  yields  an  abundance  of  excellent  milk,  which,  mixed 
with  meal,  is  the  standard  dish  of  Bedouin  economy ;  when  acidulated,  it  con- 
stitutes the  favorite  dish  of  the  Turkoman ;  when  fermented,  an  intoxicating 
drink  called  'kermis'  by  the  Tartars. 

"The  hair  is  a  well  known  article  of  commerce,  out  of  which  nomadic  tribes 
manufacture  clothing  and  tents,  as  well  as  all  the  halters,  cords,  saddle-bags, 
and  ornamental  trappings  for  the  camel  himself.  The  flesh  of  a  young  camel 
is  esteemed  a  luxury,  and  at  every  age  a  wholesome  diet.  It  is  cut  into  strips 
and  dried  in  the  same  manner  as  beef  is  preserved  in  Mexico.  The  dung  is  used 
for  fuel,  in  the  same  manner  as  the  buffalo  dung  by  our  prairie  travellers.  The 
entrails  and  minor  sinews  are  adapted  to  thongs,  bow-strings,  fastenings,  etc., 
while  the  hide  is  sold  for  the  same  purpose  as  we  use  the  hide  of  beef-cattle  and 
buffaloes,  such  as  shoes,  sandals,  belts,  harness,  saddles,  etc." — Gliddori's  Mem.  MS. 


584  INTRODUCTION   OF    CAMELS. 

but  as  it  is  little  known,  and  is  now  being  brought  before  the 
country,  I  have  felt  justified  in  extending  these  remarks.  In 
conclusion,  to  give  an  idea  of  the  number  of  animals  used  by  the 
government  for  transportation,  I  quote  from  the  official  report 
of  the  Quarter-master  General  made  in  1851.  By  this  it  ap- 
pears that  more  than  ten  thousand  horses,  mules,  and  oxen  were 
constantly  required  for  transportation,  and  for  mounting  guides, 
spies,  escorts,  and  troops.  At  the  same  time,  when  the  army 
was  increased  about  fifty  per  cent.,  the  cost  of  transportation 
reached  two  million  dollars,  an  increase  of  one  thousand  five 
hundred  per  cent.  If  we  go  back  to  the  year  1844,  the  cost 
of  transportation  was  about  one  hundred  and  twenty  thousand 
dollars,  and  in  seven  years  had  increased  to  two  millions . 


APPENDICES. 


APPENDICES. 


A. 

Article  V.  of  the  Treaty  of  Guadalupe  Hidalgo,  relating  to  the 
Boundary  between  the  United  States  and  Mexico. 

"The  boundary  line  between  the  two  Republics  shall  commence  in 
the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  three  leagues  from  land,  opposite  the  mouth  of 
the  Rio  Grande,  otherwise  called  Rio  Bravo  del  Norte,  or  opposite  the 
mouth  of  its  deepest  branch,  if  it  should  have  more  than  one  branch 
emptying  directly  into  the  sea ;  from  thence  up  the  middle  of  that  river, 
following  the  deepest  channel,  where  it  has  more  than  one,  to  the  point 
where  it  strikes  the  southern  boundary  of  New  Mexico  ;  thence  west- 
wardly  along  the  whole  southern  boundary  of  New  Mexico  (which  runs 
north  of  the  town  called  Paso)  to  its  western  termination ;  thence  north- 
ward, along  the  western  line  of  New  Mexico,  until  it  intersects  the  first 
branch  of  the  river  Gila  (or  if  it  should  not  intersect  any  branch  of 
that  river,  then  to  the  point  on  the  said  line  nearest  to  such  branch,  and 
thence  in  a  direct  line  to  the  same)  ;  thence  down  the  middle  of  the 
said  branch  and  of  the  said  river,  until  it  empties  into  the  Rio  Colorado, 
thence  across  the  Rio  Colorado,  following  the  division  line  between 
Upper  and  Lower  California,  to  the  Pacific  Ocean. 

"  The  southern  and  western  limits  of  New  Mexico,  mentioned  in 
this  article,  are  those  laid  down  in  the  map  entitled, '  Map  of  the  United 
Mexican  States,  as  organized  and  defined  by  various  Acts  of  the  Congress 
of  said  Republic,  and  constructed  according  to  the  best  Authorities. 
Revised  edition.  Published  in  New  York,  in  1847,  by  J.  Disturnell.' — 
Of  which  map  a  copy  is  added  to  this  treaty,  bearing  the  signatures  and 
seals  of  the  undersigned  plenipotentiaries.  And  in  order  to  preclude  all 
difficulty  in  tracing  upon  the  ground  the  limit  separating  Upper  from 
Lower  California,  it  is  agreed  that  the  said   limit  shall  consist  of  a 


588  APPENDICES. 

straight  line  drawn  from  the  middle  of  the  Rio  Gila,  where  it  unites 
with  the  Colorado,  to  a  point  on  the  coast  of  the  Pacific  Ocean,  distant 
one  marine  league  due  south  of  the  southernmost  point  of  the  port  of 
San  Diego,  according  to  the  plan  of  said  port  made  in  the  year  1782 
by  Don  Juan  Pantoja,  second  sailing-master  of  the  Spanish  fleet,  and 
published  at  Madrid  in  the  year  1802,  in  the  Atlas  to  the  Voyage  of  the 
schooners  Sutil  and  Mexicana,  of  which  plan  a  copy  is  hereunto  added, 
signed  and  sealed  by  the  respective  plenipotentiaries. 

"  In  order  to  designate  the  boundary  line  with  due  precision,  upon 
authoritative  maps,  and  to  establish  upon  the  ground  land-marks  which 
shall  show  the  limits  of  both  Republics,  as  described  in  the  present  arti- 
cle, the  two  governments  shall  each  appoint  a  commissioner  and  a  sur- 
veyor, who,  before  the  expiration  of  one  year  from  the  date  of  the  ex- 
change of  ratifications  of  this  treaty,  shall  meet  at  the  port  of  San  Diego, 
and  proceed  to  run  and  mark  the  said  boundary  in  its  whole  course  to 
the  mouth  of  the  Rio  Bravo  del  Norte.  They  shall  keep  journals,  and 
make  out  plans  of  their  operations ;  and  the  result  agreed  upon  by  them 
shall  be  deemed  a  part  of  this  treaty,  and  shall  have  the  same  force  as  if 
it  were  inserted  therein.  The  governments  will  amicably  agree  regard- 
ing what  may  be  necessary  to  these  persons,  and  also  as  to  their  respec- 
tive escorts,  should  such  be  necessary. 

"  The  boundary  line  established  by  this  article  shall  be  religiously 
respected  by  each  of  the  two  Republics  ;  and  no  change  shall  ever  be 
made  therein,  except  by  the  express  and  free  consent  of  both  nations, 
lawfully  given  by  the  general  government  of  each,  in  conformity  with 
its  own  constitution. 


B. 

Official  Instructions  from  the  Department  of  the  Interior  to 
John  R.  Baktlett,  Commissioner  on  the  part  of  the 
United  States,  for  running  and  marking  the  Boundary 
line  between  the  United  States  and  the  Republic  of  Mexico. 

Department  of  the  Interior, 

August  1,  1850. 
Sir  :  In   a  letter  from  the  Department,  bearing  date  of  June  19, 
1850,  you  were  informed  that  you  had  been  appointed  Commissioner 


APPENDICES.  589 

on  the  part  of  the  United  States  for  running  and  marking  the  boundary 
line  between  the  United  States  and  the  Republic  of  Mexico,  under  the 
fifth  article  of  the  treaty  of  Guadalupe  Hidalgo. 

By  the  documents  in  this  department,  copies  of  which  have  been 
placed  in  your  possession,  or  to  which  you  have  had  access,  you 
will  perceive  that  that  portion  of  the  boundary  between  the  junction 
of  the  Gila  with  the  Colorado  and  the  Pacific  Ocean  has  already  been 
run  by  your  predecessor.  By  the  same  documents  it  also  appears  that 
the  Joint  Commission  in  February  last  mutually  agreed  to  suspend  their 
operations,  and  meet  on  the  first  day  of  Nevember  next,  at  El  Paso,  on 
the  Rio  Grande,  and  resume  their  operations  westward  from  that  point. 

You  will,  therefore,  in  conformity  with  that  agreement,  proceed,  with 
the  Commission  appointed  to  perform  the  duties  of  running  the  boun- 
dary mentioned,  to  El  Paso,  by  the  nearest  and  most  convenient  route, 
so  as  to  reach  there  by  the  first  of  November. 

As  the  organization  of  the  Commission  on  the  part  of  the  United 
States  has  been  made  with  a  view  to  other  objects  beyond  that  of  run- 
ning the  boundary,  it  becomes  necessary  to  call  your  'attention  to  the 
duties  required. 

By  the  sixth  article  of  the  Treaty  of  Guadalupe  Hidalgo,  provision 
is  made  for  the  collection  of  information  relative  to  the  construction  of 
a  "  road,  canal,  or  railway,  which  shall,  in  whole  or  in  part,  run  upon  the 
river  Gila,  or  upon  its  right  or  left  bank,  within  the  space  of  a  marine 
league  from  either  margin  of  that  river."  And  that  "  should  it  be  found 
practicable  and  advantageous  to  construct  such  a  road,  the  governments 
of  both  Republics  will  form  an  agreement  regarding  its  construction,  in 
order  that  it  may  serve  equally  for  the  use  and  advantage  of  both 
countries." 

As  the  examinations  to  be  made,  and  the  information  to  be  collect- 
ed, agreeably  to  this  article,  are  of  very  great  importance,  you  will  make 
such  an  organization  of  parties,  and  assign  to  them  such  duties,  as  will 
be  productive  of  the  desired  result. 

The  boundary  line  where  you  will  commence  your  labors  begins  at 
the  a  point  where  the  Rio  Grande  strikes  the  southern  boundary  of  New 
Mexico  ;  then  westward,  along  the  whole  southern  boundary  of  New 
Mexico  (which  runs  north  of  the  town  called  Paso)  to  its  western  termi- 
nation ;  thence  northward,  along  the  western  line  of  New  Mexico,  until 
it  intersects  the  first  branch  of  the  river  Gila  (or  if  it  should  not  intersect 


590  APPENDICES. 

any  branch  of  that  river,  then  to  the  point  on  the  said  line  nearest  to 
such  branch,  and  then  in  a  direct  line  to  the  same  "). 

This  portion  of  the  line  can  only  be  ascertained  by  examinations  and 
surveys  upon  the  ground.  You  will,  however,  receive  important  aid  in 
the  determination  of  this  line,  as  the  treaty  expressly  declares  that  "  the 
southern  and  western  limits  of  New  Mexico,  mentioned  in  this  article, 
are  those  laid  down  on  the  maps  of  the  United  Mexican  States,  published 
at  New  York  in  1847,  by  J.  Disturnell,"  a  certified  copy  of  which  was 
appended  to  the  treaty,  bearing  the  signatures  and  seals  of  the  plenipo- 
tentiaries.    You  are  furnished  with  a  certified  copy  of  this  map. 

The  remainder  of  the  boundary  runs  along  the  middle  of  the  River 
Gila  and  the  Rio  Grande ;  of  the  formei*,  from  the  point  where  the  west- 
ern line  of  New  Mexico  intersects  it  to  its  junction  with  the  Colorado ; 
and  the  latter,  from  the  point  intersected  by  the  southern  line  of  New 
Mexico  near  El  Paso,  to  its  mouth. 

As  the  organization  of  the  Commission  under  your  charge  has  been 
made  for  the  purpose  of  collecting  information  relative  to  the  country 
contiguous  to  the  boundary  line,  in  addition  to  the  running  of  that  line, 
it  is  desirable  that  you  should  avail  yourself  of  every  opportunity  afford- 
ed by  your  passage  through  the  unexplored  regions  of  Texas,  New  Mexi- 
co, and  California,  to  acquire  information  as  to  its  geography,  national 
history,  &c,  when  it  can  be  obtained  without  retarding  the  progress  of 
the  boundary  survey.  You  are,  therefore,  at  liberty  to  send  out  explor- 
ing parties,  when  not  otherwise  employed  on  the  survey  of  the  line,  to 
examine  the  country  north  of  the  Gila,  as  well  as  on  either  side  of  the 
Rio  Grande,  for  the  above  and  kindred  purposes. 

It  is  stated,  on  the  authority  of  persons  who  have  traversed  the  coun- 
try near  the  river  Gila,  that  during  a  considerable  portion  of  the  summer 
there  is  neither  grass  nor  water  to  be  obtained.  Should  the  Commis- 
sion be  in  this  region  at  this  season,  it  may  be  compelled  to  suspend  its 
operations.  In  such  an  event,  your  party  may  be  usefully  employed  in 
geographical  and  scientific  explorations  in  the  regions  before  alluded  to. 

The  collection  of  information  relative  to  the  precious  metals,  quick- 
silver, and  the  various  minerals,  ores,  and  other  substances,  useful  in  the 
arts,  is  very  desirable.  In  reference  to  the  existence  and  localities  of 
these,  as  well  as  the  locations  of  mines  formerly  worked  by  the  early  set- 
tlers in  California  and  New  Mexico,  and  since  abandoned,  owing  to  the 
incursions  of  the  Indians,  or  other  causes,  you  will  do  all  in  your  power 


APPENDICES.  591 

to  acquire  information  as  far  as  you  may  be  able,  without  impeding  the 
main  objects  of  the  Commission. 

After  you  have  traced  the  boundary  to  the  junction  of  the  Gila  with 
the  Colorado,  you  will  be  compelled  to  retrace  your  steps  to  El  Paso. 
Before  doing  this,  as  you  will  possess  many  facilities  for  the  purpose, 
you  are  at  liberty  to  proceed  up  the  Colorado  River,  and  make  such  ex- 
plorations as  your  time  and  facilities  will  permit,  provided  the  boundary 
survey  is  not  arrested  in  so  doing. 

The  discovery  of  more  practicable  routes  through  California  for  emi- 
grants, is  desirable.  The  present  routes,  by  way  of  the  Great  Salt  Lake 
and  the  River  Gila,  are  attended  with  many  difficulties.  If  a  portion  of 
the  Commission  can  be  spared,  with  an  adequate  escort,  to  seek  such 
routes,  while  it  is  in  their  vicinity,  you  are  at  liberty  to  enq:>loy  them. 

As  it  is  indispensable  that  each  government  should  be  furnished  with 
a  full  and  circumstantial  record  of  the  proceedings  of  the  Commissioners, 
they  will  doubtless  order  such  to  be  kept  in  duplicate.  This  duty  will 
devolve  upon  the  clerks  or  secretaries  appointed  on  both  sides,  who  will 
be  responsible  for  the  accuracy  of  such  records,  and  for  their  safe  deliv- 
ery, properly  certified,  to  the  respective  governments,  at  the  expiration  of 
the  Commission. 

As  soon  as  the  boundary  shall  have  been  ascertained  and  marked, 
you  will  cause  a  true  and  accurate  map  to  be  made  of  the  country 
through  which  it  passes,  in  its  entire  extent.  A  duplicate  copy  of  said 
map,  certified  by  the  commissioners  and  surveyors  on  both  sides,  should 
accompany  the  records  of  the  proceedings  of  the  Commission. 

The  joint  report  of  declaration  by  the  commissioners  "  of  the  final 
result  agreed  upon  by  them,"  under  the  fifth  article  of  the  treaty,  will 
also  be  transmitted  to  the  department,  to  be  filed  with  the  journal  or 
record  of  their  proceedings  and  the  maps. 

Your  salary  as  commissioner,  which  has  been  fixed  by  Congress,  at 
three  thousand  dollars,  will  commence  on  the  fourteenth  day  of  June 
1850,  the  day  of  your  appointment  by  the  President,  when  you  were 
ordered  to  report  yourself  for  duty  to  this  department.  Under  the  head 
of  contingent  expenses  of  the  Commission,  will  be  embraced  your  rea- 
sonable personal  and  travelling  expenses  while  in  service,  and  those  of 
the  principal  surveyor,  chief  astronomer,  and  other  officers  of  the  topo- 
graphical engineers  and  navy  who  may  be  detailed  to  assist  you  in  the 
field,  or  otherwise ;  the  pay  and  subsistence  of  assistant  surveyors  and 


592  APPENDICES. 

draughtsmen,  chain-carriers,  mechanics,  laborers,  cooks,  servants,  and 
guides,  and  the  incidental  and  necessary  expenses  of  exploring  parties  ; 
the  pay  and  subsistence  of  secretaries,  surgeon,  quarter-master,  commis- 
sary, assistants,  and  clerks ;  the  purchase  of  an  outfit,  including  horses, 
mules,  tents,  and  camp-equipage,  arms  and  ammunition,  books  and 
stationery,  instruments,  medical  stores,  boats,  mechanics'  tools,  wagons, 
and  vehicles  for  the  transportation  of  the  Commission,  and  its  stores  by 
sea  or  otherwise  ;  the  purchase  of  articles  for  presents  to,  or  traffic  with, 
the  Indians,  clothing  for  the  men  (to  be  repaid  by  them)  ;  and  the  pur- 
chase and  fixing  of  monuments  to  mark  the  boundary  line.  Of  all  these 
expenses  you  will  keep  a  regular  account,  which,  together  with  the  neces- 
sary vouchers,  you  will  render  and  transmit  quarterly  to  the  Fifth  Au- 
ditor of  the  Treasury,  for  settlement.  And  to  meet  the  same,  as  likewise 
the  payment  of  the  salaries,  you  will  from  time  to  time,  as  occasion  may 
require,  draw  upon  the  Department,  taking  care  not  to  exceed  in  the 
amount  drawn  at  any  one  time  the  sum  which  will  be  required  to  meet 
the  necessary  and  actual  expenses  of  the  Commission.  You  will  be 
charged  exclusively  with  the  disbursement  of  the  money  appropriated  to 
pay  the  expense  of  the  Commission. 

As  soon  as  the  Commission  is  filled,  you  will  transmit  to  this  Depart- 
ment a  list  containing  the  names  of  the  several  persons  composing  it, 
the  nature  of  the  duties  assigned  to  each  individual,  and  the  compensa- 
tion allowed  to  them  respectively  ;  and  will  also,  from  time  to  time,  in- 
form the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  of  any  change  which  you  may  by 
circumstances  be  induced  to  make  in  its  organization. 

In  organizing  for  duty,  you  are  referred,  for  any  information  which 
you  may  deem  necessary,  to  Andrew  B.  Gray,  Esq.  who  has  been  ap- 
pointed Surveyor  under  the  treaty,  and  to  Brevet  Lieut.  Colonel  John 
McClellan,  of  the  Topographical  Engineers,  whom  the  President  has  desig- 
nated as  "  Chief  Astronomer  and  Head  of  the  Topographical  Scientific 
Corps  of  the  Commission." 

Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

D.  C.  GODDARD, 
Secretary  ad  Interim. 
John  R.  Bartlett,  Esq., 
Commissioner  on  the  part  of  the  United  States,  to 
run  and  mark  the  Boundary  between,  the  United 
States  and  Mexico. 


APPENDICES.  593 


Additional  Instructions  from,  the  Hon.  Alex.  H.  H.  Stuart, 
Secretary  of  the  Interior,  explanatory  of  the  foregoing. 

Department  of  the  Interior, 

November  4,  1851. 

Sir  :  As  some  misunderstanding  has  arisen  with  regard  to  the  instruc- 
tions communicated  in  my  letter  of  the  23d  of  October,  1850,  I  deem  it 
proper  to  add  such  explanations  and  modifications  as  the  circumstances 
seem  to  demand ;  and  as  Brevet  Major  Wm.  H.  Emory,  the  Chief  As- 
tronomer, has  been  appointed  by  the  President  the  Surveyor,  under  the 
treaty,  to  run  and  mark  the  boundary  line  between  the  United  States 
and  Mexico,  in  place  of  A.  B.  Gray,  Esq.,  some  further  explanations  re- 
specting his  position  and  duties  are  necessary.  The  officers  and  mem- 
bers of  the  scientific  corps  immediately  connected  with  the  survey  of  the 
boundary  line  shall  be  placed  under  the  immediate  orders  of  the  sur- 
veyor. Any  lines  agreed  upon  by  the  Joint  Commission  as  the  lines  of 
boundary,  shall  be  run  and  astronomically  determined  by  the  surveyor. 
He  will  have  charge  and  direction  of  all  the  surveys  of  the  boundary 
line,  and  shall  determine  the  Initial  and  intermediate  points  of  the  sur- 
vey by  astronomical  means,  acting  under  your  direction.  This  corps 
shall  consist  of  such  number  of  assistants  as  you,  upon  advising  with 
him,  may  deem  absolutely  necessary.  He  shall  issue  his  instructions  in 
writing,  and  shall  preserve  a  copy  of  them  in  a  book  kept  for  that  pur- 
pose. He  shall  require  monthly  reports  from  the  heads  of  parties,  and 
shall  place  them  before  you  in  a  condensed  form.  He  shall  have  charge 
of  the  surveying  and  astronomical  instruments  ;  and  for  their  safe  keep- 
ing, will  be  responsible  to  you.  He  shall  be  allowed  a  clerk,  whose 
salary  shall  not  exceed  that  of  a  sub-assistant.  He  shall  be  responsible 
to  you,  and  through  you  to  this  department,  for  as  rapid  a  prosecution 
of  the  surveys,  and  for  all  the  astronomy  connected  with  them,  as  may 
be  consistent  with  their  accuracy ;  and  will  be  held  accountable  for  all 
the  quarter-master's  stores,  camp  and  garrison  equipage,  placed  at  his 
disposal.   . 

Should  any  doubts  arise  between  yourself  and  the  Mexican  Commis- 
sion, the  surveyor  shall  be  required  to  make  such  surveys  and  maps  as 
may  tend  to  elucidate  the  point  or  line  in  dispute. 

Should  the  surveyor  at  any  time  differ  with  your  views  on  any 
vol.  ii. — 38 


594  APPENDICES. 

question  connected  with  the  survey,  &c,  he  will  defer  to  your  opinion 
until  the  case  is  submitted  to,  and  decided  by  the  department. 

After  the  work  in  the  field  shall  have  been  completed,  the  maps 
shall  be  drawn,  under  the  immediate  supervision  of  the  surveyor  under 
your  control,  on  the  scale  suggested  in  the  instructions  to  you  under  the 
date  of  October  23,  1850.  In  the  mean  time,  during  an  inclement  sea- 
son, when  the  field-work  may  necessarily  be  arrested,  the  first  plotting 
(or  rough  sheets)  should  be  prosecuted.  On  the  completion  of  the  maps, 
they  shall  be  signed  by  the  surveyor,  previous  to  their  being  authenti- 
cated by  the  commissioners. 

No  officer  but  yourself  is  allowed  to  draw  for  any  moneys  appropri- 
ated for  the  Mexican  Boundary  service.  The  surveyor  may  draw  his  sa- 
lary from  this  department  or  from  you.  All  the  scientific  depart- 
ments not  directly  connected  with  the  surveys  of  the  boundary  line,  are 
placed  under  your  immediate  direction.  The  means  appropriated  by 
Congress  being  very  limited,  it  is  incumbent  upon  this  department  to 
order  such  reductions  in  the  number  of  persons  devoted  to  the  purposes 
of  science  as  your  discretion  may  deem  least  advantageous.  You,  as  the 
first  officer  of  the  Commission,  will  be  held  responsible  to  this  depart- 
ment for  the  proper  administration  of  the  great  work  confided  to  your 

charge. 

******** 

I  am,  &c. 

ALEX.  H.  H.  STUART, 

Secretary. 

To  John  R.  Bartlett,  Esq. 
Commissioner,  etc.  etc. 


c. 

List  of  Members  cf  the  United  States  and  Mexican  Boundary 
Commission,  as  organized  in  Washington,  August,  1850. 

John  R.  Bartlett,  Commissioner. 
Andrew  B.  Gray,  Principal  Surveyor. 
Thomas  H.  Webb,  M.  D.,  Secretary. 


APPENDICES.  595 

Robert  C.  Murphy,  Clerk  and  Assistant  Secretary. 
James  Myer,  Quarter-master. 
J.  C.  Sheldon,  Assistant  Quarter-master. 
George  F.  Bartlett,  Commissary. 
Henry  Jacobs,  Assistant  Commissary. 
John  M.  Bigelow,  M.D.,  Surgeon. 
John  C.  Cremony,  Interpreter. 
George  Thurber,  Botanist. 

Theodore  F.  Moss,  Geologist  and  Mining  Engineer. 
John  Bull,  First  Assistant  Surveyor. 
J.  H.  Prioleau,  do.  do. 

Joseph  Moorehead,  do.  do. 

M.  T.  W.  Chandler,  in  charge  of  Magnetic  and  Meteorological  De- 
partment. 
A.  de  Vaudricourt,  Principal  Draughtsman. 
S.  H.  Kettlewell,  Assistant,  Astronomical  Department. 
Henry  C.  Force,  do.  do. 

James  Henning,  Computer  and    do. 
John  O'Donoghue,       do.  do. 

Hugh  Campbell,  do.  do. 

P.  Crenion,  do.  do. 

Assistants  in  the  surveying,  astronomical,  and  topographical  division, 
whose  positions  were  fixed  at  El  Paso,  when  the  parties  were  organized 
for  field  duty : 

Thomas  Thompson,  Malcolm  Seaton, 

A.  Von  Steinwehr,  William  White,  Jr., 

Eugene  Hesse,  Frank  Wheaton, 

Edward  Barry,  Henry  C.  Cranston, 

Alex.  A.  Camp,  S.  P.  Sanford, 

Geo.  G.  Garner,  Thomas  Walter  Jones, 

R  A.  Matthews,  Charles  A.  Snowden, 

James  Steel,  George  L.  Peirce, 

William  Bausman,  E.  A.  Phillips, 

Geo.  M.  Gordon,  J.  T.  McDuffie, 

R.  L.  Griffin,  John  B.  Steuart, 

J.  E.  Weems,  J.  P.  Espy,  Jr., 

Joseph  Hoban,  George  P.  Ihrie, 

C.  N.  Simms,  Clement  Young, 


596  APPENDICES. 

Thomas  Dunn,  F.  D.  Keller, 

James  H.  Houston,  L.  C.  Houghton, 

Raymond  Nias,  P.  B.  Mowry, 

T.  W.  Tansill,  W.  B.  Yerby, 

James  T.  Scott,  A.  P.  Wilbar. 

From  the  corps  of  Topographical  Engineers  : 

Brev.  Lieut.  Col.  John  McClellan,  Chief  Astronomer,  and  Head 

of  the  Topographical  Scientific  Corps. 
Capt.  E.  L.  F.  Hardcastle,  Assistant  do. 

Lieut.  A.  W.  Whipple,  do.  do. 

Colonel  McClellan  was  recalled  in  October  following,  and  Brevet 
Lieutenant  Colonel  J.  D.  Graham  appointed  in  his  place.  The  latter 
was  recalled  in  October,  1851,  and  Brevet  Major  W.  H.  Emory  ap- 
pointed to  his  place ;  and  soon  after  Mr.  A.  B.  Gray,  Principal  Surveyor, 
was  recalled,  when  Major  Emory  was  appointed  Surveyor,  and  the  office 
of  Chief  Astronomer  abolished.  The  Commission  was  greatly  reduced 
in  the  summer  of  1851,  at  which  time  other  changes  were  made. 

The  following  gentlemen,  who  accompanied  Colonel  Graham,  re- 
ported themselves  at  the  head  quarters  of  the  Commission,  at  the  Cop- 
per Mines,  in  July  and  August,  1851  : 

Charles  Radziminski,  Principal  Assistant  Surveyor. 

Lieut.  A.  E.  Burnside,  3d  Artillery,  Quarter-master  and  Commis- 
sary. 

Lieut.  W.  F.  Smith,  Topographical  Engineers,  Assistant  Astronomer. 

Henry  C.  Pratt,  Draughtsman  and  Artist. 

John  H.  Clark,  Zoologist  and  Assistant  Computer. 

Charles  Wright,  Botanist  and  do. 

John  Lawson,  Clerk  to  Colonel  Graham. 

W.  A.  Taylor,  Sub-Assistant  in  the  Surveying  Corps. 

John  J.  Pratt,       do.  do. 

Major  Emory,  on  joining  the  Surveying  party  on  the  Rio  Grande  to 
relieve  Colonel  Graham,  was  accompanied  by  the  following  officers, 
to  be  added  to  those  already  detailed  for  that  party  : 

Lieut.  Michler,  Topographical  Engineers. 

Arthur  Schott,  First  Assistant  Surveyor. 

Edward  Ingraham,  Sub-Assistant  do. 

George  C.  Gardner,  Clerk. 


APPENDICES.  597 


D. 


Official  Report  of  the  Survey  of  the  River  Gila,  by  Lieu- 
tenant A.  W.  Whipple,  of  the  Topographical  Engineers, 
dated  San  Diego,  California,  January  10th,  1852. 

San  Diego,  California, 
January  10th,  1852. 

Col.  :  I  have  the  honor  to  report  my  arrival  at  San  Diego,  with 
the  party  of  the  Boundary  Commission  under  my  command.  Nearly 
the  whole  time  since  you  left  us  upon  the  San  Pedro,  until  our  arrival 
here,  we  have  been  upon  a  short  allowance  of  provisions. 

With  fourteen  and  a  half  days'  rations  of  flour,  and  without  an 
escort,  we  left  St.  Peter's  Springs  upon  the  Rio  San  Pedro,  on  the  3d  of 
October,  1851.  We  arrived  at  the  desired  points  on  the  Gila,  north- 
east of  Fort  Graham,  on  the  evening  of  the  9th.  The  transit  instrument 
was  mounted  the  same  night,  and  both  limbs  of  the  moon  were  observed 
for  longitude.  The  Topographical  survey  of  the  Gila,  was  commenced 
at  this  point.  My  excellent  assistants  in  this  portion  of  the  work,  Henry 
C.  Force  and  Frank  Wheaton,  are  worthy  of  great  praise  for  their  indus- 
try and  skill  in  the  performance  of  their  duties.  I  should  be  pleased  to 
have  their  names  brought  before  the  Department  at  Washington,  and 
their  merits  appreciated. 

The  survey  was  carried  on  without  difficulty  below  the  junction  of 
Rio  San  Francisco,  as  far  as  the  entrance  to  the  canon  of  the  Pinal 
Lleno  mountains.  Into  this  we  forced  our  way,  although  Indians  told 
us  that  neither  man  nor  beast  could  pass  through.  In  some  places  by 
wading,  in  others  by  climbing  upon  the  sides  of  the  canon,  which  rose 
perpendicularly  from  five  to  fifteen  hundred  feet  in  height,  the  survey 
progressed  for  eight  or  ten  miles.  The  want  of  men  and  of  provisions 
prevented  us  from  sending  reconnoitering  parties  in  advance.  The  train 
passed  over  mountains  rough  and  steep  upon  the  north  side  of  the  river. 
Having  succeeded  in  reaching  a  gorge  by  which  a  mountain  stream 
leaps  into  the  river,  we  were  here  compelled  to  abandon  our  wagon  and 
lead  the  pack-mules  over  steep  mountains.  The  following  extract  from 
the  Meteorological  Notes,  will  give  an  idea  of  our  route. 


598 


Bank  River  Gila 

APPEN 
,  October  26, 

DICES. 

8       A.M. 

Bar. 

27,779 

Canon  Springs, 

a 

27, 

S.  Rise, 

U 

27,470 

Iron  Hill, 

a 

28, 

6       A.  M. 

u 

26,517 

Summit  Pass, 

« 

a 

8J     A.  M. 

<( 

26,073 

Cascade  Grotto, 

u 

« 

9£    A.  M. 

a 

27,194 

<(             « 

a 

29, 

7J     A.M. 

u 

27,229 

Penal  Pass, 

u 

(( 

l£    P.  M. 

u 

25,790 

Rio  Gila, 

November  1, 

4£    P.  M. 

u 

27,903 

The  Cascade  Grotto  is  too  wildly  beautiful  to  pass  unnoticed.  De- 
scending over  twelve  hundred  feet  in  an  hour,  we  plunged  into  an  In- 
dian garden,  where  were  melons,  maize,  and  beans,  and  to  our  surprise 
a  field  of  cotton.  This  fertile  spot  is  an  inclined  plain,  evidently  formed 
by  deposit  from  a  mineral  spring,  which  gushes  from  the  mountain, 
irrigates  the  fields,  and  then  follows  a  ravine,  leaping  from  cliff  to  cliff, 
in  beautiful  cascades,  until  it  joins  the  Gila,  which  appears  in  view  a 
thousand  feet  below  the  garden.  Passing  beneath  the  first  water-fall, 
one  enters  a  charming  stalactite  cave,  consisting  of  two  apartments, 
richly  decorated.  At  the  foot  of  the  precipice  are  flowering  shrubs  and 
matted  vines,  whose  red  flowers  gaily  contrast  with  the  surrounding  ver- 
dure. 

This  singular  formation  is  filled  with  petrifactions.  In  one  place 
was  seen  the  trunk  of  a  large  cotton-wood  tree  completely  petrified,  and 
cropping  out  from  a  bed  of  coarse  lime-stone.  A  chip  showed  distinctly 
bark  and  fibre. 

From  this  point  the  Gila  was  inaccessible ;  and  having  hired  an  In- 
dian from  the  hills,  we  followed  his  guidance,  and  reluctantly  turned  our 
backs  to  the  river.  Surrounded  by  a  great  body  of  Pinal  Llenos,  we 
passed  through  their  strongholds,  and  on  the  1st  of  November  again 
struck  the  Gila,  probably  not  more  than  ten  miles  below  the  point  at 
which  we  left  it. 

Having  surveyed  up  as  far  as  possible  from  this  place,  we  then  fol- 
lowed the  course  of  the  Gila  to  the  mouth  of  the  Rio  San  Pedro.  Here, 
while  observing  moon  culminations  for  longitude,  we  sent  a  party  eighty 
miles  to  the  Pimo  village,  where  flour  was  purchased.  December  9th, 
I  met  this  party  on  its  return.  When  we  arrived  at  the  Pimo  village, 
Colonel  Craig,  with  our  escort  of  twenty-three  men,  and  Captain  Barry, 
with  about  twenty-five  days'  rations,  were  awaiting  us.     The  banks  of  the 


APPENDICES.  599 

river  from  the  Pimo  settlement  to  the  junction  of  the  Rio  Salinas,  are 
fertile,  producing  crops  of  cotton  of  the  first  quality.  The  Maricopas 
have  been  driven  by  the  Yumas  from  their  settlement  near  the  Salinas  into 
closer  proximity  to  the  Pimos.  Within  the  last  year  many  have  been 
killed,  including  Juan  Antonio  Llunas,  a  Maricopa  by  birth,  but  com- 
mander-in-chief of  the  confederate  tribes.  If  protected  from  incursions 
of  Apaches,  Cuchans,  and  Yumas,  the  Maricopas  would  gladly  return 
to  their  fertile  fields  upon  the  American  bank  of  the  Gila  ;  and,  in  case 
of  an  Indian  war,  they  would  prove  a  valuable  auxiliary  to  our  troops. 
The  Salinas,  at  its  junction,  is  a  beautiful  stream,  clear  as  crystal,  large 
as  the  Gila,  and,  to  our  surprise,  not  salt.  Having  progressed  with  the 
topographical  survey  to  within  about  eighty  miles  of  the  junction  of  the 
Gila  with  the  Colorado,  and  our  supplies  of  provisions  failing,  we  were 
obliged  on  the  14th  of  December  to  postpone  its  conclusion  until  pro- 
visions could  be  procured  at  the  army  depot  at  "  Camp  Yuma."  In 
four  days  we  reached  the  junction.  Here,  meeting  Captain  Jimenesand 
party  of  the  Mexican  Commission,  who  had  arrived  the  day  previous,  to 
our  consternation  we  learned  that  the  military  post  had  been  abandon- 
ed. There  was  no  alternative  but  to  follow  the  soldiers.  Crossing  the 
Colorado,  we  arrived  on  the  1st  of  January,  1852,  at  Santa  Isabel,  where 
Captain  Davidson  kindly  saved  us  from  suffering  by  hunger.  On  the 
8th  of  January  we  encamped  at  San  Diego.  The  agricultural  resources 
of  the  Gila  are  of  little  value  to  the  United  States,  more  than  nine 
tenths  of  the  soil  susceptible  of  cultivation  being  upon  the  Mexican 
bank.  Settlements  could,  however,  be  supported  at  the  mouth  of  the  San 
Francisco,  opposite  the  mouth  of  the  Rio  San  Pedro,  upon  the  Salinas, 
and  at  the  junction  of  the  Gila  with  the  Colorado.  From  what  pre- 
cedes it  may  be  inferred  that  it  would  hardly  be  practicable  to  construct 
"  a  road,  canal,  or  railway "  to  run  wholly  upon  the  river  Gila.  The 
Canon  of  the  Pinal  Lleno  Mountains  is  a  complete  barrier.  The  Pass 
below  the  junction  of  the  Rio  San  Pedro,  is  equally  impracticable.  Be- 
tween the  Pimo  settlements  and  the  junction  of  the  Gila  with  the  Colo- 
rado, nature  interposes  no  serious  obstacle  to  the  construction  of  a  way 
of  communication,  such  as  the  travelling  public  may  demand.  But 
from  the  Pimo  village  to  the  Rio  Del  Norte,  I  know  of  no  practicable 
route  even  for  a  wagon  road,  except  by  entering  the  State  of  Sonora  to 
avoid  the  Pinal  Lleno  Mountains.  Possibly  a  route  may  be  found  fol- 
lowing the  course  of  the  Salinas  towards  Santa  Fe.     Otherwise,  a  jor- 


600  APPENDICES. 

nada  must  be  traversed  to  Tucson  in  Mexico  ;  thence  crossing  the  Rio 
San  Pedro,  a  road  may  pass  from  spring  to  spring — leaving  the  Guada- 
lupe Pass  to  the  south — and  may  proceed  in  the  vicinity  of  the  south- 
ern boundary  of  New  Mexico  to  Dona  Ana.  Four  permanent  military 
posts  should  at  the  same  time  be  established  near  this  route ;  one  at 
Col.  Craig's  "  Cantonment  Dawson  "  among  the  Copper  Mines  of  New 
Mexico,  where  a  well-watered  and  fertile  valley,  rich  in  precious  metals, 
would  soon  support  a  flourishing  settlement;  one  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Rio  San  Pedro,  where  the  Pinal  Lleno  Indians  would  be  intercepted  in 
their  marauding  expeditions  to  Sonora  ;  and  the  third  upon  the  excel- 
lent cotton-lands  at  the  mouth  of  the  Salinas.  The  fourth,  upon  the  Co- 
lorado, has  already  been  established  by  order  of  the  War  Department. 
By  treaty  stipulations  Avith  Mexico,  it  is  solemnly  agreed,  that  all  in- 
cursions into  her  territory  of  our  savage  tribes  shall  be  forcibly  re- 
strained by  the  government  of  the  United  States.  At  present,  Indian 
depredations  in  Sonora  are  notorious.  Scores  of  our  own  citizens  also 
have  been  slaughtered  by  these  roving  robbers,  and  we  have  seen  their 
bones  bleaching  by  the  road-side.  The  government  is,  therefore,  bound 
to  station  a  strong  military  force  upon  the  frontier.  Protection  to  the 
settlers  will  enable  the  resources  of  the  country  to  be  developed  ;  emi- 
grants, assured  of  safety  and  supplies  at  these  depots,  will  avoid  the  perils 
and  expense  of  a  sea  voyage ;  and  it  will  soon  be  seen  whether  the 
wants  of  the  people  require,  so  as  to  render  advantageous,  the  construc- 
tion of  a  canal  or  railway  which  may  in  part  run  upon  the  river  Gila. 

The  construction  of  a  wagon  road  by  the  route  proposed  through 
Sonora  for  the  use  of  both  countries,  would  be  of  no  less  advantage  to 
Mexico  than  to  the  United  States.  An  agreement  to  this  effect  is,  in 
fact,  necessary  to  the  fulfilment  of  the  treaty  stipulations  with  reference 
to  the  protection  of  the  frontier.  This  done,  and  some  slight  encour- 
agement given  to  trade,  and  the  now  half-depopulated  province  of  Sonora 
will  soon  become  one  of  the  most  flourishing  States  of  Mexico. 

From  the  day  of  first  striking  the  Gila  to  the  time  of  reaching  its 
mouth,  seventy  days,  astronomical  observations  were  made  every  night 
except  two,  which  were  cloudy.  The  whole  number  of  astronomical 
and  meteorological  stations  upon  the  Gila  were  forty-six.  Nearly  all  of 
these  were  also  magnetic  stations.  Between  the  mouth  of  the  Gila  and 
this  place  are  three  intermediate  astronomical  and  magnetic  stations, 
<  besides  those  made  on  my  trip  from  San  Diego  to  the  Colorado  in  Sep- 


APPENDICES.  601 

tember,  1849.  Thus  is  completed  a  consecutive  chain  of  magnetic  sta- 
tions extending  from  the  observatory  at  Cambridge,  Massachusetts,  by 
way  of  Galveston,  San  Antonio,  and  El  Paso  del  Norte,  to  the  Pacific 
Ocean.  At  most  of  the  stations,  the  three  elements,  inclination,  declina- 
tion, and  intensity  have  been  observed.  In  the  astronomical  and  mag- 
netic department,  John  O'Donoghue  and  Hugh  Campbell  have  been 
my  invaluable  assistants. 

The  magnetic  instrument  used  was  made  by  Mr.  George,  of  Fal- 
mouth, under  the  direction  of  the  celebrated  Mr.  Fox,  the  inventor.  It 
is  the  same  that  was  turned  over  for  this  service  by  yourself  at  the  close 
of  the  North-eastern  Boundary  survey.  With  it  I  observed  at  Chagres, 
Gorgona,  and  Panama,  in   1849. 

It  is  believed  that  a  map  exhibiting  the  results  obtained  will  prove 
of  much  interest,  and  when  published  will  add  credit  to  the  department 
under  which  the  operation  Las  been  conducted.  I  regret  that  we  have 
not  the  power  of  embracing  the  present  opportunity — by  returning  to 
the  United  States  by  way  of  China  and  the  Mediterranean — to  sur- 
round the  globe  with  a  series  of  magnetic  observations.  Not  only 
would  the  value  of  the  results  upon  the  boundary  be  greatly  enhanced 
by  such  direct  comparison  at  European  observatories,  but  passing 
through  or  near  the  maxima  of  horizontal  intensity,  the  lines  of  no  vari- 
ation would  be  crossed,  and  an  exceedingly  interesting  belt  of  observa- 
tions might  be  completed  around  that  part  of  the  world,  at  present, 
with  reference  to  magnetism,  so  little  known. 

Notwithstanding  the  recent  hostility  of  the  whole  tribe  of  Apaches, 
Colloteros,  Pinal  Llenos,  and  Tontos,  through  which  we  passed  without 
an  escort,  nothing  but  kindness  was  received  from  them.  The  Yumas 
and  Cocopas,  though  glorying  in  the  belief  that  they  had  driven  away 
the  small  detachment  of  United  States  troops  stationed  among  them, 
still  treated  us  with  respect  and  favor.  The  vigilance  of  Colonel  Craig 
gave  them  no  opportunity  of  showing  hostility. 

One  sad  accident  I  have  to  record :  the  death  of  Thomas  Harper,  an 
excellent  young  man  from  Kentucky,  and  a  member  of  my  party. 
While  bathing  in  the  Colorado,  he  was  seized  with  cramp,  sank,  and, 
although  a  dozen  leaped  into  the  water  to  afford  assistance,  the  rapid 
current  bore  him  beyond  reach,  and  search  was  fruitless. 

Major  Heintzelman  is  now  preparing  to  establish  the  military  post 
at  the  Colorado  River.     Soon  as  this  is  done,  I  hope  to  be  able  to  ob- 


602  APPENDICES. 

tain  supplies  of  provisions ;  and  in  ten  days  after  the  recommencement 
of  the  work,  the  survey  of  the  Gila  will  be  completed.  In  the  mean 
time,  until  the  arrival  of  Mr.  Bartlett,  who  is  supposed  to  be  at  Guay- 
mas,  or,  while  awaiting  other  means  of  procuring  supplies  for  our  re- 
turn, myself  and  assistants  are  actively  employed  in  completing  our 
observations  and  plotting  the  notes  of  the  survey. 
I  remain,  Sir,  very  respectfully, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

A.  W.  WHIPPLE, 
Lt.  IT.  S.  Topographical  Engrs. 
To  Brev.  Lt.  Col.  J.  D.  Graham,  U.  S.  T.E. 
Principal  Astronomer,  etc., 

U.  S.  B.  Commission 


E. 

Colonel  J.  D.  GraJiam  to  the  Hon.  Alex.  H.  H.  Stuart,  Secre- 
tary of  tlie  Interior,  in  reference  to  the  Survey  of  the 
Head  Waters  of  the  Gulf  of  California  and  the  River 
Colorado,  by  Lieutenant  I.  G.  Strain,  U.  S.  Navy. 

Washington,  December  31,  1850. 
The  Honorable  the  Secretary  of  the  Department  of  the  Interior 
having  referred  to  me  (for  my  views  of  the  measures  therein  suggested) 
the  letter  of  Lieutenant  I.  G.  Strain,  of  the  navy,  of  the  31st  of  October 
last,  and  the  papers  accompanying  it,  I  have  the  honor  to  state  that  I 
have  perused  them  all  with  attention,  and  that  I  feel  obliged  to  give  it 
as  my  opinion  (which  I  do  with  all  deference),  that  the  measures  sug- 
gested by  Lieutenant  Strain  have  no  relation  whatever  to  the  survey  and 
demarkation  of  the  boundary  under  the  Treaty  of  Guadalupe  Hidalgo ; 
and  that  they  ought  not  in  any  way  to  be  connected  therewith.  I  have 
made  a  careful  calculation  of  the  length  of  boundary  line  to  be  sur- 
veyed and  marked  by  suitable  monuments,  and  find  it  to  be  about  one 
thousand  six  hundred  miles,  independent  of  the  lateral  surveys  that  will 
be  requisite,  in  order  to  determine  the  true  line  of  boundary,  should 


APPENDICES.  603 

doubts  on  this  point  arise,  on  any  portion  of  the  line,  in  the  minds  of 
the  Commissioners.  The  aggregate  extent  of  survey  necessary  to  fix 
the  line,  will  scarcely  fall  short  of  two  thousand  or  two  thousand  five 
hundred  miles.  Every  one  connected  with  this  survey  will  then  have 
as  much  as  they  can  possibly  attend  to  in  performing  the  duties  imme- 
diately connected  with  the  boundary  line,  which  should  be  completed 
at  as  early  a  period  as  possible. 

Besides  these  considerations  of  expediency,  I  cannot  perceive  how 
the  expenses  which  would  attend  the  accomplishment  of  Lieutenant 
Strain's  project,  could  be  legitimately  drawn  from  the  appropriations 
granted  by  Congress  for  the  boundary  survey. 

The  Gulf  of  California  lies  far  from  the  line  of  boundary,  and  in 
territory  belonging  exclusively  to  Mexico,  and  not  within  the  jurisdic- 
tion, therefore,  of  the  United  States.  To  attempt  a  minute  survey  of 
this  gulf,  under  the  pretence  of  its  being  an  adjunct  operation  to  the 
boundary  survey,  would  undoubtedly  arouse  the  suspicions  of  Mexico, 
and  give  offence  to  that  Republic. 

It  is  true,  that  by  the  provisions  of  the  late  treaty  our  citizens  have 
the  right  of  ingress  and  egress  through  the  Gulf  of  California ;  and  it 
is  not  improbable,  that  if  the  proposition  were  made  to  the  Mexican 
government  through  the  proper  channel,  she  might  be  disposed  to  enter 
into  a  joint  arrangement  with  our  government  for  an  accurate  hydro- 
graphic  survey  of  the  gulf;  an  undertaking  that  would  be  equally 
honorable  to  both  governments,  and  highly  advantageous  to  the  com- 
merce of  both  people.  But  in  such  an  event,  I  should  think  it  highly 
expedient  that  so  important  an  operation  should,  on  our  side,  be  placed 
under  the  direction  of  one  of  the  organized  corps  of  the  government, 
maintained  for  such  purposes,  and  provided  with  all  the  necessary  appa- 
ratus and  scientific  experience  which  are  necessary  to  success. 

I  find  by  the  latest  maps  we  have  of  California,  that  the  area  of  this 
gulf  is  not  less  than  sixty-two  thousand  square  miles.  To  acomplish  a 
survey  of  it  in  a  manner  to  satisfy  the  requirements  of  commerce  would, 
to  say  the  least,  occupy  several  years ;  and  it  would  probably  cost  very 
nearly  as  much  as  has  been  appropriated  for  the  whole  boundary  survey, 
perhaps  even  more. 

If  a  mere  reconnoissance  of  the  gulf  is  proposed,  I  will  remark  that 
Mr.  Gray,  the  United  States  Surveyor,  informed  me,  on  his  arrival  here, 
that  General  Persifer  Smith  had  already  detailed  an  officer  and  supplied 


604  APPENDICES. 

a  vessel  for  that  object.     I  presume  lie  had  proper  authority  for  so 
doing. 

In  regard  to  the  "  flotilla,"  which  Lieut.  Strain  alluded  to  as  being  in 
command  of,  I  must  again  most  respectfully  remark,  that  I  consider 
this  an  injudicious  arrangement,  and  that  it  ought  to  be  dispensed  with. 
I  have  been  frequently  engaged  on  surveys,  for  the  last  thirty  years,  of 
rivers,  harbors,  and  portions  of  the  sea  coast,  and  always  found  the  best 
persons  to  manage  the  boats  employed  on  such  service  were  the  engi- 
neers and  surveyors  charged  with,  and  responsible  for,  the  execution  of 
the  duty.  Landsmen  born  and  reared  near  the  sea  coast,  or  near  our 
great  rivers,  generally  possess  all  the  skill  requisite  for  the  manage- 
ment of  such  boats ;  and  I  would  much  prefer  on  this  boundary  service 
the  system,  in  this  respect,  which  I  have  always  heretofore  practised* 
and  therefore  I  recommend  it  to  your  favorable  consideration. 

The  letter  of  Lieut.  Strain  to  the  department,  of  October,  3 1 ,  and 
the  papers  therein  alluded  to  as  accompanying  the  same,  are  herewith 
handed  back  to  the  department. 

"  All  which  is  respectfully  submitted. 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 
Lt.  Col.  and  Head  of  Scientific  Corps ; 
dec,  dec,  dec 
Hon.  Alex.  H.  H.  Stuart, 

Sec  of  the  Department  of  the  Interior. 


F. 

Programme  of  the  Party  detailed  for  the  Survey  of  the  Bio 
Grande,  August  27,  1851. 

Lt.  Col.  J.  D.  Graham,  Principal  Astronomer  in  charge  of  the  party. 
Lt.  W.  F.  Smith,  Topographical  Engineers,  Assistant  Astronomer. 
Lt.  A.  E.  Burnside,  3d  Artillery,  Quarter-master  and  Commissary. 
M.  Von  Hippel,  Draughtsman. 

M.  T.  W.  Chandler,  1st  Assistant  in  charge  of  Meteorological  Depart* 
ment. 


APPENDICES.  605 

Lieut.  0.  H.  Tillinghast   (soon  after  removed  by  Major  Emory), 
Quarter-master  and  Commissary. 

Thomas  W.  Jones,  Assistant.  James  Henning,  Assistant. 

J.  H.  Clark,  do.  P.  Crenion,  do. 

Charles  Wright,  do.  James  P.  Espy,  do. 

Wm.  White,  Jr.,  do.  Geo.  G.  Garner,         do. 

Charles  A.  Snowden,    do.  E.  A.  Phillips,  do. 

Thomas  Thompson,         do.  A.  P.  Wilbar,  do. 

James  H.  Houston,         do. 
T.  W.  Tansill,         )  Clerks  in  the  Commissary  and  Quarter-master's 
George  S.  Peirce,  )      Departments. 

Thirteen  chainmen,  flag-bearers,  station-markers,  and  mechanics  ; 
nineteen  cooks,  servants,  and  laborers ;  with  teamsters  and  herdsmen  in 
addition. 

Many  additions,  and  some  changes,  were  made  by  Major  Emory 
when  he  relieved  Colonel  Graham,  in  November  following. 


INDEX 


Acapulco,  arrival  at,  i.  499. 

description  of,  i.  500. 

its  ancient  commerce,  i.  503. 

Agave  Mexican  a  and  its  uses,  i.  291 ; 

ii.  484. 
where  seen,  i.  198.  254;  ii.  105, 

124,  126,  296,  370. 
Agua  Dulce,  Texas,  ii.  526. 
Aguardiente,  how  made,  i.  290. 
Agua  Peieta,  Sonora,  i.  257,  294;  ii. 

290. 
Aguilar,  Gov.,  of  Sonora,  i.  435. 

journey  with,  to  Guaymas,  i.  463. 

Alacran,  The,  of  Durango,  ii.  557. 
Alamo,  The,  at  San  Antonio,  i.  41. 
Alamo  Mucho,  well  at,  ii.  132,  140. 

desert  at,  ii.  135. 

Alamo  de  Parras,  arrival  at,  ii.  478. 
extensive    cultivation    near,    ii. 

478. 
Alarcon,  his  voyage  up  the  Colorado 

in  1540,  ii.  168,  170,  181. 
Ensign,  voyage  to  California  in 

1594,  ii.  98. 
Albuquerque,  its  elevation  above  the 

sea,  i.  196. 
character  of  the  country  between 

it  and  the  Gila,  ii.  144. 
Alcedo,  notices  the  petahaya,  ii.  192. 
Alden,  Capt.,  trip  with,  to  the  Fara- 

lones,  ii.  53. 
Alegro.    History   of  the   Jesuits   re- 
ferred to,  ii.  183,  212. 
his  notices  of  the  Pimos,  ii.  266, 

282,  299. 
Alfalfa  and  its  cultivation,  ii.  437. 
Algodones  on  the  Colorado,  ii.  150. 
Alkaline  salt  in  Chihuahua,  ii.  417. 


Almaden,  Spain,  notices  of  the  quick- 
silver mines  at,  ii.  59. 
Almaden,  New,  description  of,  ii.  57. 
the   quicksilver  furnaces   at,  ii. 

58,  67. 
Altar,  Presidio  of,  Sonora,  i.  407. 
Ampudia,  Gen.,  his  battery  in  the  Ein- 

conada  pass,  ii.  510. 
Andrews,  Maj.,  at  Fort  Yuma,  ii.  152. 

acknowledgments  to,  ii.  158. 

Angeles,  Los,  California,  journey  to 

and  description  of,  ii.  80,  82. 

Star,  newspaper,  ii.  81. 

Angostura,  encampment  at,  ii.  494. 
Animals,  losses  of,  by  the  cold,  i.  144. 
Ankrim,  Hon.  J.  L.,  i.  61. 
Antelope,  great  numbers  of,  in  West- 
ern Texas,  ii.  521-526. 
Antelope  Creek,  Texas,  i.  74,  75. 
Apaches,  first  visit  from,  i.  300. 

captives  taken  from,  i.  310. 

friendly  relations  with,  i.  320. 

Americans  attacked  by  them  in 

Chihuahua,  i.  295. 

dialogue  with,  i.  312,  334. 

their  range  and  numbers,  i.  323 ; 

ii.  386. 

ethnological  position,  habits  and 

physical  character,  i.  826. 

one  killed  by  a  Mexican,  i.  331. 

Descent  by  them  on  the  animals 

at  the  Copper  Mines,  i. 

343,  346,  349,  351,  353. 
their  ravages  in  Sonora,  i.  408, 

447,  450;  ii.  292,  317. 

defeated  by  the  Opates,  i.  454. 

their   ravages   in  Chihuahua,  ii. 

293,  345,  369,  377,  415,  427. 
their  depredations  near  El  Paso, 

ii.  384,  388. 


608 


INDEX. 


Apaches,  their  treachery  and  hostile 

character,  ii.  387. 
encounter  with,  in  Chihuahua,  ii. 

411. 
their  plunder  of  Arniijo's  train, 

ii.  415. 
Aranama  Mission,  Texas,  i.  30. 
Aransas  Bay,  Texas,  ii.  533. 
Arispe,  Sonora,  visit  to,  i.  282. 
Armijo's  train  robbed  by  the  Indians, 

ii.  415. 
Arroyo  de  Uvalde  River,  Texas,  ii.  529. 
Ash  Creek,  Sonora,  ii.  326. 
Assumption  River,  N.  Mexico,  ii.  269. 
Astronomical  Observatory  established 

at  San  Eleazario  and  Frontera, 

i.  176. 
Atascoco  River,  Texas,  ii.  529. 
Atmosphere,  its  clearness  in  Texas,  i. 

118. 
Aztecs,  the  notion  of  their  migration 

from  the  north  not  well  found- 
ed, ii.  283. 

B. 
Babasaqtji,  Sonora,  i.  417. 
Babispe,  Presidio  of,  Sonora,  i.  407. 
pass  in  the  Sierra  Madre  near,  ii. 

568. 
Babocomori  River,  Sonora,  i.  393. 
Bachimba,  Chihuahua,  ii.  444. 
Bacuachi,  Sonora,  visit  to,  i.  275. 
Bahia  del  Espiritu  Santo,  i.  26. 
Baird,  Prof.  S.  E,  his  notice  of  the  zo- 
ology of    the   commission,  ii. 

548. 
Bajiopa  Indians,  California,  ii.  178. 
Bale,  Senora,  of  Napa  valley,  ii.  22. 
Sergeant,  and   the  deserters,  ii. 

136. 
Ball  given  to  the  people  of  El  Paso,  i. 

167. 
Balleza  River,  Chihuahua,  ii.  450. 
Barbabi  valley,  Sonora,  i.  273. 
Barley,  its  cultivation  in  California, 

ii.  15. 
Barometers  broken,  ii.  184. 
Barragan,    Capt.,  Mexican  Army,    i. 

406 ;  ii.  292. 
Barrancas  near  Buena  Vista,  ii.  495. 
Barron   &   Forbes,   their   quicksilver 

mine,  ii.  67. 
Barry,  Capt.,  organizes  a  rifle  corps,  i. 

19. 
Barry  &  Sheldon   reach   El  Paso,  i. 

149. 


Bears,  their  numbers  in  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  i.  236. 

in  California,  ii.  36,  48. 

emigrants   encounter    one    near 

the  Guadalupe  Pass,  ii.  335. 

Beaver,  where  found,  ii.  566. 

Beef  cattle  found,  i.  101,  103. 

Bells,  old,  in  Sonora,  i.  276,  419. 

Benicia,  California,  ii.  12. 

Berne,  Mr.,  of  Guadalupe,  Texas,  i.  55. 

Berthold,  Justice,  of  Socorro,  i.  159. 

Bester,  Norman,  New  Almaden,  ii.  63. 

Bigelow,  Dr.  J.  M.,  his  botanical  col- 
lection, ii.  549. 

Big  Horn  Mountain,  Gila,  ii.  197. 

Black-tailed  deer,  ii.  197. 

Black  Water  Creek,  i.  263. 

Blanco,  General,  visit  to  and  from,  ii. 
292,  293. 

Bobadilla,  Juan  B.,  of  Parras,  ii.  488. 

Bodega  Bay,  California,  ii.  28. 

Boiling  Spring,  Texas,  i.  118. 

Bolson  de  Mapimi  occupied  by  the  In- 
dians, ii.  455. 

Bond,  Lieut.,  at  Fort  Yuma,  ii.  152. 

Botanical  Collections  of  the  Commis- 
sion, notice  of,  ii.  549,  550. 

Bottom  lands  on  the  Rio  Grande,  i.  196. 

their  great  extent,  i.  188. 

of  Sonora,  ii.  569. 

Boturini's  theory  of  the  Aztec  migra- 
tion, ii.  283. 

Boulders  at  Waco  M't'n,  i.  ]  34,  170. 

near  the  Gila,  ii.  195,  206. 

Boundary  Commission,  its  outfit  pro- 
cured, i.  4. 

its  organization  and  objects,  i.  5. 

list  of  the  members  of,  ii.  594. 

Boundary  line  between  the  United 
States  and  Mexico. — Vth  arti- 
cle of  the  treaty  relating  to,  ii. 
587. 

see  Initial  Point. 

Bracito,  encamp  near,  ii.  395. 

note  on  Col.  Doniphan's  battle  at, 

ii.  395. 

Brady's  Creek,  Texas,  i.  70,  71. 

Brandy  of  El  Paso,  i.  186. 

production  of,  in  Sonora,  i.  469. 

Brazos  River,  its  source,  ii.  565. 

Brodie,  J.  P.,  of  Sonora,  i.  463,  471. 

Bryan,  Major,  his  route  and  itinerary 
through  Texas,  i.  83,  136. 

Buena  Vista,  encampment  near,  and 
visit  to  the  battle-field  of,  ii. 
494. 


INDEX. 


609 


Buenaval  Rio,  Zacatecns,  ii.  4*76. 

Buena  Vista  Rio,  Chihuahua,  ii.  450. 

Buford,  Capt.  A.,  i.  200,  205,  207. 

comes  to  the  aid  of  the  Commis- 
sion with  his  dragoons,  i.  350. 

his  expedition  against  the  Indi- 
ans, i.  351. 

Bull,  John,  Reconnaissance  by,  and 
new  route  opened  to  the  Cop- 
per Mines,  i.  177  ;  ii.  542. 

his  survey  from  Indianola  to  El 

Paso,  i.  14 ;  ii.  542. 

his  connection  with  the  Gila  sur- 
vey, ii.  543. 

Burro  Mountains,  New  Mexico,  i.  361. 

Burrowing  animals  in  Texas,  i.  99. 

C. 

Cabeca  River,  Texas,  Encampment  on, 
i.  31. 

Cabeca  de  Vaca,  reference  to,  ii.  531. 

Cache  on  the  Gila  opened,  ii.  199. 

used  by  the  Hudson's  Bay  traders, 

ii.  199. 

mode  of  constructing  them, ii.  200. 

indications  of  one  seen,  ii.  202. 

Cacti,  travelling  among,  ii.  801. 

Caddo  Indians- of  Texas,  i.  66. 

Calabasa,  Sonora,  ii.  307. 

Calf  killed  for  a  deer,  i.  23. 

California,  character  of  the  natives  of, 
ii.  73. 

its   advantages   independent   of 

gold,  ii.  98. 

the  ladies  of,  ii.  1 04. 

its  agricultural  resources,  i.  106. 

the  fertility  of  its  soil,  ii.  119. 

■  Gulf  of,  exploration  and  survey 

of    its     head-waters    recom- 
mended, ii.  162. 

Lieut.  Strain's  plan  for  this  sur- 
vey in  his  letter  to  the  Secre- 
tary of  the  Interior,  ii.  163- 
165. 

survey  of,  defeated  by  Lieut.  Col. 

Graham,  ii.  165,  166. 

examination  of,  authorized  by  in- 
structions, ii.  167. 

explored  by  Alarcon  in  1540,  ii. 

168. 

Gulf  of,  explored  by  Consas;  in 

1746,  ii.  170. 

voyage  of  Lieut.  Hardy  in  1828, 

"ii.170. 

aspect  of  its  shores,  i.  483. 

desert  its  barrenness,  ii.  126-130. 


Camargo,  arrival  at  and  description 
of,  ii.  511. 

Camels,  note  on  their  introduction  on 
the  deserts  and  plains,  ii.  576 
-584. 

Campbell,  Dr.  J.  "W.,  of  Ures,  Sonora, 
_  i.  435,  436. 

his  kindness  to  the  author,  i.  438. 

Camp  Creek,  Texas,  i.  69. 

Campus,  Don  Jesus,  of  Parras,  his  wine 
vaults,  ii.  488. 

Canales,  Gen.,  his  destruction  of  U.  S. 
wagons,  ii.  506. 

Cantarecio,  Chihuahua,  ii.  406. 

Captives  (Mexican)  rescued  from  the 
Apaches,  i.  310. 

Captive  girl  rescued  (see  Inez  Gonza- 
les), i.  303. 

Caravajal,  General,  ii.  511. 

Carmel  River,  California,  ii.  76. 

Carmel  Mission,  California,  ii.  77. 

Carmen,  Island  of,  California,  i.  483. 

Carmen  River,  Chihuahua,  ii.  407-411. 

Carrasco  General,  meeting  with,  in 
Sonora,  i.  263. 

makes  a  descent  on  the  Apaches, 

at  Janos,  i.  267. 

his   opinion  of  Gen.    Scott  and 

the  American  officers,  i.  270. 

meet  his  brigade  in  Guadalupe 

Pass,  i.  295. 

Carrizal,  Chihuahua,  ii.  409. 

Carrizitos,  Tamaulipas,  ii.  506. 

Carrizo  Creek,  California,  its  charac- 
ter, ii.  126-128. 

vegetation  near,  ii.  127. 

Castello,  Domenico  de,  voyage  up 
the  Colorado  in  1540,  ii.  168. 

Castilian  language,  its  purity  in  Cali- 
fornia, ii.  74. 

Castillero,  Senor,  proprietor  of  the 
New  Almaden  mine,  ii.  67. 

Castle  Mountain,  Texas,  i.  91 ;  ii.  570. 

Casas  Grandes,  on  the  Rio  Salinas,  ii. 
244-248. 

on  the  Gila,  account  of,  ii.  271- 

285. 

noticed  by  Father  Kino  in  1697, 

ii.  265. 

described  by  Father  Font  in  1770, 

ii.  278. 

mistakes  of  authors  in  reference 

to,  ii.  280. 

Chihuahua,  visit  to,  and  descrip- 
tion of,  ii.  345-365. 

their  general  character  the  same 


610 


INDEX. 


as  the  ruins  on  the  Gila  and 
the  Salinas,  ii.  354. 

Casas  Grandes  of  Chihuahua,  their  re- 
semblance to  edifices  of  the 
Pueblo  Indians  of  New  Mexi- 
co, ii.  357-368. 

Casas  Gkandes  River,  Chihuahua,  ii. 
237,  342,  347,  363. 

its    bottom-lands,    ii.    347,    360, 

363. 

its  agricultural  products,  ii.  363. 

Catalina  Island,  Gulf  of  Cal.,  i.483. 

on  the  Pacific  coast,  ii.  79. 

Cawenas  Indians,  small  remnant  of, 
on  the  Gila,  ii.  251. 

Cayman  Lake,  ii.  472. 

Ceguin,  near  Parras,  ii.  489. 

Cereus  Giganteus,  first  seen  in  Sonora, 
i.  416. 

for  further  notices  of  this  plant 

see  Petahaya. 

Centipedes,  their  numbers,  ii.  556. 

Ceralvo,  town  of,  ii.  507. 

Cereals  of  California,  ii.  106. 

Ceris  Indians  of  Sonora,  i.  463. 

language,  history,  and  charac- 
teristics of,  i.  464. 

poisoned  arrows  of,  i.  465. 

Cerro  Gordo,  Durango,  ii.  467. 

escort  furnished  at,  ii.  467. 

attack  of  Comanches  on,  ii.  468. 

Cervis  Lewisii,  L  236. 

Chandler,  M.  T.  W.,  his  meteorological 
observations,  ii.  541. 

Ciiapporal  in  Texas,  its  character, 
i.  93. 

Chapporal  Cock,  ii.  563. 

Charco  de  Grado,  Chihuahua,  ii.  406. 

Chemeguaba  Indians  of  the  Colorado, 
ii.  178. 

Chihuahua,  its  trade  with  San  Anto- 
nio, i.  40. 

approach  to,  ii.  421. 

map    and    statistical   report    on, 

made  in  1834,  ii.  429. 

description  of  the  city,  ii.  431— 

440. 

its  arable  and  timber  lands,  ii. 

567. 

Chihuahua  dogs,  diminutive  breed  of 
ii.  440. 

Chili  Colorado  of  Sonora,  i.  408. 

Chimney  Rock  near  Fort  Yuma,  ii. 
159. 

Chin api,  Sonora,  i.  279. 

Chinese  in  California,  ii.  12. 


Chipota,  the  Lipan  Chief,  i.  76-79. 

Chiqueta,  the  Lipan  Chief,  i.  79. 

Cholera  among  the  Gila  Indians,  ii. 
241. 

Cibolo  River,  encampment  on,  i.  33. 

Cienega  Grande,  near  Parras,  ii.  489. 

Cinnabar  of  New  Almaden,  ii.  57. 

Clarke,  Edw.  C,  the  murder  of,  i.158. 

J.  H.,  his  zoological  collections, 

preface  viii. ;  ii.  548. 

Clavigero,  his  theory  of  Aztec  emigra- 
tion not  well  founded,  ii.  283. 

his  reference  to  the  Casas  Gran- 
des, ii.  358-362. 

Clear  Lake,  California,  ii.  36. 

Coanpa  Indians  of  the  Colorado,  ii. 
178. 

Cocopa  Indians  of  the  Colorado,  ii. 
179. 

Coco-Maricopa  Indians,  visit  from  at 
Ures,  i.  451. 

on  the  Gila,  ii.  211,  213. 

their   religious   notions,  ii.   221, 

222. 

their  former  range,  ii.  221. 

their  courtship  and  marriage,  ii. 

222. 

their  cotton  manufactures,  ii.  224 

-226. 

their   pottery  and    basket-work, 

ii.   226. 

their  dress,  ii.  228-230. 

their  villages  and  mode  of  irriga- 
tion, ii.  234. 

their  granaries,  ii.  235,  236. 

their  wars  with  the  Yumas,  ii. 

252. 

their  alliance  with  the  Pimos,  ii. 

262. 

their  numbers,  ii.  263. 

visited  by  Kino  in  1698,  ii.  267. 

where  found  by  Font  in  1775, 

and  by  Sedelmayer  in  1744.  ii. 
268. 

Cocospera,  Sonora,  Mission  at,  i.  413. 

meet  French  emigrants  journey- 
ing to,  i.  472, 

Cocuiarachi,  Sonora,  i.  272. 

Colette  River,  Texas,  camp  on,  i.  19. 

its  character,  i.  21. 

Colima,  Mexico,  its  position,  i.  494. 

its    history    and   population,    i. 

498. 

the  volcanos  of,  i.  493. 

Colonization  of  the  English  and  Span- 
ish compared,  ii.  299. 


INDEX. 


611 


Comanche  Spring,  Texas,  i.  53. 

Comanche  Indians,  ii.  385. 

their   depredations,  ii.  4*76,  417, 

479,  480,  497,  520 
their  range  and  numbers,  ii.  386, 

424. 
their  attack  on  the  town  of  Sau- 

cillo,  ii.  447. 
their  robbery  of  120  mules  from 

a  train,  ii.  448. 

in  the  Bolson  de  Mapimi  ii.  455. 

defeat    the   Mexicans    at   Cerro 

Gordo,  ii.  468. 
Cola  Azul,  the  Pimo  chief,  ii.  254. 
Colorado  River  of  Texas,  ii.  536. 
Colorado    River,    California,    arrival 

at,  ii.  150. 
bottom   lands    on,    ii.  149,  151, 

159-161. 
■ hills   of    moving   sand   near,  ii. 

149,  150. 

its  junction    with    the  Gila,  ii. 

158. 
its  character,  ii.    157,  160,  173, 

174,  168,  170,  172,  572. 
nature  of  its  bend,  which  gives 

the  U.  S.  both    its   banks   at 

Fort  Yuma,  ii.  160. 
traces  of  old  Spanish  missions  on, 

ii.  161. 
difficulties  in  navigating,  ii.  162, 

168,  170,  171,  172. 

survey  of,  recommended,   ii.  162. 

Lt.  Strain's  plan  for  such  survey, 

163-165. 
Col.  Graham  defeats  the  plan,  ii. 

165, 
Alarcon's  voyage  up  in  1540,  ii. 

168,  169,  181. 

Consag's  attempt  to  ascend  it  in 

1746,  ii.  170. 

Hardy's  attempt  in  1828,  ii.  170. 

Turnbull's  voyage  up  in  1852,  ii. 

172. 
Major  Heintzelman's   reconnais- 
sance of,  ii.  168. 
height  of  and  greatest  rise,  ii. 

174. 
particulars    of   the    ferry  estab- 
lished on,  by  Dr.  Langdon,  ii. 

174. 
Comeya,  another  name  for  the  Diege- 

nos,  ii.  179. 
Comeya  Indians  of  California,  ii.  7. 
Conoepcion,  Texas,  Mission  of,  i.  44. 
Co.vcepcion  Point,  California,  ii.  79. 


Concho  River,  Texas,  i.  85,  86. 

do.  South  Fork,  i.  79. 

Conchos    River,    Chihuahua,   ii.    450, 

567. 

its  bottom  lands,  ii.  451. 

Conde,  Gen'l  Pedro,  see  Garcia  Conde. 
Cooke's  Spring,  New  Mexico,  i.  219, 
Cooke,  Colonel  St.  George,  liis  Califor- 
nia road,  i.  244  ;  ii.  332. 
his  opening  of  Guadalupe  Pass, 

i.  251  ;  ii.  332. 

traces  of  his  camps,  ii.  197,  330. 

opens   tlie  defile  at  San  Felipe, 

California,  ii.  123. 
Cooke's  Well,  California  desert,ii.  148. 
Coon's,  Mr,  Wagons,  encampment  of, 

near  the  Guadalupe  Mountain, 

Texas,  i.  121. 

rancho,  El  Paso,  i.  192. 

party,  losses   of  animals   by,  i. 

192. 
meeting   with    in   Sonora  with 

large  herd  of  sheep,  ii.  293.  ' 
Copper    Mines    near    the    Gila.     Dr. 

Webb's  report  on,  i.  178. 

history  and  description  of,  i.  228. 

Cordero,  Gov.  of  Chihuahua,  ii.  428. 
his    certificate    relating    to   the 

boundary,  ii.  437. 
Corn,  its  price  at  El  Paso,  i.  150. 

its  price  at  Arispe,  i.  284, 

Cornudos    del   Alamo,  Texas,  i.    121, 

128. 
Coronado's  Islands,  description  of,  ii. 

86-88. 
Corpus  Christi,  Texas,  arrival   at,  ii. 

526. 

its  bay  and  vicinity,  ii.  528. 

Corral,  mode  of  forming  one,  i.  49. 
Correlitos,   Chihuahua,    visit    to,    ii. 

342,  344. 
furnaces  for  smelting  silver  ore 

at,  ii.  343. 
Cosnina   Indians   of  New  Mexico,  ii. 

178. 
Cotton,   its  cultivation   in  Sonora,  i. 

441,  469. 

its  cultivation  in  Texas,  i.  28. 

its  cultivation  in  Parras,  ii.  486. 

seen  growing  on  the  banks  of  the 

Colorado,  Cal.,  in  1542,  ii.  182. 
its  cultivation  by  the  Indians  on 

the  Gila,  ii.  224,  598. 

on  the  Rio  Nasas,  ii.  472. 

at  Alamo  de  Parras,  ii.  478. 

Cotton  lands  in  California,  ii.  106. 


612 


INDEX. 


Cotton  mills,  near  Saltillo,  ii.  497. 

Covayan  Mountain,  Sonora,  i.  264. 

Cows,  how  milked  in  Sonora,  i.  475. 

Craig,  Colonel,  appointed  to  command 
escort,  i.  6. 

loses  seven  men  by  desertion,  i. 

169. 

visits  Sonora  with  the  author,  i. 

239. 

loses  mules  by  the  Indians  at  the 

Copper  Mines,  i.  343,  346,  351. 

pursues  the  Apaches,  i.  S46,  350, 

351. 

meeting,  with,  at  San  Diego,  i. 

505. 

atSanta  Isabel,  Cal.,  ii.  118,121. 

his  vigilance    on    the  march,    ii. 

131. 

departure  from  camp  on  the  Cal- 
ifornia desert,  and  last  inter- 
view with  him,  ii.  131. 

meets  U.  S.  deserters,  ii.  136. 

is  shot  by  the  deserters,  ii.  138. 

particulars  of  his  death  as  related 

by  Dr.  Webb,  ii.  141. 

his  burial  on  the  desert,  ii.  145. 

his  character  and  military  ser- 
vices, ii.  146. 

Crawfish  in  California,  ii.  84. 

Creosote  plant,  i.  94. 

Crows  seen  everywhere,  ii.  555. 

Cruces,  New  Mexico,  ii.  392. 

Cruz,  Colonel,  of  Camargo,  ii.  511. 

Cruz,  La,  town  of,  Chihuahua,  ii.  450. 

D. 

Damas'  notice  of  quicksilver  mines  in 

Spain,  ii.  60. 
Dana's  notice  of  San  Diego,  ii.  96. 
Date  tree  at  Ures,  i.  441. 
Davidson,  Capt.,  at  Fort  Yuma,  ii.  152. 
Decrow's  Point,  Texas,  ii.  536. 
Deer,  abundance  of  in  Texas,  ii.  562. 
Delaware  Creek,  Texas,  i.  110-116. 
Delaware  Indians  in  Texas,  visit  to, 

i.  59. 
Desert  of  California,    great   loss  of 

animals  on,  ii.  126-147. 

pools  of  brackish  water  on,  ii. 

135. 

intense  heat  on,  ii.  139,  140. 

wagons  and  property  abandoned 

on,  ii.  140. 

account  of,  ii.  4,  129,  130,  572. 

desert  south  of  the  Gila,  ii.  187, 

19(3,  208,  209,259,  286,  290,  567. 


Desert  from  Texas  to  the  Pacific,  i. 

139. 
Desert  regions  in  Texas,  i.  87. 
Desert   plants,    vivifying    influences 

that  nourish  them,  ii.  126. 

character  of,  ii.  563. 

Diary  interrupted  by  illness,  i.  434. 
Diavolo  Mountain,  Texas,  i.  104. 
Diegeno   Indians,  visit   from   at   San 

Diego,  ii.  7. 

at  Santa  Isabel,    California,    ii. 

119. 

at  San  Felipe,  California,  ii.  122. 

at  Vallecito  "  ii.  125. 

Digger  Indians,  "  ii.  29. 

Disturnell's  Map  of  Mexico,  errors  in, 

i.  152-201. 
Ditching  land  in  California,  ii.  18. 
Dobbins,   Captain,  kills  Mr.  Wakeman, 

i.  154. 
Dogs,  diminutive  breed  of,  in  Chihua- 
hua, ii.  440. 
Dona  Ana,  visit  to,  i.  154. 
its    elevation   above   the   sea,  i. 

196. 

description  of,  i.  211  ;  ii.  392. 

Doniphan,  Colonel,  his  affair  at  Braci- 

to,  ii.  395. 
his  taking  of  Santa  Rosalia,  ii. 

451. 
at  the  battle  of  Sacramento  ii. 

420. 
Dove  Creek,  Texas,  i.  79. 
Dubos,  Dr.,  Chihuahua,  ii.  425. 
Ducks,  wild,  in  Texas,  i.  85. 
Dukey,  Francisco,  the  Maricopa  Chief, 

ii.  213-219. 

E. 
Eddy,  Lt.  acknowledgments  to,  ii.  106. 
Elk,  their   abundance   in  California, 

ii.  48. 
El  Paso  Del  Norte,  arrival  at  in  1850, 

i.  36. 

the  mountain  pass  at,  i.  145. 

dinner  given  the  authorities  at, 

i.  146. 
entertainment  given  the  people 

of,  i.  166. 

its  description,  i.  184. 

Oriental  style   of  its  houses,    i. 

189. 

geographical  position  of,  i.  193. 

its  height  above  the  sea,  i.  196. 

departure  from,  for  the  Pacific, 

i.  149. 


INDEX. 


613 


El  Paso  del  Norte,  error  in   position 

of,  on  Treaty  map,  i.  201. 
latitude  and  longitude  of,  deter- 
mined by  Lieut.  Whipple,  ii. 

383. 

return  to,  from  California,  ii.  378. 

final  departure  from,  ii.  401. 

Emigrants,  trespasses  of,  in  Sonora,  i. 

423. 
to  California  met  with,  ii.    287, 

305,   3,19,  310,   311,   320,  321, 

323,  327,  329,  331,  335,  341. 
Emory,  Major,  appointed  surveyor  in 

place  of  A.  B.  Gray,  ii.  85. 
letter  to  Secretary  Stuart  on  the 

Initial  Point,  i.  344. 
his  opinion  of   the  value  of  the 

disputed  territory,  i.  346. 
his  report  of  the  survey  of  the 

Rio  Grande,  ii.  513. 
results  of  his  labors  as  surveyor, 

ii.  546,  547. 
Encantada,  encampment  at,  ii.  494. 
Encinillas,  Lake  of,  ii.  416. 

town  of,  Chihuahua,  ii.  418. 

English,  an  American  named,  in  cap 

tivity,  i.  456. 
Escondida,  Texas,  ii.  624. 
Espiritu  Santo  Bay,  Texas,  i.  21  ;  ii. 

534. 
Ethnological  collections  made,  ii.  551. 
Euphorbia,  i.  53. 

Execution  of  murderers  at  Socorro,  i. 
62. 


Falcon  Steamer,  embark  in,  at  Hava- 
na, i.  7. 

False  Bay,  California,  ii.  96. 

Fandango  in  Magdalena,  i.  429. 

Fannin,  Col.,  massacre  of,  in  Texas,  i. 
28. 

Fillmore,  Fort,  visit  to,  i.  195;  ii. 
390. 

silver  mine  near,  ii.  392. 

Fishes  taken  in  the  Salinas,  ii.  240- 
244. 

of  the  Gila,  ii.  195-207. 

their  destruction  by  northers  in 

the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  ii.  531. 

Flat  Rock  Ponds,  Texas,  i.  89-90. 

Flores,  Gen.  interview  with,  i.  456. 

Flour,  prices  of  at  El  Paso,  i.  191. 

Flotte,  Lewis,  his  smelting  works  at 
Barrancos,  ii.  346. 

his  loss  by  the  Indians,  ii.  345. 


Flotte,  Lewis,  his  silver  mines  near 
Correlitos.ii.  366. 

his  persecutions  and   sacrifices, 

ii.  425. 

accompanies     the     Commission 

with  his  family,  ii.  442. 

Font,  Pedro,  visits  the  Colorado,  in 
1776,  ii.  183. 

his  MS.  journal  and  map,  ii.  183. 

his  account  of  the  Pimos,  ii.  267. 

his  account  of  Casas  Grande,  ii, 

278. 

Forbes,  Alex.,  his  notice  of  Father 
Peyri,  ii.  93. 

Force,  H.  C,  his  meteoric  observa- 
tions, ii.  541-568. 

Forests  and  timber  lauds,  where  found, 
ii.  574. 

Fossil  Shells,  Texas,  i.  92. 

near  Mier,  ii.  511. 

Fossils  on  the  Gila,  ii.  598. 

Fouquiera,  i.  121;  ii.  255,  257,  296, 
430,  445. 

Fredericksburg,  Texas,  i.  59. 

Fkemont,  Col.  J.  C,  appointed  U.  S. 
Commissioner,  i.  3. 

his  journeys  in  the  California  ba- 
sin, ii.  107. 

Frontera,  Texas,  astronomical  obser- 
vatory at,  i.  194. 

Fronteras,  Sonora,  send  party  in  search 
for,  i.  261. 

visit  to,  i.  264,  292. 

G. 

Gallantin,  his  ferry  on  the  Colorado, 
ii.  174, 

with  his  party,  murdered  by  the 

Yumas,  ii.  175. 

Gallatin,  Albert,  his  notice  of  the 
Casa  Grande,  ii.  281. 

Galveston,  Texas,  arrival  at,  i.  9. 

second  visit  to,  in  1853,  ii.  537. 

Gambucino  miners,  ii.  448. 

Game  and  its  scarcity,  ii.  562. 

Game  dinner,  mode  of  cooking  with- 
out utensils,  ii.  37. 

Gandera,  Don  Manuel,  Governor  of 
Sonora,  i.  459. 

his  estates  at  Tapahui,  i.  459. 

his  silver  mine  and  its  products, 

i.  462. 

Garcia-Conde,  General,  arrival  of,  at 
El  Paso,  i.  150. 

reaches  the  Copper  Mines,  i.  227. 

visit  to,  on  the  Mimbres,  i.  298. 


614 


INDEX. 


Garcia  Conde,  Gen.,  visit  from,  con- 
nected with  the  captives,  i.  309. 

leaves  the  camp  on  the  San  Pe- 
dro for  Santa  Cruz,  i.  380. 

his  death  and  character,  i.  455. 

his  survey  of  Chihuahua,  ii.  429. 

his  statistical  report  on  Chihua- 
hua, ii.  429. 

Garcia,  Col.,  meet  his  command  at 
San  Bernardino  in  search  of 
the  Apaches,  ii.  328. 

Garcia,  Don  Ilarion,  i.  399-432. 

Garces,  Father,  his  journey  to  Califor- 
nia in  1776,  ii.  183. 

his  visit  to  the  Gila,  ii.  267. 

Gardner,  Lieut.,  at  Fort  Yuma,  ii. 
156. 

Gar  Pike  in  Texas,  i.  65. 

Gatton,  Mr.,  U.  S.  Consul  at  Mazatlan, 
i.  487. 

Genegueh  Indians  of  the  Colorado,  ii. 
178. 

Geoffroy,  St.  Hiliare.  on  domesticated 
animals,  ii.  578. 

Geysers  of  California,  set  out  for,  ii. 
12. 

description  of  them,  ii.  39. 

Gila  River,  departure  from  the  Cop- 
per Mines  for  the  survey  of, 
i.  358. 

its  junction  with  the   Colorado, 

ii.  158. 

its  delta,  ii.  159. 

its  bottom-lands,  ii.  159,  186, 1S8, 

232,  260,  271,  568. 

a  small  portion  only  susceptible 

of  cultivation,  ii.  205,  599. 

a  small  stream  until  it  receives 

the  Salinas,  ii.  244. 

found  to  be  dry,  ii.  215,  249. 

scarcity  of  grass  on,  ii.  211-215. 

errors  in  its  geography,  noticed 

by  Kino  in  1700,  ii.  212. 

corrections  in  its  geography,  ibid. 

former  population  near,  ii.  277. 

— —  Lieut.  Whipple's  report  of  his 
survey  of,  ii.  597. 

capabilities  of  navigation,  ii.  160, 

573. 

Girard,  Prof.  Charles,  his  estimate  of 
the  zoology  of  the  Commis- 
sion, ii.  548. 

Gliddon,  G.  R.,  his  essay  on  camels, 
and  their  introduction  into 
the  U.S.  ii.  576. 

Gold  Mines  in  Sonora,  i.  275;  ii.  304. 


Goliad,  Texas,  notice  of  i.  25. 

massacre  of  Col.  Fannin  at,  i.  28. 

Gonzales,  Senor,  of  Magdalena,  i.  427. 

Good  Spring  Creek,  Texas,  i.  79. 

Graham,  Col.  J.  D.,  appointed  Chief 
Astronomer,  i.  150. 

delays  of,  and  arrival  at  El  Paso, 

i.  180,  303,  340. 

joins  the  Commission  at  the  Cop- 
per Mines,  i.  346. 

his   assumptions    and   recall,    i. 

348. 

prevents   the  reconnoissance   of 

the  Gulf  of  California  and  the 
Colorado,  ii.  165-167. 

his   letter  on  the  subject  to  the 

Hon.  A.  H.  H.  Stuart,  Sec'y  of 
the  Interior,  Appendix  E. 

result  of  his  labors,  ii.  546,  547. 

Grama  Grass,  i.  87,  243. 

Granite  Boulders,  i.  129-133. 

Grasses  indigenous  to  Texas,  ii.  566. 

Grape,  its  culture  at  El  Paso,  i.  185. 

"  in  California,  ii.  119. 

"  at  Parras,   ii.  483- 

487. 

Gray,  A.  B.,  appointed  Surveyor,  i.  2. 

reaches  the  Copper  Mines,  i.  340. 

organizes  a  party  for  the  survey 

of  the  Gila,  i.  341-356. 

objects  to  the  Initial  Point,  i.  341. 

ordered  to  affix  his  signature  to 

the  papers  establishing  the 
Initial  Point,  i.  342. 

his  removal,  ii.  85. 

his  survey  of  the  Gila,  ii.  543. 

Green  Mounds,  Texas,  i.  79,  80. 

Green,  Lt.  D.  C,  his  expedition  to  So- 
corro, i.  346. 

Gregg,  Dr.,  his  notice  of  La  Zarca,  ii. 
468. 

Grizzly  Bear,  chase  after,  i.  363. 

Guadalupe  River,  Texas,  i.  21,  54. 

Guadalupe  Mountain,  Texas,  i.  117; 
ii.  570. 

Pass,  Texas,  i.  120. 

Pass,  Sonora,  i.  251,  294;  ii.  329. 

old  road  across  it,  i.  244. 

town  on  the  Rio  Grande,  ii.  405. 

Guadalupe  Hidalgo,  treaty  of;  its  re- 
quirements in  reference  to  the 
boundary,  i.  1 ;  ii.  587. 

Guajuquilla,  town  of,  ii.  453. 

Guaymas,  its  position  and  harbor,  i. 
476,  477. 

its  trade  and  commerce,  i.  478. 


INDEX. 


615 


H. 

Hacienda  Arriba,  near  Parras,  ii.  486. 

Abajo,  near  Parras,  ii.  489. 

Blauca,  accident  at,  ii.  456. 

de    Concepcion,    Chihuahua,    ii. 

457. 

del  Rio  Florida,         do.     ii.  463. 

H'hana  Indians  of  California,  ii.  7. 
Hale's  Ethnology  of  the  Indians,  ii. 

278. 
Hardcastle,  Capt.,  in  charge  of  the 

survey  in  California,  i.  6. 
Hardy,  Lieut.,  his  voyage  up  the  Gulf 

of  California,  ii.  170. 

notices  the  petahaya,  ii.  193. 

notices  Casas  Grandes,  ii.  361. 

on  the  Chihuahua  dogs,  ii.  450. 

Harper,  T.  drowned  in  the  Colorado, 

ii.  6. 
Havana,  visit  to,  i.  7. 
Hawalco  Indians  of  the  Colorado,  ii. 

179. 
Heintzelman,  Major  S.  P.,  arrival  of 

messenger  from,  ii.  152. 
details  Lieut.  Paige  with  escort 

for  the  Commission,  ii.  156. 
facilities    furnished    by,    to    the 

Commission,  ii.  158. 
his  command  at  Fort  Yuma,  ii. 

162.- 

reduces  the  Yumas,  ii.  173. 

experiments    on   the  velocity  of 

the  Colorado,  ii.  173. 

sends  relief  to  emigrants,  ii.  204. 

Hendershott,  Lieut.,  at  Fort  Yuma,  ii. 

152. 

sent  against  the  Yumas,  ii.  185. 

Hermosillo,  Sonora,  description  of,  i. 

466,  467. 

trade  and  commerce  of,  i.  470. 

Hernandez  notices  the  petahaya,  ii. 

192. 
Hervas,    Catalogo  de  los  lenguas,  ii. 

178,  270. 
Hewison,  Dr.,  of  Saltillo,  ii.  497. 
Hickory  Creek,  Texas,  i.  64. 
Hipfel,  M.  Von,  his  labors,  ii.  540. 
Hitchcock,  Gen.,  visit  to,  ii.  13. 
furnishes  an  escort  and  other  fa- 
cilities to  the  Commission,  ii. 

14,  107. 
Horned  Frogs  and  their  numbers,  ii. 

556. 
Horn,  Capt,  of  San  Bias,  i.  490. 
Horses  seen  in  great  numbers  at  La 

Zarca,  ii.  470. 


Horsehead  Crossing,  Pecos  River,  i. 

93,  94. 
Hot  Spring,  New  Mexico,  i.  225. 
Human  Bodies  found,  ii.  337. 
Humboldt,  Baron,  on  the  climate   of 

Acapulco,  i.  501. 

notice  of  cylindrical  cacti,  ii  193. 

his  reference  to  Casa  Grande,  ii. 

280. 
on  the  cultivation  of  the  agave, 

ii.  485. 

on  meteorites,  ii.  459. 

on  the  camel,  ii.  578,  579. 

I. 

Ibarra,    Don   Manuel    de,    his   estate 

near  Parras,  ii  489. 
Imuriz,  Souora,  town  of,  i.  418. 
Indian  tribes  referred  to.     For  fuller 

notices  see  the  names  of  the 

separate  tribes. 

Apaches,  i.  300-334;  ii.  386. 

Bajiopas  of  California,  ii.  178. 

Caddoes  of  Texas,  i.  66. 

Ceris  of  Sonora,  i.  463. 

Cawenas  of  the  Gila,  ii.  251. 

Chemkguabas  of  the  Colorado,  ii. 

178. 

Coanpas  of  the  Colorado,  ii.  178. 

Coco-Maricopas  of  the    Gila,    ii. 

220-237,  268. 

Cocopas  of  the  Colorado,  ii.  179. 

Comeyas  of  California,  ii.  7,  270. 

Comanciles  of  Texas,  ii.  386. 

Cosninas  of  New  Mexico,  ii.  178. 

Cuchans  of  the  Colorado,  ii.  179. 

Cutganes  of  the  Colorado,  ii.  172. 

Delawares  of  Texas,  i.  59. 

Diegenos  of  California,  ii.  7. 

Diggers  of  California,  ii.  29-34. 

Genigueh  of        "        ii.  178. 

H'hana  of  "        ii.  7. 

Jumbuicrari  of    "        ii.  178. 

Kechi  of  "        ii.  92. 

Lipans  of  Texas,  i.  76  ;  ii.  455. 

Mohavis  of  California,  ii.  178. 

Moquis  of  New  Mexico,  ii.  178. 

Navajos  of       "  i.  329. 

Opates  of  Sonora,  i.  444, 

Opas  of  the  Gila,  in  1775,  ii.  268. 

Papacos  of  Sonora,  i.  382 ;  ii.  298. 

Pimos  of  the  Gila,  ii.  220-258. 

Piros  of  the  Rio  Grande,  i.  184. 

Quiquimas  of  California  ii.  178. 

San  Felipe,  "  ii.  122. 

Santa  Isabel,       "  ii.  117. 


616 


INDEX. 


Indian  Tribes,  San  Luis  Obispo,  Cal., 
ii.  56. 

San  Pasqual,  "      ii.  115. 

Sinecu  of  Chihuahua,  i.  148. 

Tarahumaras  of     " 

Tehuas  of  New  Mexico,  ii.  178. 

Timbabachi  of  the  Col.,  ii.  178- 

Tonto  Apaches  of  New  Mexico", 

ii.  258. 

Yaqui  of  Sonora,  i.  142. 

Yumas  of  the  Colorado,  ii.  149. 

Yampaos  of  <£         ii.  179. 

Indians,  miscellaneous  notices  of. 

California  tribes,   their  present 

degraded  condition,  ii.  84. 
their  love  for  the  missionaries, 

ii.  94. 
notices  of,  by  Viscaino,  in   1594, 

ii.  99. 

diversity  of  their  names,   how 

accounted  for,  ii.  30. 

those  mentioned  by  the  early  mis- 
sionaries disappeared,  ii.  179. 

sagacity  shown  in  capturing  the 

murderers  of  Colonel  Craig,  ii. 
144. 

beard  peculiar  to  the  California 

tribes,  ii.  34. 

condition  of  the  mission  tribes  at 

Los  Angeles,  California,  ii.  82. 

suggestions  for  ameliorating  the 

condition,  and  for  the  govern- 
ing of  the  tribes  on  the  Mexi- 
can frontier,  ii.  384-390. 

depredations,  the  great   extent 

of,  in  New  Mexico,  from  offi- 
cial records,  ii.  385. 

attack   the  train  when   on  the 

march,  ii.  412. 
their  great  destruction  of  animal 

life,  ii.  447. 
Indian  Sign,  i.  72,  95,  105. 

Mortars,  for  pounding  corn,  ii. 

370,  411. 
Indianola,  Texas,  arrival  at,  i.  9. 
its  commercial  advantages,  i.  13 ; 

ii.  536. 
Inez  Gonzales,   the  Mexican  captive 

girl,  i.  303. 
leaves  the  Copper  Mines  with  the 

commission,  i.  357. 
meets  her  father  on  the  Babo- 

comori,  i.  398. 

is  restored  to  her  mother,  i.  402. 

pass   the    canon  where  she  was 

captured,  i.  415. 


Inez  Gonzales,  meeting  with  again  at 
Tubac,  and  her  sad  fate,  ii. 
.    303,  316. 

Initial  Point  on  Rio  Grande,  at  32° 
22',  visited  cffieially,  i.  200. 

history  of  the  agreement  in  re- 
ference to,  i.  201. 

particulars  of  its   establishment, 

i.  204. 

document  deposited  at,  i.  206. 

letter  from  the  commissioner  to 

the  secretary  of  the  interior, 
in  relation  to,  i.  208. 

objected  to  by  A.  B.  Gray,  i.  341. 

approved  by  the  U.  S.,  and  Mr. 

Gray  ordered  to  affix  his  sig- 
nature, establishing  it  at  32° 
22',  i.  342. 

order  from  the  secretary  of  the 

interior  to  Major  Emory,  to 
sign  the  documents  establish- 
ing it,  i.  343. 

Major  Emory's  letter  in  reply, 

stating  that  he  had  obeyed  in- 
structions, i   344. 

official  MS.  map  found  in  Chi- 
huahua, defining  the  bound- 
ary, ii.  429. 

as  laid  down  in  the  constitution 

of  Chihuahua,  ii.  430. 

- — -  on  the  Pacific,  ii.  104. 

Instructions  (official),  ii.  588. 

Irrigation,  uncertainty  of,  on  the  Rio 
Grande,  i.  187. 

Isleta,  Texas,  town  of,  i.  193. 

Iturbide,  the  emperor — his  monument, 
ii.  435. 

Don  Felipe  de,  i.  151. 


Jackass  Rabbit,  i.  76. 

Janos  road  to  Sonora,  ii.  332. 

presidio  of,  ii.  338. 

Jenkins,  J.  joins  the  commission  on  the 

desert  with  despatches,  ii.  131. 
Jesuits,  their  usefulness  in  Mex.  ii.  431. 
their  success  as  missionaries,  ii. 

432, 
Jimenes,  or  Guajuquilla,  ii.  453. 
Joint  Com.,  first  meeting  of,  i.  151. 
Jornada  del  Muerto,  N.  Mexico,  i.  215. 
Jawbuicrariri  Indians,  ii.  178. 
Juniper   Serro,     Father,    names   San 

Francisco,  ii.  10. 
his  letter  from  Monterey,  Cal.,  in 

1770,  ii.  752. 


INDEX. 


617 


Juniper  Serro,  Father,  his  letter  from 
San  Diego,  in  1769,  ii.  100-103. 

K. 

Kaemtz  on  meteorites,  ii.  459. 
Kapp,  Dr.  E.  Texas,  visit  to,  i.  56. 
Kearney,  General,  traces  of  his  camps, 

ii.  197,  271. 

his  action  at  San  Pasqual,  ii.  113. 

Keller's  farm,  Napa  valley,  ii.  24. 
Kickapoo  creek,  Texas,  i.  73. 
Kilburn's  farm,  in  Napa  valley,  ii.  24. 
great  yield  of  vegetables  on,  ii. 

25-49. 
Kino,  Father,  on  the  Colorado,  in  1700, 

ii.  178. 
proves  Lower  California  to  be  a 

peninsula,  ii.  1S3. 

his  journeys  to  the  Gila,  ii.  183. 

corrects  the  geography  of  the 

Gila  in  1700,  ii.  212. 

visits  the  Pimo  Indians,  ii.  267. 

visits  the    Casa  Grande,  on  the 

Gila,  in  1694,  ii.  281. 
church  at  San  Xavier,  built  by 

him  in  1700,  ii.  299. 
Knights  farm,  Napa  valley,  ii.  28. 
Koeblerina,  plant,  i.  94. 


Labor,  prices  of,  at  El  Paso,  i.  191. 
Lagdna,  near  the  Gila,  ii.  199. 

de  Encinillas,  ii.  416. 

de  Patos,  Chihuahua,  ii.  406. 

de  Santa  Maria,  ditto,  ii.  371. 

del  Madre,  Texas,  ii.  530. 

Lagunas,  on  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,   ii. 

530-532. 
Lakes  on  the  Mexican  tabledand  have 

no  outlets,  ii.  416. 
Langberg,  Col.  Emilio,  i.  151 ;  ii.  398. 
accompanies  the  author  to  Fort 

Fillmore,  ii.  390. 
furnishes  escort  to  Chihuahua,  ii. 

397. 
Langdon,  Dr.  establishes  the  ferry  on 

the  Colorado,  ii.  174. 
his  party  killed  by  the  Yumas, 

ii.  175. 
La  Parida,  river,  Texas,  ii.  529. 
Larrea  Mexicana,  i.  87  :  ii.  130,  136, 

210,  290. 
Las  Garzas,  Chihuahua,  ii.  450. 
Lasso  thrown  by  the  Lipans,  i.  82. 
Las  Playas,  Chihuahua,  i.  246. 
La  Playa,  California,  ii.  96. 


La  Salle,  town  of,  Texas,  i.  12. 

and  his  explorations,  i.  12. 

La  Vaca,  town  of,  Texas,  ii.  536. 

Lea,  Judge,  of  Goliad,  i.  27. 

Leroux,  Antoine,   engaged   with   his 

pack  mules  and  men,  ii.  85. 

sent  to  San  Bernardino,  ii.  118. 

Limestone  ^inkp,  Texas,  i.  110. 
Lipan  Indians,  Texas,  i.  76. 

extent  of  the  tribe,  i.  81. 

of  the  Bolson  of  Mapimi,  ii.  455. 

Lipan  Camp  creek,  Texas,  i.  82. 
Lizards  and  their  variety,  ii.  556. 
Llano  River,  Texas,  i.  64-66. 
settlement  on,  destroyed  by  the 

Comanches,  i.  64. 
Lobelia  Cardinalis,  i.  53. 
Loma  Blanca,  Texas,  ii.  521. 
Loma  Point,  California,  ii.  94. 

de  Independence,  ii.  503. 

Long,  Major,  notice  of  prairie-dogs,  ii. 

559. 
Los  Olmos,  Texas,  ii.  522. 
Loeeto,  Lower  California,  account  of, 

i.  483-484. 
Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  visit  to,  ii.  81. 

grassy  plains  near,  ii    106. 

Lower  California  supposed  to  be  an 

island  until  1698,  ii.  183. 

M. 

McClellan,  Col.  J.,  notice  of  his  re- 
moval, i.  150. 
Magdalena,  Sonora,  arrival  at,  i.  422. 
ordered  before  the  alcalde  at,  L 

422. 

festival  of  San  Francisco  at,  i.  425. 

grand  procession  of  do.,  i.  431. 

description  of  the  town,  i.  432. 

Magoffin,  J.  W.,  of  El  Paso,  facilities 

furnished  by,  i.  143. 
Magoffinsville,  Texas,  i.  193;  ii.  383. 
Magruder,   Col.   J.   B.,  San  Diego,  ii. 

104. 

acknowledgments  to,  ii.  107. 

his  successful    efforts  in   taking 

the  murderer  of  Col.  Craig,  ii. 

144. 
Maguey  and  its  uses,  i.  290 ;  ii.  484. 

plantations  at  Parras,  ii.  484. 

Maize  cultivated  on  the  Colorado  in 

1542.  ii.  182. 
Mammalia  of  the  regions  traversed,  ii. 

555. 
Manacita  tree,  California,  ii.  43. 
Manaiiuila,  camp  at,  i.  24. 


618 


INDEX. 


Mange,  Capt,  his  explorations  in  the 
Gulf  of  California  in  1698,  ii. 
183. 

his  visit  to  Casa  Grande,  ii.  265, 

281. 

Mangus  Colorado,  chief  of  the  Apach- 
es, i.  300,  311,  319. 

McCall,  Gen.,  arrives  at  Ft.  Yuma,  ii. 
156. 

Manzanilla  Bay,  entrance  to,  i.  494. 

description  of,  i.  495,  496. 

Marin,  town  of,  ii.  506. 

Matagorda  Bay,  and  its  ports,  i.  13; 
ii.  536. 

Mazatlan,  description  of,  i.  485-487. 

Medanos,  Los,  of  Chihuahua,  ii.  372- 
376. 

Medina,  Col.,  of  Janos,  ii.  340. 

Mercury,  its  effects  on  miners,  ii.  66. 

Mesilla  Valley,  its  value,  i.  188,  346. 

its  history,  i.  212;  ii.  391. 

Metates,  where  found,  ii.  245,  276, 
361. 

Meteorite,  found  at  Tucson,  ii.  297. 

at  the  Hacienda  de  Concepcion, 

ii.  457. 

near  Guajuquilla,  ii.  455. 

notes  on,  from  Kaemtz,  Hum- 
boldt, and  others,  ii.  459,  460. 

Meteors  seen  to  fall,  ii.  461. 

Meteros  River,  Monterey,  ii.  506. 

Mexican  Women,  their  dress,  i.  147. 

Mezcal,  how  made,  i.  290. 

Mezquit  tree  and  its  uses,  i.  76. 

bean,  ground  and  used  as  food, 

ii.  218,  232. 

roots,  used  for  smelting,  ii.  344. 

for  rail  ties,  ii.  574. 

Mezquiquite,  loaves  of,  ii.  182. 

Mier,  arrival  at,  ii.  507. 

serapes  of,  ibid. 

expedition  from  Texas,  ii.  508. 

Miles,  Col.,  Fort  Fillmore,  ii.  390. 

Miliiau,  Dr.,  at  Fort  Yuma,  ii.  152, 
184. 

Military  posts  on  the  frontier,  sug- 
gestions for  more  active  ope- 
rations at,  ii.  388. 

Mimbres  River,  N.  Mexico,  i.  221. 

Mirage  seen  at  Las  Playas,  i.  246. 

note  on,  by  Humboldt,  i.  247. 

Missouri  Currant,  i.  223,  288. 

Moiiavi  River,  California,  ii.  178. 

Moiiavi  Indians,  ibid. 

Molasses  made  from  the  petahaya,  ii. 
218. 


Monterey,  California,  first  expedition 
of  Juniper  Serro  to  in  1769,  ii. 
_  10,  75. 

visit  to  and  description  of,  ii.  72 

-78. 

Monterey,  Mexico,  arrival  at,  ii.  502. 

description  of,  ii.  502-505. 

Monument  at  the  Initial  point,  on  the 
Pacific,  ii.  104. 

Mormon  settlement,  Texas,  i.  58. 

Moqui  Indians,  N.  Mexico,  ii.  178. 

their   cultivation   of    wheat,    ii. 

263. 

Mount  Helena,  Cal.,  Russian  inscrip- 
tion on,  ii.  28. 

Mules,  how  shod  in  stocks,  i.  16. 

lost  in  Texas,  i.  71,  100. 

lost  at  the  Copper  Mines,  i.  343, 

346,  349. 

lost  at  Frontera,  i.  346. 

lost  on  California  desert,  ii.  2-3. 

their  value  in  Coahuila,  ii.  493. 

stampeded   by  the   Apaches,  ii. 

412. 

by  mustangs,  ii.  522. 

Mule  Spring,  New  Mexico,  i.  218. 

Mustangs  seen  in  Sonora,  i.  383. 

mode  of   catching  in  Texas,  ii. 

521. 

their  numbers  in  Texas,  ii.  521- 

525. 

stampede  of  mules  by,  ii.  522- 

524. 

Ponds,  Texas,  i.  87,  90. 

Island,     do.     ii.  530. 

N. 
Napa  Valley,  Cal.,  journey  through, 
ii.  14-19. 

Indians  of,  ii.  30-34. 

Nasas  River  and  Valley,  ii,  472. 
Navajo  Indians,  visit  from,  i.  329. 

BLANKETS,  i.    330. 

New  Mexico,  its  early  history,  i.  182, 

New  Mexican  Traders,  i  303. 

New  RivER,  Cal.,  sudden   appearance 

of  water  in  it,  ii.  135. 
Norther  and  snow  storm  in  Texas,  L 

411. 

at  Corpus  Christi,  ii.  520. 

Nomenclature  of  Mexican  towns,  ii. 

371. 
Noria,  La,  Durango,  ii.  465. 
— ■ —  Curena,  ii.  475. 

de  Pedrecena,  ii.  473. 

de  Pozo  Calvo,  ii.  476. 


INDEX. 


619 


Novato  Valley,  Cal.,  i.  51. 

Nueces  Bay  and  River,  Texas,  ii.  529. 

0. 

Oatman  family,  remains  of,  murdered 
by  the  Indians  near  the  Gila, 
ii.  203. 

particulars  of  the  event,  ib. 

statement  of  the  Indians  on  the 

event,  ii.  218,  257,  258. 

Oats,  wild,  of  California,  ii.  14. 

Obsidian  hills,  California,  ii.  49. 

use  of  by  the  Indians,  ii.  50. 

Ojo  del  Alamo,  Texas,  i.  130. 

Caliente,  New  Mexico,  i.  225. 

Chihuahua,  ii.  410. 

DE  GALLEGO,  do.,  ii.  415. 

de  Inez,  N.  Mexico,  i.  362. 

de  Lucero,  Chihuahua,  ii.  406. 

de  Vaca,  N.  Mexico,  i.  243,  361. 

Onions,  great  crop  of  in  California,  ii. 

24,  49. 
Opa  Indians,  R.  Gila,  in  1775,  ii.  268. 
Opate  Indians  of  Sonora,  i.  444,  445. 

battle  with  the  Apaches,  i.  454. 

Opodepe,  Sonora,  i.  434. 

Opuntia  arborescens,  i.  128. 

Organ  Mountains,  N.  Mex.,  i.  134,  195. 

visit  to,  ii.  392. 

Osborne,  J.  W.,  of  Napa,  ii.  14. 
Ostrea  shells  found  at  Mier,  ii.  511. 
Ottinger,   Capt.,    voyage   with   from 

Monterey  to  San  Diego,  ii.  71. 
to  the  Coronados,  ii.  86. 


Pacheco,  Padre  of  Santa  Cruz,  ii.  312. 
Pacheteiiu,  spring  at,  i.  242. 
Pack-mules,    mode   of  fitting   out,    i. 

358. 
Paige,  Lt.  G.  W.,  commands  escort  to 

the    Pimo   villages,     ii.    157. 

186. 

, his  return  to  Fort  Yuma,  ii.  259. 

Palmetto,  last  seen  in  Texas,  i.  53. 
Palo  Veude,  ii.  194,  210,  290. 
Palou,  Father,  ii.  78. 
Papago  Indians,  i.  382  ;  ii.  298. 
Parras,  description, of,  ii.  482,  489. 

its  vineyards,  ii.  483,  487. 

Paso  Cavallo,  Texas,  ii.  536. 
Patos,  Hacienda  de,  ii.  492. 
Paul,  May,  Ringgold  Barracks,  ii.  512. 
Paysano,  and  its  habits,  ii.  563. 
Peach  Trees,  in  California,  i.  24. 
Pecan  nuts  in  Texas,  i.  75,  84. 


Peccari,  a  tame  one  seen,  i.  55. 

Pecos  River,  its  character,  i.  93,  101. 

narrow    escape    in   crossing,    i. 

97. 

Peons,  village  of  in  Coahuila,  ii.  493. 

Pena,  La,  Coahuila,  ii.  478. 

Penol,  El.  Chihuahua,  ii.  417. 

Pepper-tree,  in  California,  ii.  90. 

Petahaya,  description  of,  ii.  188,  190. 
209. 

where  found,  i.  497  ;  ii.  416,  vol. 

ii.  189,  209,  248,  272,  290, 
296. 

early    notices    of    by  Venegas, 

Salvatierra,  Alcedo,  and  Her- 
nandez, ii.  191,  192. 

recent     notices    by  Humboldt, 

Pattie,  Hardy,  etc.  ii.  192,  193. 

Indians  shooting  at,  ii.  237. 

Peyri,  Father,  founds  the  Mission  of 
San  Luis  Rey,  ii.  93. 

Piedernales  River,  Texas,  i.  58. 

Pimo  Indians,  their  manners  and  cus- 
toms, ii,  220,  237. 

their  spinning   and  weaving,  ii. 

225,  226. 

conference  with,  ii,  255,  258. 

their   arts   and   agriculture,    ii. 

262,  264. 

their  physical  type,  ii.  263. 

early  accounts  of  them,  ii.  268. 

Pinaleno  Indians,'  i.  308. 

Pinos  Point,  California,  i.  73. 

Pinus  Edulis,  i.  234. 

Piro  Indians  of  the  R.  Grande,  i.  184. 

Pitic,  Sonora,  i.  466. 

Plateau  of  Texas,  i.  72,  87,  138;    ii. 

565. 

of  Mexico,  ii.  567,  568. 

Pluton  River,  California,  visit  to,  ii. 

36,  42. 
Pomegranates,    where    seen,    i.    284, 

414,  420  ;  ii.  484. 

distillation  from,  i.  421. 

Portulacca,  used  as  food,  i.  390, 
Pozito,  Sonora,  marsh  of,  i.  474. 
Pozo,  El,  Coahuila,  arrival  at,  ii.  479. 
fight   between   the  Lipans,  and 

Col.  Doniphan's  troops  at,   ii. 

480. 
Pottery,  of  the  Indians,  ii.  226. 

ancient  found,  ii.  243,  247,  360. 

Prairie-dogs,   where  seen,  i.   99,  72, 

76,  87,  110,  128,  249. 

their    natural    history,   ii.    557, 

561. 


620 


INDEX. 


Prairie  Fowls,  i,  15. 

on  fire,  i.  15,  16,  88.  __ 

passed  by  the  train,  ii.  525. 

Pratt,  H.  C,  his  collection  of  sketches, 
ii.  545. 

Presidios,  of  Sonora,  i.  407. 

Prioleau,  J.  H.,  his  surveys,  i.  117;  ii. 
548. 

Pronunciamentos  in  Mexico,  ii.  502. 

Pulque,  how  obtained  from  the  ma- 
guey, ii.  484. 

Puntiagudo,  village  of,  ii.  507. 

Q. 

Quicksilver  Mine,  of  New  Almaden, 
California,  visit  to,  ii.  57. 

its  produce  in  1853,  ii.  62. 

Mines  of  the  world,  ii.  59. 

Quinces,  abundance  of  in  Sonora,  i. 
284. 

Quinquima  Indians,  Cal.,  ii.  178. 

R. 

Rabbits,  their  extent,  i.  76;  ii.  555. 

Radziminski,  C,  arrival  of  at  the  Cop- 
per Mines,  i.  341. 

goes  to  Washington  with  des- 
patch es,  i.  248. 

his  surveys,  ii.  546,  547. 

Railway  from  Indianola  to  El  Paso, 
survey  for.i  14. 

practicable  route  for,  i.  139,  140. 

report  on  said  route,  and  thence 

to  the  Pacific,  ii.  570,  575. 

Ramos,  town  of,  ii.  506. 

Ramada,  Chihuahua,  ii.  452. 

Randall,  D.  A.,  journey  with  to  New 
Almaden,  ii.  54. 

Rattlesnake,  its  numbers,  ii.  557. 

its  connection  with  the  prairie- 
dogs,  ii.  561. 

horses  bitten  by,  i.  84 ;  ii.  342. 

Rayon,  Sonora,  i.  434. 

Redwood,  of  California,  notice  of,  ii. 
16,  21,  57. 

Red  River,  its  source,  ii.  665. 

Riddells,  13.,  U.  S.  Consul,  Chihuahua, 
ii.  426. 

Rinconada  Pass,  encampment  in,  ii. 
500. 

Ringgold  Barracks,  Texas,  ii.  512, 
519. 

Rio  Grande,  obstructed  by  ice,  i.  158. 

difficulties  in  fording,  i.  167,  L87. 

its  survey  commenced,  i.  177. 

productions  of  its  valley,  i.  185. 


Rio  Grande,  its  bottom-lands,  i.  188, 

200;   ii.  392. 

its  valley  near  Mier,  ii.  508. 

its  ascent  by  a  steamer,  ii.  509. 

its  crossing  at  Camargo,  ii.  512. 

upsetting  of  a  wagon  in,  ii.  404. 

Rio  Florido,  its  valley,  ii.  450,  452, 

454. 

hacienda  at,  ii.  457,  463. 

meteorite  at,  ii.  458. 

Ritter,  Karl,  on  the  camel,  ii.  580. 
Robinson,  J.  A.,   U.  S.  Consul,  Guay- 

mas,  i.  476. 
Rocky  Mountains,  abrupt  termination 

of,  ii.  567. 
Russian  River,  California,  ii.  36. 

S. 
Sabine  Creek,  Texas,  camp  on,  i.  53, 

54. 
Sacket's  Well,    California    desert^   ii. 

129. 
Sacramento  Mts.  Texas,  i.  121. 

battle  of,  ii.  420. 

valley,  Cal.  ii.  106. 

Salado,  Chihuahua,  ii.  371. 

Salazar,  Don  Jose,  his  report  on  the 

Initial  Point,  i.  202. 
Sal  Colorado,  Texas,  ii.  520. 
Saline  efflorescence,  Texas,  i.  100, 103. 

Chihuahua,  ii.  417. 

lakes,  Texas,  i.  122,  125. 

Salinas    River,  its    bottom-lands,   ii. 

240,  244. 

ancient  cultivation  on,  ii.  242. 

ancient  remains  on,  ii.  242,  245. 

Samalayuca,  Chihuahua,  i.  377. 
Sanchez,  Don  Jacobo  of  Coahuila,  his 

immense  estate,  ii.  492. 
Sand-Drifts,    near   the    Colorado,   ii. 

149,  150. 

in  Chihuahua,  ii.  372. 

difficult  passage  of,  ii.  371,  376. 

Sanford,  S.  P.,  arrives  with  despatches, 

i.  303. 
Sandstone   Columns,    near  Arispe,   i. 

280. 

near  the  Mimbres,  i  224. 

San  Antonio,  Texas,  arrival  at,  i.  33. 

departure  from,  i.  48. 

description  of,  i.  39. 

San  Bernardino,    Sonora,   i.  255;    ii. 

328. 
Cal.  purchased  by  the  Mormons, 

ii.  120. 
San  Blas,  visit  to,  i.  490. 


INDEX. 


621 


San 
San 
San 


San 

San 

San 

San 
San 


San 
San 

San 

San 
San 
San 


San 
San- 


San 


San 


Carlos,  Sonora,  presidio  of,  i.  407. 

-  Mission,  California,  ii.  76. 
Diego,  N.  Mexico,  ford  at,  i.  215. 

-  California,  arrival  at,  i.  505. 

-  Commission  meets  at,  i.  2. 

■  description  of  its  harbor,  ii.  94. 

•  its  agricultural  productions,  ii. 88. 

■  fertile  lands  near,  ii.  97. 

-  discovered  by  Viscaino,  ii.  98. 
visited  by  Juniper  Serro  in  1769, 

ii.  100. 

•  mission  at,  ii.  103. 
Eleazario,  Texas,  town  of,  i.  193. 
Felipe,  Cal.  and  its  Indians,  ii.  122. 
Francisco,   Sonora,   annual  feast 

of,  i.  411,  424. 

•  legend  of  its  origin,  i.  424. 

■  account  of  the  festival  of,  i.  428. 

-  cure  of  diseases  by,  i.  427. 

■  California,  its  growth  and  pros- 

perity, ii.  8. 

•  its  commerce  and  business,  ii.  9. 

-  origin  of  its  name,  ii.  10. 
Francisco  River,  or  Verde,  ii.  243. 

-  Texas,  ii.  525. 

Gabriel  Mission,  Cal.  ii.  83. 
Ignacio,  Sonora,  town  of,  i.  419. 

-  River  of,  i.  416. 

Joaciiin,  Cal.,  its  valley,  ii.  106. 
Jose,  Cal.,  its  fertile  valley,  ii.  54. 

-  visit  to  the  town  of,  ii.  56. 

■  mission  of,  Texas,  i.  44. 

Juan  River,  at  Camnrgo,  ii.  511. 
Lazaro,  Sonora,  visit  to  i.  412;  ii. 

211. 
Lucas,  Cape,  change  of  climate  at, 

i.  504. 
Luis  Obispo,  Cal.,  Indians  of,  ii.  56. 
Luis  Rey,  Cal.,  Mission  of,  ij.  89. 
Miguel  River,  Sonora,  i.  413. 

-  Chihuahua,  ii.  337. 

-  bottom-land  of,  ii.  342. 

-  River,  Texas,  ii.  529. 
Pablo,  Chihuahua,  ii.  445." 
Pasqual,  Cal.,  mountain  at,  ii.  113, 

116, 

-  action  at,  during  the  war,  ii.  113. 

-  its  Indians,  ii.  115. 

Pedro,  California,  arrival  at  and 
description  of,  ii.  79. 

-  Springs,  Texas,  camp  at,  i.  38. 

-  River,  Sonora,  i.  377. 

-  its  valley,  i.  379. 

-  del  G-allo,  ii.  470. 

-  Creek,  Chihuahua,  ii.  445. 
Saba  River,  Texas,  i.  68. 


San  Rafael  Valley,  California,  ii.  51. 
San  Xavier  del  Bac,  Sonora,  ii.  298. 
Santa  Ana,   General,  his  position  at 

Angostura,  ii.  494. 
Santa  Barbara,  N.  Mexico,  i.  217. 
Santa  Catarina,  near  Monterey,  i.  501. 
Santa  Clara, 'Cal.,  Mission  of,  ii.  55. 
Santa  Cruz,  Sonora,  description  of,  i. 

407. 

second  visit  to,  ii.  314,  320. 

inroads  of  the  Apaches  at,  ii.  317. 

River,  i.  412  ;  ii.  293,  295,  305. 

Valley,  ii.  297,  300,  307. 

Chihuahua,  ii.  445. 

Santa  Eulalta,  Chihuahua,  ii.  434. 
Santa  Gertrude  River,  Texas,  ii.  525. 
Santa  Isabel,  California,  ii.  115. 

ancient  mission  at,  ii.  117. 

Santa  Maria  River,  Chihuahua,  ii.  378. 

laguna  de,  ii.  37 1. 

Santa  Rita  del  Cobre,  hist,  of,  i.  227. 

mountiin,  Sonora,  i.  407  ;  ii.  308. 

Santa  Rosa  Island,  California,  ii.  79. 
Santa  Rosalia,  Chihuahua,  ii.  450. 
Santa  Teresa,  Texas,  ii.  520. 
Saltillo,  account  of  the  city,  ii.  496, 

498. 
Saucillo,  Chihuahua,  ii.  446. 
Sauz,  El,  Chihuahua,  ii.  419. 
Sciiott,  A.,  his  zoological  collection,  ii. 

550. 
Scorpions,  their  numbers,  ii.  556. 
Sculptured  rocks  on  the  Gila,  ii.  195, 

206. 
Scurvy,  its  appearance,  i.  237  ;  ii.  379. 
Sea  Lions,  in  California,  ii.  88. 
Sebilla  River,  Texas,  i.  31. 
Sedelmayer,  his   exploration    of  the 

Colorado,  ii.  183. 
notices    the    Cocomaricopas    in 

1744,  ii.  269. 
Shells,  Sea,  among  the  ruins  on  the 

Salinas,  ii.  245. 
oyster,  found  on  the  Rio  Grande, 

ii.  510. 
Shepard,  Major,   sends  troops  to  our 

aid,  i.  350. 
Sierra  Madre,  its  mineral  wealth,  ii. 

564. 
impassable     south     of    Cooke's 

road,  ii.  332. 

de  los  Animas,  i.  249. 

Mitre,  Monterey,  ii.  501. 

Signs  on  the  plains,  i.  106. 

Silver  mines,  Correlitos,  ii.  344,  366. 

Organ  mountains,  ii.  392. 


622 


INDEX. 


Silver  mines  of  Governor  Gandera, 
Sonora,  i.  462. 

near  Cueneame,  ii.  4*75. 

La  Nona  Pedrecena,  ii.  473. 

Viesca,  Coahuila,  ii.  478. 

Santa  Enlalia,  ii.  434. 

Chihuahua,  ii.  431,' 438. 

Guajuquilla,  ii.  453. 

Santa  Cruz,  ii.  446. 

Saucillo,  ii.  447,  448. 

Sin-ecu,  Pueblo  of,  i.  183. 

Snook's  rancho,  California,  ii.  112. 

Snow  Storm  at  Delaware  Creek,  i.  111. 

Smoking,  practised  by  the  ladies  in 
Mexico,  ii.  429. 

Socorro,  Texas,  town  of  i.  193. 

murderers  executed  at,  i.  163. 

Solidad  Mountain,  Texas,  i.  135 

hill,  near  San  Diego,  i.  112 

Sonoma  Valley,  California,  ii.  51. 

Sonora,  its  agricultural  productions, 
i.  440,  469. 

its  exports,  i.  447. 

deficiency  of  wagon  roads,  i.  457. 

its  Indian  tribes,  i.  446. 

its  streams  and  arable  lands,   i. 

459,  462  ;  ii.  569. 

River  and  its  sources,  i.  267,  285, 

440,  468. 

its  various  names,  i.  416. 

Spanish  hist,  documents  at  San  An- 
tonio, i.  41. 

Staked  Plain  of  New  Mexico,  ii.  565. 

St.  Joseph's  Island,  Texas,  ii.  534. 

Storm  on  the  Gila  Desert,  ii.  286. 

Stockton,  Commodore,  relieves  the 
American  army  at  San  Pas- 
qual,  ii.  113. 

his  eminent  services  in  Califor- 
nia, ibid. 

Strain,  Lieut.  I.  G.  his  plan  for  a  sur- 
vey of  the  Gulf  of  California 
and  the  Colorado  River,  ii. 
163,  165. 

Stuart,  Hon.  A.  H.  H.  his  letter  to 
Daniel  Webster  relating  to  the 
boundary,  i.  210. 
his  letter  to  A.  B.  Gray  request- 
ing him  to  sign  the  agreement 
fixing  the  Initial  Point,  i.  343. 

his  letter  to  Maj.  Emory  on  the 

same  subject,  i.  343. 

his  making  known   the    act   of 

Congress,  which  caused  the 
suspension  of  the  Survey,  ii. 
514, 


Sugar  Cane,  its  cultivation  in  Sonora, 

i.  469. 

at  Monterey,  ii.  505. 

Sutter,  Capt.,  his  early  history,  and 

settlement  in  California,  ii.  68, 

70. 
Sweeny,  Lieut.,  meeting  with,  on  the 

California  Desert,  ii.  130. 

at  Fort  Yuma,  ii.  152. 

Sycamore  Tree,  i.  53  ;  ii.  53. 

T. 

Tamaules,  how  made,  i.  207. 
Tanori,  Chief  of  the  Opates,  i.  444. 

defeats  the  Apaches,  i.  453. 

Tapahui,  Sonora,  visit  to,  i.  459. 
Taraijumaras  of  Sonora,  i.  416. 
Tarantulas,  their  numbers,  ii.  556. 
Tardillo  River,  Texas,  529. 
Tehua  Indians  of  N  Mex.,  ii.  178. 
Temperature  on  the  Gila,  ii.  198,  283, 

285. 

at  Fort  Yuma,  ii.  184. 

changes  of,  in  the  winter,  ii.  3. 

Tennant,  John,  murder  of,  i.  34. 
Terraced  Hills,  Texas,  i.  57,  133. 
Tetas  de  Cabre,  Sonora,  i.  476. 
Texas,  its  advantages  for  inland  trade 

with  Mexico,  i.  40. 
fertility  of  its  prairies,  ii.  519, 

566.' 

extent  of  its  table-land,  ii.  565. 

Thorne's  Well,  Texas,  i.  130. 
Thurber,   George,   his  journey  to  El 

Paso  for  relief,  i.  125. 
his  visit  to  the  Germans  on  the 

Llano,  i.  64. 

his  botanical  collection,  ii.  550. 

takes  the  train  to  San  Antonio,  ii. 

518. 
Timbabaciii  Indians,  ii.  178. 
Tlagualila,  laguna  de,  ii.  472. 
Tonto  Indians  of  N.  Mexico,  ii.  179. 
Totonilco,  Chihuahua,  ii.  456. 
Tortillas,  how  made,  i.  107. 
Toy  ah  Creek,  Texas,  i.  103. 
Trains,  for  transportation,  their  cost, 

ii.  436. 
Trias,  Gen.  his  estates  at  Penol,  ii.  418, 
his  character  and  influence,  ii. 

426. 
official  dinner  and  ball  given  by 

him  to  the  Commission,  ii.  427. 
dinner  to  him  and  his  officers,  ii. 

429. 
furnishes  an  escort,  ii.  442. 


INDEX. 


623 


Trout  of  the  Gila  and  Salinas,  ii.  192, 

107,  244. 

of  the  San  Miguel,  ii.  337. 

Tuape,  Sonora,  i.  434. 
Tubac,  Sonora,  ii.  302,  304. 
Tucson  Desert,  Sonora,  ii.  286,  290. 

visit  to,  ii.  292,  195. 

Tulare  Plains,  California,  ii.  106. 
Tumacacori,  Sonora,  ii.  308. 
Turnbull,    Mr.,  his   ascent  of  the  R. 

Colorado,  ii.  172. 


Vallecita,  Cal.,  camp  at,  i.  124,  125. 
Vallejo,  Cal.  notice  of,  ii.  14. 
Vancouver's  account  of  the  valleys  of 

California,  ii.  55. 
Van  Horne,  Maj.,  El  Paso,  i.  113,  162. 
Vegetables,  great  want  of,  ii.  194. 
Vegetation  of  the  deserts  and  plains, 

ii.  563. 
Velasco,  Don.  F.  of  Hermosillo,  i.  466. 
Venagron,  a  poisonous  insect,  ii.  557. 
Venegas,  Notices  of   the  Assumption 

River  and  the  Coco  Maricopas, 

ii.  269. 
his  notice  of  the   petahaya,   ii. 

191. 
Vequeria,  near  Parras,  ii.  490. 
Verde  River,  its  junction  with  the 

Salinas,  ii.  243. 
Victoria,  Texas,  i.  16,  20. 
Viscayno,  his  voyages  to  California  in 

1594,  ii.  88,  98,  101. 
Vitis  (Estivalis,  i.  56. 
Viviparous  Fishes  discovered  at  San 

Diego,  Cal.,  ii.  564. 
Volcanic  Action,  evidences  of  ii.  39, 

50. 

W. 

Waco  Mountain,  Texas,  i.  131,  133. 

excursion  to,  i.  168. 

i.  286,  293,  297. 

Wagons  broken,  ii.  117,  139,  292,305, 

476,479,493,499. 
numbers  of,  found  on  California 

Desert,  ii.  139. 
bought  of  emigrants  at  Tubac,  ii. 

306. 
found  abandoned  on  the  Gila,  ii. 

197. 

upset,  ii.  128,  330,  456. 

Wakejian,  U.  B.  killed,  i.  153. 
Wallace,  Dr.  of  Sonora,  i.  436. 
Walnut  Creek,  Chihuahua,  ii.  367. 


Water  Fowl,  immense  numbers  of, 
seen  on  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  ii. 
533. 

Water  Spouts  seen  off  Cape  Hatteras, 
i.  7. 

Webb,  Dr.  T.  H.,  his  report  on  the 
Copper  Mine  region,  i.  178. 

his    visit    to    Guaymas,    i.   436, 

437. 

leaves  Ures  for  the  Gila,  i.  450. 

his  arrival  at  San  Diego  and  re- 
port of  his  journe}',  ii.  1,-5. 

his  report  relating  to  the  death 

of  Colonel  Craig,  ii.  141,-143. 

hiszoologienl  collection,  ii.  548. 

hismineralogical  do.,  ii.  550. 

Webster,  Fort,  ii.  568. 

Whipple,  Lieut.  A.W.  appointed  chief 
Astronomer,  i.  177. 

determines   the   position  of   El 

Paso,  i.  193. 
his  official  report  on  the  Initial 

Point,  i.  202. 
appointed  Surveyor,  i.  204. 

recognized  as  Surveyor  by  the 

United  States,  i.  211. 

organizes  party  for  the  Gila  sur- 
vey, i.  356. 

his  official  report  on  the  survey 

of  the  Gila,  ii.  597,  and  appen- 
dix D. 

account  of  his  survey  from  Indi- 

anola  to  El  Paso,  i.  14;  ii.  539. 

results  of  his  labors,  ii.  541-543, 

547. 

Wild  Cattle  in  Sonora,  i.  258,  294, 
417. 

Wild  China  Ponds,  Texas,  i.  90. 

Wine  of  El  Paso,  i.  186. 

of  Parras,  ii.  483,  486,  488. 

Wislizenus,  Dr.  excellence  of  his  me- 
moir on  New  Mexico,  ii.  455. 

Wolves,  their  numbers,  ii.  555. 

Wool,  General,  favorable  impression 
left  by  him  in  Mexico,  ii.  4S9. 

Wood,  its  scarcity,  ii.  325,  344,  446. 

Wright,  Charles,  his  zoological  collec- 
tion, ii.  550. 


Yampa  Indians,  Colorado  R.  ii.  179. 

Yaqui  Indians  of  Sonora,  their  posi- 
tion and  character,  i.  442,  444. 

Yaunt,  Mr.  of  Napa  Valley,  ii.  19. 

Young,  Alex,  trial  and  execution  of, 
i.  165. 


624 


INDEX. 


Yucca,  The,  and  its  uses,  i.  196,  254; 

ii.  445,  490,  493. 
Yuma  Indians,  reach  the  country  of, 

ii.  149. 
they  plunder  the  Commission,  ii. 

153. 
incidents  connected  with,  ii.  150, 

172,  173,  177.     - 
they  destroy  a  fort,  and  massacre 

Gallantin  and  his  party,  ii.  174, 

175. 
massacre   of    emigrants    by,    ii. 

170. 


Yuma  Fort,  Col.,  arrival  at,  ii.  152. 

position  of,  ii.  158. 

old  Spanish  mission  at,  ii.  161. 


Zapata,  Chihuahua,  ii.  457. 

Zarca,  La,  Chihuahua,  ii.  457. 

a  great  cattle  ran<j;e,  Durango,  ii. 

468. 

Zodiac,  Texas,  158. 

Zoological  collections,  extent  of, 
made  by  the  Commission, 
Pref.  VIII.  and  ii.  548,  550. 


THE   END. 


